June 30-July 10, 2024 with Chris Benesh & Jay VanderGaast
Our 2024 Newfoundland and Nova Scotia birding began in St. John’s on July 1st. We started off hitting a couple of ponds right in St. John’s. The third of these, Burton’s Pond had an over-summering Pink-footed Goose, a rare treat. Also, a female Hooded Merganser was a bonus. We then headed down to Goulds to Bidgood Pond. This spot was great. There was a cooperative Ruffed Grouse, Boreal Chickadees (less cooperative), Cedar Waxwings, a Blackpoll Warbler, and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Then we headed down to Witless Bay and after lunch, a boat trip out to Gull Island where we took in the vast number of sea birds breeding there. Lots of Atlantic Puffins, Common Murres, Razorbills, Black Guillemots, and Black-legged Kittiwakes. After the boat trip we headed out to Cape Spear, the easternmost point in Canada.
We started the next morning with a visit to Signal Hill, a high point overlooking the mouth of St. John’s Harbour. It was pretty quiet on the ocean but there were a few passerines around, including a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Then it was off to start the Irish Loop down to Trepassey. The weather was a bit raw today, and our attempt to bird La Manche Provincial Park was cut short by rain. We did have a nice stop at the Dunne’s place in Renews, including a few Red Crossbills visiting their feeders. Nearby we were able to compare Arctic and Common terns that were roosting on nearby rocks. In the late afternoon we drove a stretch of the Cape Race road. We came across Horned Lark, a territorial Greater Yellowlegs, and a pair of Least Sandpipers.
We decided to attempt the Cape Race road again in better weather the next morning. There was a nice Merlin on the way out there. A stop at Biscay Bay yielded lots of scoters, mostly White-winged and a few Surf. We did a seawatch at Drook where we saw thousands of distant Sooty Shearwaters before heading back to Trepassey. We also learned that the ferry scheduled to take us to Nova Scotia from Argentia was broken and not running. This unfortunately meant that we were going to have to drive across Newfoundland to catch the ferry in Port-aux-basques. For the day this meant we had to head right over to Cape St. Mary’s to take in the gannet colony the same afternoon. So off we went. The visibility was good, so we ventured a short ways down to the St. Schott’s road to spot some Caribou. We made a stop at St. Vincent’s Beach for a wonderful Humpback Whale show. Several were feeding on capelin just off the beach. Gannets were also taking part, plunging in after the fish. Then we drove straight to Cape St. Mary’s. Conditions were great there with perfect visibility. And the Northern Gannet spectacle was unforgettable. We had good views of a close Razorbill, and great scope views of Thick-billed Murre and Great Cormorant. Then it was off to Placentia for the night.
The following day was unfortunately, a travel day getting across the entirety of Newfoundland. Ten and a half hours and five hundred and thirty-three miles later, we arrived in Port-aux-Basques. Fortunately, the drive was scenic at least. Thankfully our office had secured rooms for us to get some rest before catching the ferry the following morning.
The ferry crossing was mostly uneventful. At one point there were sightings of three Manx Shearwaters and briefly a pod of Atlantic White-sided Dolphins. Once we got ashore, we visited Point Aconi, which had good Great Cormorant sightings. A few Common Eiders, a Bald Eagle, and Belted Kingfisher were other highlights. Then it was on to Cheticamp.
The next day was ours to explore Cape Breton Island. We walked the Bog Trail in the morning. A smattering of birds competed here with a good wildflower display. Then it was off to Pleasant Bay Harbour to take a boat ride to search for pilot whales. Alas, the whales were no-shows, but we did get some good looks at Black Guillemots and a few gulls, including a Lesser Black-backed Gull. We then hit the Lone Shieling Trail which had a few things. Jay picked out a rare Philadelphia Vireo right away! We also had cracking Ovenbird. Then we hiked the trail to Benjie’s Lake. There was a wonderful Mourning Warbler and Blue-headed Vireo here, and a Moose standing out on the lake.
The next day was a travel day. We hit Doyles Bridge Park Reserve which was terrific. Veery showed really well, as did Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Alder Flycatcher, and American Redstart. A stop at Whycocomagh Provincial Park had good Northern Parula and a wonderful Chestnut-sided Warbler. Up at Pomquet Beach, we connected with Piping Plovers on the beach. They had two chicks! We then made a stop for Bobolinks and found some of these wonderful birds. Then it was on to Liscombe Lodge.
We had a pre-breakfast walk here and had a few goodies. Olive-sided Flycatcher, Palm Warbler, Winter Wren, Black-throated Green Warbler, and briefly Ruffed Grouse. We then headed off to bird the Waternish Road. Such a rich area for birds. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, several warblers, including Canada Warbler, were among the highlights. Further down the road we had Golden-crowned Kinglet, and a great Blackburnian Warbler. That afternoon we birded along the Sinclair Lake Road and had a few more boreal species.
After breakfast the next morning we birded along Indian River Road and had a wonderful Spruce Grouse. Also here was a scarce Bay-breasted Warbler and Blackburnian Warbler. Then we made tracks toward the greater Halifax area, stopping at a couple of coastal spots. Some good sightings of Common Eiders. Along Dyke Road we finally connected with a couple of Nelson’s Sparrows and a Short-billed Dowitcher.
Special thanks to our driver Paul who was kind, courteous, and capable, for getting us safely around Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. This tour presented a few challenges with weather and a disruptive ferry schedule. Thank you all for your patience and understanding through these difficulties. Both Jay and I thank you for coming along and exploring Atlantic Canada with us. We wish you all good health and great birding in the future.
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/271738
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/nsn24TRIPLIST.pdf
-- Chris Benesh