A Big Year in Newfoundland and Labrador: My Birding Adventure in 2025 by Vernon Buckle

Some may call me obsessed with birds—and they wouldn’t be wrong. I love birds. I love learning about them, watching them, and even traveling to see species that don’t make it to my backyard. Birdwatching is more than a hobby for me; it’s my joy, my escape, and my way of finding peace in a chaotic world. It’s something I can do anywhere, any day of the week, and it never fails to lift my spirits.

In 2025, I’m taking my passion for birds to the next level with a province-wide Big Year. For 12 months, I’ll be setting out to see or hear as many bird species as possible across Newfoundland and Labrador. From Fox Roost to Ferryland, and St. Shotts to St. Lewis, I plan to cover as much ground as it takes to experience the full diversity of birdlife that our province has to offer.

What Is a Big Year?

For those unfamiliar, a Big Year is a personal challenge in which birders attempt to identify as many bird species as possible within a specific geographic area over the course of one calendar year. It’s part adventure, part community science, and a whole lot of fun.

I’ve been a birder for several years now, and I’ve long admired the legends of the birding world—people like Roger Tory Peterson and Kenn Kaufman, whose work and stories have inspired generations of birders. I recently finished reading The Big Year, a book about three birders competing to see the most species in the ABA (American Birding Association) area. Their determination and love for birding sparked something in me.

Interestingly, there have been four known previous Big Years in Newfoundland and Labrador, with the record standing at 273 species, set by Dave Brown in 2011. That’s a number I’ll keep in mind as I work my way across the province, though for me, this challenge is as much about the experience as the numbers.

I’ve also been fortunate to witness Canadian birding history firsthand. In 2023, I helped Bruce Di Labio spot a Eurasian Blackbird for his Canadian Big Year—a rare and exciting moment that made me realize how special these personal birding quests can be.

While my Big Year won’t span the ABA area or even all of Canada, it will focus on a place that’s just as magical to me: Newfoundland and Labrador.


Why Newfoundland and Labrador?

Our province is home to an incredible variety of bird species, from puffins and murres along the coasts to boreal songbirds and rare migrants. Its unique geography makes it a hotspot for birding, especially during migration seasons when vagrants and rarities can appear unexpectedly.

I’m looking forward to visiting iconic birding locations like Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve, the Codroy Valley, and even remote areas like the Labrador coast. Each location offers its own set of challenges and rewards, and I can’t wait to explore them all.



Why I Bird

Birdwatching isn’t just about checking species off a list for me. It’s about connection—to nature, and to the world around me. In a world that often feels overwhelming, birding grounds me. It’s a moment to pause, breathe, and be present. It’s also a way to learn and grow, as every bird sighting teaches me something new about the natural world. And it's a way to help nature out too - through community science projects like eBird.

I’m excited to share this journey with you—my triumphs, my challenges, and all the incredible birds I hope to encounter along the way.




Join Me on the Journey

This Big Year isn’t just about me; it’s about celebrating the birding community and the incredible wildlife we share this province with. I’ll be documenting my progress, sharing updates, and posting stories about the birds and the places I visit.

If you’re a fellow birder, I’d love to hear from you! Whether you want to share your own birding stories or simply follow along, feel free to reach out. You're also welcome to contribute a blog post here! Who knows? Maybe we’ll cross paths in the field.






So, here’s to a year of adventure, discovery, and, of course, birds. Let’s see how many species we as a  community can find in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2025!

- Vernon Buckle

Comments

  1. Barb CurlewDecember 31, 2024 at 5:07 AM

    Sounds exciting. Wishing you good luck! And, looking forward to your posts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. John PrattDecember 31, 2024 at 8:58 PM

    Hi, Vernon, and happy new year. I hope your Big Year is a raging success. Newfoundland is an exciting place to attempt a big year, that is for sure. I wish you lots of luck, and I look forward to hearing about your adventures. Only a few more hours until dawn....

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Predictions for NL's Next New Species

Image
Newfoundland and Labrador’s birding history is fascinating. Due to our position on the edge of North America, and the isolation of the island of Newfoundland off the coast of the Atlantic, NL acts as a first point of contact for wayward vagrant birds from Europe and a last point of land from North American birds trying to migrate over the continent. Oceanographic conditions generated from the interaction of cold and warm currents off our coast, and numerous weather phenomena all add to the propensity of birds to find their way to our shores. Documenting rare birds in Newfoundland historically involved the collection of weak or dead individuals, or by shooting live birds - perhaps with the purpose of sharing them with a museum (or even private collections). Historically, the frequency of rare vagrant birds showing up in NL has been high, and well-kept collections of odd specimens allowed for good documentation and study of the rare birds. Currently, the list of birds that have occurred ...
Read more

Canada's First Greater Sand-Plover

Image
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 for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and a mega for Canada, North America, and the ABA. 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 to its bil...
Read more

A Mysterious Nutty Nuthatch

Image
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...
Read more