The Skerwink Trail, NL - 04 Sep 2018

Forecasts called for rain here in Port Rexton, NL Canada. Sure enough skies were overcast and gray, and it was breezy. Today Robin and I would be hiking the Skerwink Trail, which has been rated as one of Canada’s Top Ten Hiking Trails. Double bonus is that the 5 km trail begins literally in the backyard of Fishers’ Loft. So, after breakfast, we grabbed our gear and walked out the door to the trail head. Along the way we encountered a Northern Flicker, several Common Crows, Northern Raven, Dark-eyed Juncos, and a flock of 2-dozen Pine Siskin.

Within minutes it was starting to rain. Not heavy, but just enough to wet the cameras and bins. Winds were blowing but not enough to dislodge hats. Luckily, temps were in the low 60s so it was cool, but not cold. The trail took us toward the peninsula so we enjoyed walking alongside large expanses of blueberries, bunchberries, raspberries, and heather.

Once out of town the trail began climbing along the Newfoundland coast and we were treated to spectacular views of the steep cliffs and rocky outcroppings dotting the shoreline of Skiff Cove. I had heard Common Loons calling earlier in the morning, and now I had one down below along the coast. A scattering of Herring Gulls were soaring in the winds, and were soon joined by small flocks of Common Terns and possible Arctic Terns.

Just as put my bins on a Boreal Chickadee the skies opened into a pouring rain. I dared not raise my camera so I had to settle for watching it forage just 1 meter away. I would recover just a short time later when a pair of Canada Jays appeared and flew within inches of me. I was able to grab some nice images of the completely silent birds as they floated toward me through the trees.

As we reached the apex of one cliff, where trees give way to windswept grass, I spent some time digiscoping a dozen Black Kittiwakes that were huddled on the tiny rockface of the large outcropping below. Dozens of Double-crested Cormorants were roosting on top of the rocks, as well. Out in the water I could see a single Black Guillemot swimming with its bright white wing patches. The wind was blowing so hard that I had to be careful not to lose my hat or the scope or myself off the edge of the cliff.

We would continue climbing past Dog Cove until finally we reached the other side. Steep trail steps now needed to be climbed down, and our knees were feeling it. But, the views were so worth the physical effort. This was the region between Skerwink Rocks and Skerwink Head.

Question. Do moose use toilet paper? We found way too much toilet paper (used) on the trail. We did see moose poop and fresh tracks, but failed to see any, which was probably good. However, I do run faster than Robin...

As we finally reached flat land and began walking back to the Inn we passed the Farm Pond that was active with Lesser Scaup. More Boreal Chickadees were chattering in the spruce trees to my right, so while Robin continued walking I attempted to get some photos. A Black-and-White Warbler appeared and provided some nice images among the moss- and lichen-covered birch trees.

Finally, one Boreal Chickadee appeared long enough for a single photo.

I would find another small flock of Black-and-White Warblers, BOCH, and Golden-crowned Kinglets. A pair of Swamp Sparrows would also appear, as well as a single White-throated Sparrow.

Exhausted, we reached the Inn and could barely climb the hill to our cabin. In all we walked over 15,000 steps, including 57 flight of stairs, good enough for swollen knees and sore feet. We’d drive 30 km to Bonavista to have lunch at the Boreal Diner, then return to Fishers’ Loft to shower and dry off.

We had an early dinner at the lodge, and enjoyed seeing the skies clear and winds disappear. I enjoyed watching a fog bank on the ocean stream up and over the large island out in the distance as we enjoyed zuchini soup and salmon layered nested between layers of phylo dough and covered in cream sauce atop a bed of vegetables.

Sleep will come easy tonight. Tomorrow we are going to drive to Terra Nova National Park.

Skerwink Trail, Bonavista/Trinity-Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, CA
Sep 4, 2018 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments:     Next to Fisher's Loft where we were staying; Cloudy, rainy, windy
17 species

Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle)  1
Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)  11
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  8
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)  11     Exact count. Flying out over shoreline and seen from atop cliffs overlooking. Small terns w/ white foreheads and black on back of head. Not Forster's Terns. Did note that there might have been an Arctic Tern among them, but could not confirm.
Common Loon (Gavia immer)  2
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  23
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis)  2
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  6
Common Raven (Corvus corax)  1
Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)  4
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  3
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  23
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  4
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  1
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  2
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)  6     Two separate flocks of 3 and 3 birds about 20 minutes apart on the trail. Small black and white warblers.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S152419445

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)