Seeing Puffins Up Close in Newfoundland
Exploring the Puffin Viewing Site in Elliston
Honestly, I have been struggling with how to start this blog, so I thought I would begin with one of my favourite places on earth, as well as one of my favourite birding memories, the Puffin viewing Site in Elliston, NL.
The Puffin Viewing Site in Elliston is famous for its proximity to a large nesting colony of Atlantic Puffins. The puffins actually nest on an island just across the water from the viewing site, but they frequently pop over to the mainland, landing within arms reach of onlookers. This has made Elliston one of the best places to see (and photograph) puffins on land. It is estimated that more than 2500 Puffins nest around the viewing site. They generally nest from May to September, but you can be guaranteed to see them between June and mid-August.
I had been to Newfoundland twice before, but was not able to make it to Elliston on these trips, so when an opportunity arose in June of 2024 to return to NL for a professional conference, I knew I had to make Elliston & the Bonavista Peninsula a priority.
The weather for my entire first week in NL was what locals call "RDF"- rain, drizzle, and fog- and boy the fog was thick!
I ended up staying in a historic, 100 year old cottage in Catalina, which was about a 15 minute drive to the Puffin Viewing Site. Brenda, tthe owner of the cottage was an amazing host, and filled the fridge with all the fixings for breakfast, including fresh eggs (from her daughter's chickens), bacon and touton dough. [On that note, you have to try toutons (pronounced towt'n) while you are in NL. They are a type of fry-bread, traditionally fried in pork fat and served with molasses, but I enjoyed pan-fried with butter and jam.]
Getting to the Elliston Puffin Viewing Site
The Puffin Viewing Site is located southeast of the town of Elliston, about a five minute drive down Maberly Road. There is a parking lot directly across the street from the site. Access to the site is free, although they do have a donation bin at the entrance, which supports maintaining the site. There was a little shop & visitor centre at the entrance as well, although it was closed when I was there.
It was about a ten minute walk from the entrance to the actual viewing site. The paths were very muddy and slippery when I was there, and were definitely not accessible for wheelchairs, walkers, or strollers.
My visit was a rainy, early June morning, so it wasn't super busy at the viewing site. The fog actually lifted a bit once I got close, but even through the fog I could see thousands of Puffins. Just minutes after arriving, my first Puffin flew and landed right in front of me!
I had seen puffins before (from a distance either flying on bobbing on the ocean), but I was still surprised at how little they were!
I feel so lucky to have seen a handful of different puffins, many who were collecting grass and leaves to line their burrows.
While I took all of these photos with my 200-500mm lens, I don't think you need a telephoto lens to get some nice pictures. The birds did not seem to be too bothered by people, but luckily folks were very respectful of their space as well. I found that if you just sat still, a Puffin might land close by. All of the photos I took were of puffins that decided to land right in front of me.
Not just Puffins!
While I went to the Puffin Viewing Site for puffins (and it did not disappoint), there were lots of other good birding opportunities. There were numerous Black-legged Kittiwakes, Common Murres, and gulls in the surrounding cliffs. The American Pipets and Savannah Sparrows were very cooperative photo subjects.
Exploring the Surrounding Area
There are lots of things to see and do on the Bonavista Peninsula apart from the Puffin Viewing Site. I decided to head to the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse stopping at Dungeon Provincial Park on the way. Dungeon Provincial Park is a part of the Discovery UNESCO Global Geopark, which has interesting sites throughout the Bonavista Peninsula, including the Root Cellars at Elliston (which I did not write about but can be seen while visiting the Puffin Viewing Site).
The 'dungeon' was created by two caves that were carved out by the ocean, eventually causing the ground above to collapse. Since the weather wasn't great, there were only a few other people at the park, which was nice. There was a little boardwalk around the site, as well as many hiking trails in the area, if that is something that interests you.
Afterwards I headed to Cape Bonavista Lighthouse, which is another popular location that has nesting Puffins in the summer. Sadly, it started pouring rain as soon as I got there, so I didn't venture around the grounds or explore the actual lighthouse. They did have a super cute giftshop, which I do recommend if you need a little puffin souvenir or just need to get away from the rain!
My last stop of the morning was for lunch at the Little Dairy King (photo courtesy of their facebook page). While it is quite unassuming on the outside, the food and service were great. They have the standard NL fare such as fish and chips (recommended!) and hot turkey sandwiches, but they are most known for their huge selection ice cream, milkshakes and sundaes.
In summary, there are so many things to do on the Bonavista Peninsula, including the Puffin Viewing Site. In addition to the few ideas here, the town of Elliston has a great website with lots of resources including a thorough visitor guide to help plan your trip. Don't be deterred if the weather isn't perfect, a little rain and fog might mean that you have the puffins all to yourself!
Have you been to the Puffin Viewing Site? Or do you have questions about visiting? I am also happy to share my Airbnb listing, just leave a comment, or shoot me an email!