I'm not really a birder, but I've been wanting to get closeup photos of Atlantic puffins since I first learned they were the official bird of Newfoundland.  With the summer in full swing, I made a day trip up the Bonavista peninsula to the town of Elliston, the root cellar capital of the world, as well as where a popular puffin viewing spot is located.  Boy, did they not disappoint!

I've returned to scientific diving as part of one of the tools I'm using in my current research.  

I spent the last 15+ years diving in the temperate, northeast Pacific waters of British Columbia (~9°C). It's MUCH colder here in the northwest Atlantic waters of Newfoundland; water was ~1.7°C in JUNE!  Cold-water diving is physically demanding and it definitely takes some time to adjust your body to the extreme cold.

​Now to see what -1°C feels like in the Southern Ocean...

Since moving to the east coast to pursue a postdoc in the macrophysiology of cold-water ecosystems, I've really taken to the rugged coastlines of Newfoundland.  It's really not hard to find inspiration when you have daily reminders floating in your backyard.

The bonus is that a lot of the coastline here is outside of restricted airspace (i.e., legal to fly a drone); the opposite of where I was living in Victoria, British Columbia.  Can't wait for field season!