Birding Cape St. Mary's

After a couple of epic days at the Puffin Viewing Site, my next stop was the southwestern tip of the Avalon Peninsula, Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve. Instead of driving straight from Bonavista, I decided to break up the 4 hour drive with a night in one of my favourite places in Newfoundland, Dildo.

The Dildo Sign

I visited Dildo for the first time in 2022, as a day-trip from St. John's. While the ridiculous name was my original draw, the hospitality of the folks there are what made me come back. The name itself has no clear origin, but is stated to have been around since the 1700s- so wasn't just invented to bring curious tourists (like me) to town.

Beer Flight

Jimmy Kimmel for mayor poster

Dildo was brought to 'fame' by Jimmy Kimmel, where he became obsessed with the town, and ran to become the mayor in 2019. Kimmel won the election in a landslide, and remains the honorary Mayor of Dildo. I don't think he actually ever made it to NL, but he did donate the Hollywood-like Dildo sign for the town. All jokes aside, Dildo is adorable, and worth a visit on its own merit. I recommend grabbing a meal and a beer flight at the Dildo Brewing Company, as well as picking up some Dildo goodies at Nan & Pop's Dildo Souvenir Shop.

Scenic routes of the Avalon Peninsula

After leaving Dildo it was about a two-hour drive to get to Cape St. Mary's. I took route 100 (the Cape Shore trail), where I almost ran into a bear and her cub right on the road. Being from Alberta, I didn't think much about the run-in, but later learned that black bears are not super common on the Avalon Peninsula- so feel very lucky to have spotted them.

I had clear skies the whole drive, until about 15 minutes from the entrance. Locals will say that if it is foggy in St. John's, then it will be clear in Cape St. Mary's, and vice versa, but honestly, I wouldn't bother planning your trip based on the weather, just go!!

The Interpretation Centre engulfed in fog

Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve is one of the most accessible places to see nesting seabirds up close. According to the government of NL during the breeding season Cape St. Mary's is home to tens of thousands of Northern Gannets, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and Common & Thick-billed Murres. In addition, hundreds of Razorbills, Black Guillemots, Double-crested & Great Cormorants, and Northern Fulmars nest there. The most amazing part is you can see all these birds from land, which is extra amazing if you are prone to sea-sickness, like me.

Welcome sign at Cape St. Mary's

It is about a kilometre walk from the interpretation centre to the viewing point. While access to the interpretation centre is accessible, the walk to the viewing point is not. The path is not super treacherous, but it was extremely muddy and slippery during my visit. The usual weather for Cape St. Mary's is 'RDF' (rain, drizzle, fog) so I think the walking path is probably always muddy. Due to the thick fog I think I missed some gorgeous views on the walk, but instead I got the super creepy version! There were only a few other cars parked when I arrived, so I walked to the viewing point entirely alone, and honestly it was kinda spooky in the thick fog. I had no idea how far/close I was from the birds, until I smelled them!

Walking up the the viewing point at Cape St. Mary's

I noticed the smell way before seeing the handful of folks ahead of me. I don't know why this surprised me, as I knew there were tens of thousands of nesting birds here.

Thousands of Northern Gannets on Bird Rock

There was a cacophony of smells and bird calls as I walked closer to the viewing point. As you can see in my video, it was still super foggy, so I am unsure how scary it would have been to see how high up I was (about 130 metres above sea level).

Northern Gannets on Bird Rock

While the fog did limit how far I could see, and obscured many nesting birds in the cliffs, I did see thousands of birds. Across from the viewing point, Bird Rock was covered in nesting Northern Gannets, and I watched many birds tending to their eggs. Gannets build small mounds for their nests, often made out of grass, seaweed, sticks, and mud. The female will lay a single egg, which is incubated by both the male and the female.

A pair of Gannets 'billing'

From my understanding, Northern Gannets sometimes mate for life, and males return to the same nest every year, building upon it year after year. One of the most iconic things Gannets do is 'billing', when a pair touch or clack their beaks together. This is thought to be a courtship display that reinforces the pairs bond.

Razorbill

One of my other favourite birds that landed very close to the viewing site were Razorbills. The Razorbill nests were further away in the foggy cliffs, but a few decided to pose close to the viewing site. Razorbills are in the same family as Puffins, which is probably why I find them super cute as well. These little guys can blend right in with Common Murres, and they can often be found nesting together. I love that the inside of their mouths is bright yellow, my photo isn't great but you can kind of get the idea.

A Razorbill with a hint of yellow in his mouth

The other birds that are relatively easy to see at Cape St. Mary's are Common Murres. You can find Common Murres on both coasts of Canada, but you can only see the ones wearing white eye-liner (aka bridled) on the East Coast. I assume there were Thick-billed Murres at Cape St. Mary's but I didn't spot any until I did a boat tour of Witless Bay later in my vacation.

Common Murre

I could make out nesting Black-legged Kittiwakes through the fog, but none were close enough to get clear pictures. I am sure there were many other birds I couldn't see shrouded in fog. My advice (which I will follow for my next trip!) would be to spend a night close to Cape St. Mary's, so that you can visit at least twice, hopefully getting at least one day with fog-free views.

Fish and Chips (photo from facebook)

Da Bird's Eye Restaurant Menu

After spending the morning with the Gannets, I was ready for lunch. There aren't a ton of restaurants close to Cape St. Mary's, so it's important to pre-plan what will be open, or to bring a picnic. I decided to drive about 20 minutes to St. Bride's, to Da Birds Eye Restaurant. It was surprisingly busy when I went, but the service was quick. Da Bird's Eye is a classic Newfoundland diner, with standards like fish and chips and hot turkey sandwiches. The food was reasonably priced and was delicious, I highly recommend.

North Gannet at Bird Rock

In summary, I had a great time at Cape St. Mary's, and my only regret is not spending another day there. Don't be discouraged if it is foggy, you will still be rewarded with thousands of seabirds. At around two and a half hours from St. John's, you can make it in a day trip, but it would be more fun overnighting somewhere on the way. Let me know if you had a visit without fog!