In January of 2008 my friend Kaaren, from Laguna Beach, and I took a one-week WINGS birding trip to Newfoundland. There were seven participants in all plus a fine leader, Jon Dunn. We stayed at the Battery Hotel, which offers superb views of the harbor. This trip was designed as a gull study (we saw 11 species) but my personal goal was to see a Dovekie, a small alcid. Each day of the trip we visited birding hotspots, including Quidi Vidi Lake, which hosts innumerable gulls of different species. We had been warned that it would be cold in St. Johns, the capital of Newfoundland, but actually the temperature hovered around freezing, and was never too bitter cold. Admittedly, we all wore layers of warm clothes and heavy boots against the snow, which sometimes fell horizontally. Newfoundland is a friendly, picturesque place, and we all had a wonderful time.