Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve is one of the best and most accessible places in the world to see nesting seabirds. Located about 200 km southwest of St. John's, Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve is one of the major seabird colonies of Newfoundland and Labrador. During the breeding season, it is home to 24,000 northern gannets, 20,000 black-legged kittiwakes, 20,000 common murres, and 2,000 thick-billed murres. In addition, more than 100 pairs of razorbills, more than 60 pairs of black guillemots, plus double-crested and great cormorants, and Northern fulmar nest there.

What makes the Reserve so spectacular, however, is that all these birds can be seen close up from a viewing area. Some of the northern gannets, for example, make their nests on "Bird Rock"—a 100-meter-tall stack of sandstone that is separated from the viewing area by a ravine only 15-20 meters wide. The gannets' courtship, nesting, and feeding behaviors, interactions, and delicate flying maneuvers over the crowded sea stack are endlessly fascinating and easily observed from the natural, cliff-top viewing area.

Source: http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/parks/wer/r_csme/

The manager of Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve is Tony Power, our puffin guide at Witless Bay Ecological Reserve. Not only did Tony spend time with us at the Interpretive Center, where his office is located, but he also insisted on carrying my camera bag to Bird Rock, a one kilometer walk from the Center. As my wife would say, Tony is a sweetheart!