Hi all,

Last year I had 5 candidates, but this time I had only one bird of the
year... a pair of Razorbills that I saw in July out of Bay Bulls,
Newfoundland.

Overall, the trip was incredible (Viking settlements, 15th century
whaling stations, 18th century forts, whales, moose, caribou, icebergs,
unbelievable hospitality), but due to constant blinding fog, it wasn't
too successful for viewing birds. The highlight of the trip, though,
was taking a tour boat to a marine refuge off the Atlantic coast, just
south of St. Johns. We left the dock in perfect cloudless sunshine, and
the tour guide got us excited about the prospect of seeing Humpback and
Minke whales (which the previous group had seen moments before). And
then, as if scripted by the writer of a bad sitcom, we immediately
sailed right into peasoup fog.

We sailed on in virtual blindness, wondering what we were going to see
(if anything), when all of a sudden we found ourselves surrounded by
puffins, thousands of them, calling and flying and landing all around
us. Then the looming shape of the little island materialized in front
of us. Every square inch of this barren rock was covered with Atlantic
Puffins, attending their burrows, feeding chicks, posing for their
(potential) mates, and waddling around in the most adorable way. The
fog even lifted a little so we could see them. But, aside from a few
Black-backed gulls, there were no other species there.

We continued on to another island, which was much steeper, and was
covered with Black-legged Kittiwakes, Common and a few Thick-billed
Murres. I began to scour every inch of the place in hopes of seeing a
Razorbill. No luck, but then the guide pointed out a pair of them
perched all by themselves on a crag, just above the boat. Their
isolation from the other birds, and their long-necked, over-the-shoulder
glances at us seemed to convey such utter self-importance. Or, it may
have been a premonition on their part, since our attempt to visit a
third island was thwarted by another sudden change in the weather, and
people quickly started running to the lower decks in search of their
coats and Dramamine.

In any case, they were a lifer, and the only Razorbills I saw that trip,
and I consider them two very worthy Birds of the Year.

Regards,
Christine Vadai
Mill Creek, WA
christinevadai at sprynet.com