Flying visit...

I spent the week before last working in Canada, four days in Newfoundland and a couple in Toronto.
Newfoundland is a very colourful place filled with equally colourful characters and the Irish and West Country ancestry shines through in their warmth and friendliness. Even the houses are colourful just about everywhere you go.

St John's, the Provincial capital

Nearby Quidi Vidi is a wonderful sheltered little harbour with fishing boats and an amazing brewery!

Quidi Vidi harbour 10 minutes from St John's city centre

Quidi Vidi Brewery, a great place to watch gulls from...

American Herring Gull, Adult

American Herring Gull, 1st winter

Black Duck are very common. Plenty in Quidi Vidi harbour, NF

The Skerwink Trail near Port Rexton offered some lovely coastal vistas. I'm sure earlier in the year it would have been teaming with birds but in October it's just a bit too late to see very much.

The Skerwink Trail at Port Rexton offers scenic vistas.

Coastline along the Skerwink Trail

Jon Joy of Tuckamore Adventures is a superb
local Wildlife guide.

The only seasbirds obviously present were the hundreds of Gannets fishing just offshore.

Gannet, Port Rexton

Toronto was warm - 25-30 deg over the two days I was there. Loads of Monarch butterflies were still heading south but never stopped for photos, unlike the ever present ring-billed Gulls.

Ring-billed Gull, adult

Ring-billed Gull, 1st winter

Double-crested Cormorant, Toronto Harbour

Double-crested Cormorant, Toronto Harbour

Double-crested Cormorant, Toronto Harbour

Double-crested Cormorant, 1st winter

A boat trip out to the Toronto Islands was a great way to see the city skyline properly. You can't get a view like this anywhere else.

Toronto skyline

Great Blue Heron

Would definitely like to head back to Newfoundland before too long. It's amazingly close to the UK - the flight time is just 5 hours and if you hit the Jetstream coming home, less than 4 hours!