Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival in St. John’s
The tour commences after dinner and if time permits, we visit Signal Hill for a first sampling of Newfoundland birds, such as Fox Sparrow, and tundra-like vegetation. Alternatively, we may do a little sightseeing in St. John’s along Marine Drive. Signal Hill derives its name from the first wireless Trans-Atlantic message, received in 1901 at this location by Marconi; a museum in Cabot Tower on the hill commemorates the event. Night in St. John’s.

Days 2 & 3 – Avalon Peninsula and Witless Bay
Our activities during the next two days are weather dependent. One day we take a boat trip to the fabulous multi-island seabird sanctuary at Witless Bay where there are spectacular nesting colonies of Atlantic Puffins, Common Murres, Razorbills, Black-legged Kittiwakes and Northern Fulmars. Great Island, one of three large islands in Witless Bay, is itself home to over half-a-million birds, including over two hundred thousand Atlantic Puffins and fifty thousand Black-legged Kittiwakes. Several hundred thousand Leach’s Storm-petrels nest in burrows on top of the island, but they are rarely visible during the day, as they return to their burrows at night to avoid predators such as Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls. We also have a good chance of seeing whales, most likely Humpbacks and Minke. On our return to St. John’s, we take in Cape Spear National Historic Site, the easternmost point of land in North America.

The other day, we drive the loop around the Southern Avalon Peninsula. We head south from St. John’s, stopping at several promising sites to bird the scrubby woodland typical of the peninsula and the numerous inlets and bays. We visit Renews for Arctic Tern and Chance Cove for seals and landbirds, such as Gray-cheeked Thrush, Fox Sparrow and Blackpoll Warbler. We should encounter Boreal Chickadee, Northern Waterthrush and Wilson’s Warbler, and with luck Common Redpoll, which nests locally here. The Avalon Peninsula caribou herd occurs near Cape Pine, and we have an excellent chance of seeing it. Cape Pine also has nesting Puffins and Razorbills, and there is always the possibility of finding Willow Ptarmigan along the road. At our next stop, Point Lehaye, we look for Arctic Terns, in case we missed them at Renews. Nights in St. John’s.

Day 4 – Cape St. Mary’s
Today we start early and head out along the Trans Canada Highway across the Avalon Peninsula toward Cape St. Mary’s, for the spectacular Northern Gannet colony there. This is a glorious opportunity for taking photographs; the colony numbers in the thousands and nesting pairs are easily visible. Flying individuals often hang in the air on updrafts in front of the viewing locations, and the colony site itself, the “stack” (a huge rock separated from the mainland by a narrow steep drop) is most photogenic. Great Cormorant, Black-legged Kittiwake, both species of Murres and Black Guillemots are also present, American Pipits and Horned Larks occur on the open barrens between the parking lot and the colony, and Leach’s Storm-petrels are sometimes visible by telescope offshore. If time permits, we follow the coast to Castle Hill National Historic Site for passerines, such as Pine Grosbeak, Fox Sparrow and Gray-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 the superb harbour of Placentia Bay—indeed, Basque fishermen had used the harbour from the early sixteenth century. Night in St. John’s.

Day 5 – Terra Nova National Park
We leave St. John’s and drive the TransCanada Highway to Gander, some 300 km distant. On the way we make a few stops; our goal, however, is to visit Terra Nova National Park, a delightful mix of rocky headlands, sheltered bays, bogs and coniferous forest. The many ponds in the park support Ring-necked Ducks and Greater Yellowlegs, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers and Lincoln’s Sparrows occur in the boggy areas, warblers include Black-throated Green and Black-and-white, and Merlins nest in tall spruces. We then carry on to our overnight stay in Gander. Night in Gander.

Days 6 – Travel to Rocky Harbour
Today we continue our travel along the TransCanada Highway towards Gros Morne National Park and Rocky Harbour. We will make several stops along the way. Rushy Pond just west of Grand Falls was once an important wintering site for the Beothuks, the original inhabitants of Newfoundland. Crooked Bog is well-known for its orchids, and is where Greater Yellowlegs nest. Sandy Lake supports a large population of Moose, and we will probably see Moose along the roadsides. Finally, we drive on to Rocky Harbour where we spend the next three nights. Night in Rocky Harbour.

