Gros Morne, Newfoundland

The objective today was to explore as much of Gros Morne National Park as possible. Two or three days might have been better if we wanted to walk more trails and take the boat tour into the fjords. The Black Fly on the lens of this first photo near the southern entrance to the park was a sign that spring was certainly progressing.

Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

Even so, there was still a fair bit of snow on some of the "mountains" in the park.

Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

At an overlook of Bras East Arm, we ran into a local Newfoundlander who told us that we were looking at a saltwater fjord, and during July and August he regularly sees Minke Whales there.

Bras East Arm, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

And on top of one of the spruces was a male Pine Grosbeak, the only one that was seen well enough to be photographed.

Pine Grosbeak, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

We walked a short (700 meters each way) "easy" trail to Southeast Brook Falls, which turned out to be strewn with rocks and roots, so not what we'd call easy especially as one of us is visually impaired.

Southeast Brook Falls, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

Only the top half of the falls were visible from the overlook, with the rest falling below us into a ravine. Along the trail there were some flowers blooming, including Trailing Arbutus, some of which were pink while most were white.

Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens)

At another short trail, memorializing a native guide in the region, I heard what sounded like a Red-eyed Vireo close by. But when I located it, not too far up in an Aspen tree, it turned out to be a Philadelphia Vireo, which is an uncommon breeding species in Newfoundland.

Philadelphia Vireo in Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

A bit farther north was the scenic overlook for Gros Morne, the mountain for which the park was named. It is the highest peak in the park at 806 meters (2644 feet).

Gros Morne Mountain (left), Newfoundland

A small group of very tame Pine Siskins were feeding low in the vegetation at this overlook.

Pine Siskin in Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

Our next stop was at the appropriately named Rocky Harbor, where we saw distant Iceland, Glaucous, and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. It is a townsite and not within the National Park boundaries, but it was scenic nonetheless.

Rocky Harbor, Newfoundland

North of there, a very interesting geological site was Green Point.

Green Point, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

There are many strange formations in this area, including lots of strata that are tilted nearly vertically, and another slab that looks like a fossilized stream bed, but also oriented vertically. And lots of round boulders in the waters nearby.

Green Point, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

Green Point, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

A birding stop north of Green Point was Broom Point, where there was a raft of Common Eiders that were fairly far out with their recently hatched broods.

Broom Point, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

In the grass on the headlands, there were some wildflowers blooming including Marsh Marigold and a regional endemic, Laurentian Primrose.

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

Laurentian (Bird's-eye) Primrose (Primula laurentiana)

We continued north out of the park to Arches Provincial Park to see the sea arches there. Unfortunately, a busload of tourists had just arrived so I had to wait about 20 minutes for them to leave, to get photos of the arches without 50 people scurrying all around (and under them) in the shot.

Arches Provincial Park, Newfoundland

Arches Provincial Park, Newfoundland

The plants here, other than the ubiquitous dandelions, were low-growing. Silverweed is found uncommonly along Great Lakes shorelines and was blooming here.

Silverweed (Argentina anserina)

And growing right on the boulders was some of the smallest Roseroot that I've ever seen.

Roseroot (Rhodiola rosea)

We returned back south to the National Park and went to the most crowded part of the park, Western Brook Pond. There is a boat tour of the fjords here, but there is a 4 kilometer round-trip walk to and from the boat dock. We waited until afternoon because of the orientation of the geography, which would have put the sun low in the photos if we'd come in the morning. The trail was very nice, and easy walking, but Nancy wasn't feeling well so I walked it alone. The views from the start of the trail were fairly nice though so she didn't miss out too much.

Western Brook Pond, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

Western Brook Pond, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

There were lots of flowers in bloom along the walk (open space the whole way, with no shade), including Pale Bog Laurel and Buckbean.

Pale Bog (Swamp) Laurel (Kalmia polifolia)

Bogbean (Buckbean) (Menyanthes trifoliata)

The closer I got to the boat dock, the better the views got.

Western Brook Pond, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

Western Brook Pond, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

At the boat dock at the end of the trail, it was hard to get a photo without the dock in the frame, but I think I managed it by taking a narrower trail a short distance north of the dock.

Western Brook Pond, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

There were  few birds along the way, although the patches of stunted spruce were the most productive and were few and far between. Apparently, I cannot resist taking a photo of any cooperative Wilson's Warbler. Maybe because they are not easy during migration in Michigan. But anyway, here's yet another photo of a Wilson's.

Wilson's Warbler at Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

One surprise was a very cooperative Tennessee Warbler. Not much of a looker as far as warblers go, but this is another one that is sometimes difficult to get good views, and photos of in migration in Michigan.

Tennessee Warbler at Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

On the way back to the parking area, I heard an odd begging sound that I thought sounded like baby woodpeckers. I stopped and right next to me was a mostly dead spruce that was maybe 15 feet tall, with several holes in it. My hope was that it was a Black-backed Woodpecker. When the female came in to feed the young, only a few yards away from me, I could clearly see that it was a Hairy Woodpecker.

Hairy Woodpecker at nest, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

The subspecies in Newfoundland seems to have fewer white spots on their wings than Michigan birds do.

Hairy Woodpecker near nest, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

It was getting late, but there was still one last classic scenic area to visit in the park, but it was about 50 kilometers away to the south. We stopped back at Rocky Harbor and got a couple of cheeseburgers to go from a local pub, and continued on to the Tablelands part of the park. As we got close, there was a nice view of Bonne Bay and the adjacent flat-topped mountains (the Tablelands).

Bonne Bay near Woody Point, Newfoundland

Bonne Bay near Woody Point, Newfoundland

The Tablelands area, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

The trail was about a mile in, and straight back out. It was a very interesting landscape, but with very few birds and very little vegetation. I thought it looked a bit like the surface of Mars!

Tablelands Trail, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

Tablelands Trail, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland

I managed to get back to the car while the sun was still up, covering the 2-mile round-trip on the trail in about 45 minutes, and we had some daylight left for the approximately hour-long drive back to motel in Corner Brook. Despite the abundant Moose crossing signs all over Newfoundland, and the warnings from Jared to be very careful driving at night (we never did), we had not seen one the entire time we had been here. Until now. Two females were right alongside the road at one point. They didn't wander into the road, thankfully, but were also in a situation that made stopping for photos impossible.