The Bullbird

  I can’t believe it’s been nearly two months since my last update. Yikes! On April 20, I set off on the first of two trips across the island in search of vagrants. A Greater Sand-Plover, a new species for the province, had been showing well in Biscay Bay for nearly a week. Unfortunately, I arrived two days too late—my first dip of the year. Keels, Bonavista Peninsula The following days were spent combing the Northeast Avalon, the Bonavista Peninsula, and the Straight Shore. Finally, some luck at Cape Freels, where I found two European Golden-Plovers. While deciding where to sleep that night, I got a message: a Eurasian Oystercatcher had been reported in Torbay. I guess sleep would have to wait. Bonavista At sunrise in Torbay, I began an all-day search—but once again, no luck. Still, the road trip wasn’t without rewards. I added several new birds to the list, including Northern Shrike, Wood Duck, Ruddy Duck, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. European Golden-Plover, Cape Freels Northern...

An unusual nuthatch was spotted at a well-known bird feeder in Fermeuse yesterday, May 6th 2025, by Vernon Buckle.  Initial views revealed typical nuthatch behaviour, and a surprisingly white face. As soon as it was seen, it disappeared leaving a lot to the imagination. White-breasted Nuthatch (WBNU) was strongly suspected and the alert went out, including notifying the homeowner of the rare visitor. Afterall, this would be the 6th or 7th record for the province! A true rarity for the province, and one that many birders still haven't seen in the region. Linda, the homeowner, eventually secured some photos later that day. That's where the mystery began. What was this nuthatch? An aberrant Red-breasted Nuthatch, or a White-breasted Nuthatch? Jean-François Rousseau (of Ivory Gull fame) was the first to point out the inconsistencies. The bird continued to be seen today (May 7th) and several more photos came in. These only added to the mystery. What do you think this nuthatch is? Li...

On April 12 th , 2025, Richard Thomas spotted a small plover on a sandflat upstream of the Biscay Bay River bridge. His initial thought was "wow, that's incredibly early for a Semipalmated Plover". However, when he put his binoculars up and saw a long-legged, grey-brown plover with a distinct pattern of orange and black around its head, neck, and chest, he knew he was looking at a Sand-Plover. Any species of Sand-Plover would be a huge first-ever record not just for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador but also for Canada, and a mega for North America. Sand-Plover found in Biscay Bay , NL 📷Richard Thomas, April 12, 2025 Richard has experience with Sand-Plovers and recalled the field marks that separate Greater from the Lesser complex. His first thoughts were that the bird was small and had a jizz (a birding term meant to signify the general impression of size and shape) resembling that of a Lesser Sand-Plover. The structure of the bird from its leg length t...

The Changing Seasons is a series of blog posts focusing on notable changes in bird distribution in Newfoundland and Labrador over the past ~75 years. These changes may not be apparent to the dedicated birder of today. Certainly significant changes occurred prior to the 1950s but without a written report to review, those changes will remain a mystery. Note that this is the third in a series of blog posts on this topic. The first post about goldfinches, redpolls, and song sparrows can be found here . And the second about gulls can be found here . Todays post is about waterfowl. Tufted Ducks and other waterfowl: The first record of Tufted Duck, a Eurasian species, for the island of Newfoundland was a well documented female at Quidi Vidi lake from 2 Jan - 26 Jan, 1982 [Am. Birds, 1982]. It was another four years until the second record came about: an immature male shot at Colinet on 3 Nov 1986 [Am Birds, 1987]. The 3rd record was a female in Harbour Grace 16 Dec 1986 to 8 Jan 1987. The 4th...

Snowy Owl - Species #100 for my NL Big Year Since my last post, my birding adventure have taken me far from the windswept coast of Labrador — all the way to the stunning Santa Marta region of northern Colombia! Colombia has long been number one on my bucket list, and this 12-day birding tour far exceeded my expectations. Each day was filled with unforgettable moments — incredible new species, breathtaking scenery, and the warm hospitality of amazing people. The culture, the food, and the sheer variety of birds made it a trip to remember. There’s nothing quite like a tropical birding adventure to lift the spirits after a mentally draining Labrador winter. Caribou near Boat Harbour Speaking of winter, it was in full gear when I returned home on February 13. My first order of business? Finding species number 100 for my Big Year list! I’d hoped to reach that milestone in January, but on February 20, a lunchtime drive to Grassy Point near Forteau finally did the trick. Near the turnaround a...

Remarkably, there appears to be no up-to-date comprehensive list of butterflies of Newfoundland and Labrador. I set out to do that over the past month... and there are some surprises! There does exist a list from 1971 published in The Osprey Vol 2, Num 2  which included 39 species for the island of Newfoundland. It was compiled by Ray F. Morris. Subsequently, the same author published a book entitled: Butterflies and Moths of Newfoundland and Labrador published in 1980. This book included 55 species of butterflies from across the province and provided incredible detail on their historical records, status at that time, and ecology. I have compiled all the details in those two sources, with more recent publications including the Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America (published 2003), and The Butterflies of Canada (published 1998) by Ross Layberry et al. Further, I have cross-referenced these references with current online resources including iNaturalist (2000+ butterfl...