Newfoundland and Nova Scotia offer a wonderful summer getaway with some of the best birding in eastern Canada. Spectacular scenery ranging from high cliffs and sandy beaches to windswept barrens and rich deciduous forest forms the backdrop for our exciting trip. In Newfoundland, we'll focus our attention on the multitudes of seabirds, some 300,000 nesting pairs of Atlantic Puffins and more than 400,000 other alcids including both murres, Razorbill, and Black Guillemot! It's a blur of constant motion, the sight of thousands of birds whirling around their few select nest islands like ungainly bees swarming a hive.
A ferry crossing will take us from Argentia to North Sydney, Nova Scotia; it can be one of the most productive in eastern North America, so we'll keep a sharp lookout for Manx, Great, and Sooty shearwaters, Pomarine and Parasitic jaegers, Leach's and Wilson's storm-petrels, as well as a number of whales and possibly even a South Polar Skua.
On Cape Breton Island, known for its sweeping coastal vistas and great birding, we'll look for such specialties as Spruce Grouse, Boreal Chickadee, and White-winged Crossbill, as well as an excellent selection of warblers and other landbirds. Join us this summer for some truly enjoyable birding combined with dramatic landscapes and hard-to-resist seafood.
Select the KEY INFO tab or click here for our itinerary plus space requests, status, fees, limits, and guides for any departure.
ITINERARIES • TOUR STATUS • DETAILS • SPACE REQUESTS
ITINERARIES • We issue a separate itinerary for each year, typically at least 9 months before that year's first departure. Most itineraries don't vary much year to year, but there may be small or rarely more substantive changes. A sample previous-year itinerary is usually available even if the one for your chosen departure is not. We do not require any deposit for provisional bookings until the itinerary for the departure is ready.
DEPARTURES • We have 2 departures currently scheduled through 2025, with details including limits, guides, fees, and space available listed below.
2024
Jun 30 - Jul 10, 2024 Guided by: Chris Benesh & Jay VanderGaast Tour Manager: Caroline Lewis Tour Limit: 14 Status: Provisionally full; waitlist available - The itinerary has not been finalized for this tour. The trip has provisionally filled but, if you are interested, we can waitlist you for the trip. As we do not require deposits until the itinerary and price are finalized, we often have folks drop off a tour when the deposit is required, and so space opens up! Click below to be waitlisted for this tour with no obligation; if you are waitlisted, we will also notify you in case of an added departure of this tour. Tour Fee: Fee TBD / 2023=$5775 REQUEST WAITLIST OR MORE INFO
2025
Jun 29 - Jul 9, 2025 Guided by: Jay VanderGaast & second guide TBA Tour Manager: Caroline Lewis Tour Limit: 14 Status: Open - Space is still available on this tour, and we are accepting provisional bookings. No deposit is required until you receive the itinerary. Click below to book space. Tour Fee: Fee TBD / 2023=$5775 REQUEST SPACE OR MORE INFO
ABOUT OUR TRIPLISTS • After every tour we issue an annotated triplist of the birds recorded on the trip, illustrated with wonderful images (and sometimes video clips) from the tour's participants and guides.
Enjoy looking through the 7 most recent Field Guides triplists for this tour linked below!