Today we had to make the 3 1/2 hour drive from Corner Brook back to Gander to make an 11:30 a.m. appointment at a medical clinic to get a certified COVID test before flying home tomorrow. We had seen news reports that the U.S had lifted testing requirements for entry by air as of June 12th, but we figured that it was better to be safe than sorry even though we were flying out on the 16th. That turned out to be a good decision, because Canada had not lifted testing requirements to travel between provinces, so we needed them to travel through Toronto on our way home.
After lunch, we headed out a few miles west of Gander to a dirt road going north of the Trans-Canada Highway where an American Three-toed Woodpecker had been reported recently. It was 15 kilometers in, and off on a side road, but it was a reasonably good dirt road by Newfoundland standards. I managed some good photos of a few warblers, including the very common Northern Waterthrush and fairly common Magnolia Warbler.
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Northern Waterthrush
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Northern Waterthrush
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Magnolia Warbler
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Magnolia Warbler
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Magnolia Warbler
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Another warbler that I had really wanted to see and photograph was the Palm Warbler of the "Yellow" subspecies that is a rare vagrant to the Great Lakes (though most of those I have banded have had a variable number of yellow belly feathers). Terra Nova National Park was supposed to be a good place for them, but we missed them there. Along this road, there were several and I did manage a few photos. What surprised me is that their song was a lot like a Chipping Sparrow and not much like the songs we hear from migrants in Michigan.
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"Yellow" Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum hypochrysea)
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| "Yellow" Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum hypochrysea) |
A few insects were out along this road, including a dragonfly that I have tentatively identified as a Muskeg Emerald.
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Muskeg Emerald (Somatochlora septentrionalis)
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Once we got in to the sideroad where the woodpecker had been reported, it had to be walked as it was rutted and probably impassible with our rental car. It was only about 1/4 mile to the dead end where lots of spruces were on both sides of the road. But the only woodpecker was a flyover that went unidentified, but looked like a Downy. There were tons of Moose tracks in this road, so we were vigilant. There were also a few Tiger Beetles hunting the road surface that I have tentatively identified as Boreal Long-lipped Tiger Beetle.
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Boreal Long-lipped Tiger Beetle (Cicindela longilabris)
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Also in the road was the first amphibian seen on the trip. We had heard American Toads and Green Frogs in a few places, but there are NO native frogs, salamanders, snakes, or lizards in Newfoundland. All four species of frog have been introduced. But it was still nice to see an American Toad in the road.
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American Toad
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On the way back to the Trans-Canada Highway, a couple of sparrow-sized birds flew up into a spruce, and stayed in view. They were White-winged Crossbills. Although we had seen then nearly every day, almost always they were flying over in small groups or larger flocks, rarely perching. So it was nice to finally get a chance for photos.
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White-winged Crossbill
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White-winged Crossbill
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White-winged Crossbill
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It was now mid-afternoon, so we decided to head back to the road where a Black-backed Woodpecker had been reported, where we had seen a lot of warblers four days ago. We only went in 6 kilometers to the woodpecker spot, but it was very quiet. So, we drove back out and to our motel in Gander where we had dinner, and got everything ready to fly out tomorrow.
The next morning, Thursday the 16th, we left Gander at 6 a.m. for the 3 1/2 hour drive back to St. John's for our 12:15 flight. It was a very eventful day, and not in a good way, dealing with delayed flights and crowded airports, and we arrived home at 10 p.m., about two hours later than we had planned.
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