Day 7 & 8 – Gros Morne
We spend two days in the wonderful national park of Gros Morne. There is much to see in this two-thousand square-kilometre World Heritage site. The park covers a spectacular section of the Long Range Mountains, which run the entire western shoreline of Newfoundland—mountains, spectacular fjords, extensive bogs, coastal plains and meadows dissected by numerous small rivers, impressive sand dunes—and we sample much of it. Weather permitting, one of the days we take a boat trip on Trout River Pond. We travel down the length of this land-locked fjord lake beneath towering cliffs. Later, we drive north to St. Paul’s Inlet, where early shorebirds such as Whimbrel are possible, as well as nesting Least Sandpipers. There is also a chance of seeing several waterfowl species as we walk among sand dunes along the coastline.

On the other day, we walk the excellent trail system to the base of Gros Morne itself and, if we have two leaders, one group will hike to the top of the mountain for Rock Ptarmigan and possibly Arctic Hare. We will hope for a clear day, as the top of the mountain is often shrouded in mists; the view from the summit can be spectacular. Moose are often present in the ponds close to the mountain, and we have a good chance of finding Gray Jay and up to a dozen species of warblers along the trails through the coniferous woodlands. Time permitting, we take the ferry across Bonne Bay to Woody Point, and bird the Green Garden and The Tablelands area of the park., where there is an interesting mix of open country birds such as American Pipit and woodlands species such as Fox Sparrow, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Tennessee Warbler and Northern Waterthrush. Nights at Rocky Harbour.

Day 9 - Long Range Mountains and St. Anthony
We leave Gros Morne and head north along the spine of the Long Range Mountains, stopping at various spots on the way. We visit The Arches, a free-standing rock noted for its unique plant communities. Gray-cheeked Thrushes and Pine Grosbeaks nest in this area. The peninsula at Port-aux-Choix is an excellent place to look for shorebirds, seabirds and whales offshore, as well as being archaeologically important because of occupancy here 4000 years ago by Maritime Archaic Indians. We then head toward St. Anthony, arriving in time to settle into our hotel and an optional evening birding or a visit to the Grenfell Mission. Night in St. Anthony.

Day 10 - L’Anse-au-Meadows and Straits of Belle Isle
We visit the oldest known European site in the New World, the World Heritage Site at L’Anse-au-Meadows (translated as “Bay of Jellyfish”). It was here about 1000 years ago that Vikings established a settlement that lasted several years, probably the origin of the land known as “Vinland” in Viking writings. Common Redpolls and American Pipits nest here. We then have the option to take the ferry across the Straits of Belle Isle to the settlement of Blanc Sablon. Sea-birding is weather dependent, and during the passage, we could see several species of pelagic birds: Greater and Sooty Shearwaters, Northern Fulmars, Northern Gannets, maybe a jaeger or a storm-petrel. Night in St. Anthony.

Day 11 - Return to Deer Lake
We spend the morning investigating the area around St. Anthony. We then drive back to Deer Lake, keeping an eye out for moose and other wildlife on the way. Night in Deer Lake.

Day 12 - Departure
Our tour concludes in Deer Lake after breakfast.

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What to expect

Early morning birding will be the usual beginning to the day, depending upon the day’s activities. Most days have a small to moderate amount of driving; there will be two fairly long drives across the island, but we make several stops along the way. We also travel the length of the Long Range Mountains from Rocky Harbour to St. Anthony; there will be plenty of breaks during the day for birding and sightseeing.

Weather can be variable; warm cloudless days can alternate with cool foggy days, and we will plan our daily itinerary accordingly. It is a good idea to have footwear that is waterproof. There are two boat trips scheduled; the trip into Witless Bay can be cool, so appropriate layered clothing is recommended. The boats themselves are comfortable, with shelter and lots of seating space, and the captains are usually very entertaining! The trip down Western Brook Pond should be fairly calm. The Viking settlement at L’Anse-au-Meadows is an amazing and unique World Heritage Site, set on the Straits of Belle Isle, and will likely be windy and cool. The ferry across the Straits will likely also be quite cool.

Most trails and paths are easy to moderate. The hike to the base of Gros Morne is of moderate difficulty. The hike to the top, should this be attempted, requires some effort but can be managed at a slow pace. Venturing to the top is weather-related; the view from the summit is spectacular on a clear day, but often the summit is covered in fog or low clouds. This optional hike will only be conducted if we have two leaders so that participants have the option of doing some lower level forest birding. Bring mosquito repellent - mosquitoes are not usually a problem anywhere except perhaps in sheltered trails.

Each evening, the list of birds and other wildlife will be reviewed, and plans for the next day discussed.