Newfoundland Birding with Canadian Geographic

Our Newfoundland birding tour with Canadian Geographic commences with an evening meet & greet in St. John’s – North America’s oldest city perched on the eastern edge of the continent. If time and weather permits, we may squeeze in a visit to historic Signal Hill for panoramic views over the city. Overnight in St. John’s.

We start our morning with a visit to North America’s most easterly point at Cape Spear National Historic Site, which is also a great place to scan for icebergs, seabirds and migrating whales. We stroll through a variety of songbird habitats including lush boreal forests and rich wetlands, searching out gems such as Boreal Chickadee, Swamp Sparrow, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and several species of warbler.

After lunch, we will take a boat tour in the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve – a series of islands that is home to more than 4 million seabirds - including North America’s largest Atlantic Puffin colony, thousands of Common Murre, Black-legged Kittiwake and Razorbill. The only thing more amazing than the sound of thousands of seabirds chattering is the incredible point-blank views as we cruise around these protected islands. Overnight in St. John’s.

The “Irish Loop”, named for the area’s strong cultural roots, includes coastal headlands, seascapes and historic villages. Scenery is stark and beautiful. We will make several stops to bird the scrubby woodlands typical of the peninsula, listening for boreal songbirds such as Blackpoll Warbler, Northern Waterthrush and Fox Sparrow. The many sheltered bays and inlets dotting the coast offer chances to look for Arctic Terns and other seabirds.

We will also make our first forays into some of the world’s most southerly expanses of subarctic tundra in search of barrens species such as Horned Lark, American Pipit and Willow Ptarmigan. There may be opportunities to see some of the Woodland Caribou herd that resides in this region, and we will always be on the lookout for Moose!

On one day, we will enjoy a guided hike to the ancient fossils of Mistaken Point UNESCO World Heritage Site – the oldest evidence of multicellular life on the planet and a snapshot in time of “when life got big”.

Other cultural and historic highlights may include iconic lighthouses such as Cape Race which played a prominent role in the final hours of the Titanic tragedy. Overnight Trepassey (Day 3) and St. Bride's (day 4).

During the morning we will visit breath-taking Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve. The steep cliffs here are home to one of the largest colonies of Northern Gannet in North America and thousands of other seabirds, including the world's southernmost breeding Thick-billed Murres. The area offers spectacular scenery and very close views of the gannet colony, allowing for excellent photographic opportunities.

The surrounding “Eastern Hyperoceanic Barrens” are a rare ecosystem that is home to Savannah Sparrows, Short-eared Owls, unique wildflowers and the range-restricted Short-tailed Swallowtail butterfly among others.

We then follow the coast to Castle Hill National Historic Site, looking for passerines such as Pine Grosbeak and Grey-cheeked Thrush. Castle Hill is so named for the French and English fortifications dating back to the mid-1600s, and the top of the hill overlooks scenic Placentia Bay.

We end our day by leaving the Avalon Peninsula behind and driving west across the narrow isthmus that connects it to the rest of Newfoundland. Overnight in Charlottetown.

We will spend today exploring a variety of coastal and upland habitats in Terra Nova National Park which includes sheltered bays, steep cliffs and rich boreal forests. We will be looking primarily for boreal bird species including eastern Palm Warblers, Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpeckers, and Canada Jay.

Around the many bogs and wetlands we will search for wildflowers and listen for the unique songs of Rusty Blackbird and Olive-sided Flycatcher, among many other birds. Snowshoe Hare and Moose are fairly common in the park. This evening we drive to nearby Bonavista. Overnight in the Bonavista/Trinity area.

This morning we visit the colourful town of Trinity – a historic fishing village that maintained more character than most over the years. We will take a stroll through time as walk the narrow roads and laneways, visiting old churches and shops along the way.

An adventurous boat tour will take us through the narrow harbour entrance and into Trinity Bay in search of seabirds, whales and maybe even icebergs along the stunning coastlines.

Nearby Elliston is not only rustic and beautiful, but boasts one of the most accessible Atlantic Puffin colonies in North America. The colony is only a stone’s throw from the “mainland” and puffins sometimes fly over and land near their human observers – making it a favourite haunt for nature photographers. Elliston is also known for its abundance of historic “root cellars”, which can be seen throughout the town including along the trail to the puffin site. Overnight in the Bonavista/Trinity area.

The Bonavista Peninsula is known not only for its natural beauty, but also its many historic settlements and the key roles it played in the island’s fishing economy.

We will visit the lighthouse and rugged headlands of Cape Bonavista, keeping an eye out for seabirds such as Black Guillemot along the cliff edge, whales and icebergs on the wide-open ocean and unique plants that hug the windswept coastline. "The Dungeon” is an intriguing geological formation that illustrates how the area’s characteristic sea stacks are formed over thousands of years.

Later this afternoon, we make our way back to St. John’s with time to explore the capital city on your own this evening. Overnight in St. John’s.

Our Newfoundland birding tour with Canadian Geographic ends today and participants can depart anytime.