Took advantage of a day off work and drove the Southern Avalon Loop (counter-clockwise). I escaped the rain in St. Mary's Bay and St Shotts but the wind was still very strong. Not a great day to find birds. No vagrants seen. Of all things, Dovekies saved the day. There were a few flying east past Pt LaHaye in the WNW gale. I checked out Kielly's Cove wharf at Gaskiers thinking these Dovekies and other birds might be hugging the coast on their way out of the bay. Well just a few Dovekies were flying by that shoreline but around the derelict concert wharf were 15 or so Dovekies feeding away madly just like a day in January. I parked the car on the wharf and pulled out the camera for a good hour of entertainment.
The dark skies and rough water bouncing the birds around like corks meant using at least ISO 1000. Now after reviewing the pictures at home I should have gone higher. A few OK photos came out of the effort. It was nice to see them up close again. They paid no attention to the car parked on the wharf. I could see them flying under water along the floor of the ocean by the wharf. The air was filled with their chirps. Yes it felt like winter!
Where were they when I came to Newfoundland???
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