Big Year NL 2025 - January ✅

And just like that, January is history. It was an incredible start to this insane adventure, missing my personal monthly target by the smallest of margins.


The third week of January was spent at home, taking care of life’s responsibilities. Let’s be honest, working isn’t nearly as fun as looking for birds! I still managed to squeeze in a little visit each day to check on my local patch, which (outside of winter) ranks as one of the best birding destinations in the province. Even eBird’s top 10 provincial hotspots say so! The highlight of the week was a male Hairy Woodpecker that found my suet feeder at Forteau’s Mount Nascopi Ski Lodge.


The entire final week of January was unexpectedly spent on the west coast of the island. I had planned to start a vacation on February 1st, but a weeklong forecast of high winds in the Strait of Belle Isle forced an early change in plans.



West Coast Birding

I spent three days between Stephenville and Port aux Basques, searching for year targets. At the top of the list were the overwintering Gadwalls at the Stephenville Crossing estuary. An early Tuesday scan, in between constant snow squalls, revealed a distant large flock of waterfowl. This required a return visit - or two! After multiple attempts, I finally got good enough views to tick the ducks.


Other species added on Tuesday included Bufflehead, Harlequin Duck, and Mourning Dove.


Wednesday took me to the Codroy Valley, a favorite destination for many provincial birders. The day’s main targets were grebes, leading me from Cape Anguille to Bear Cove on Red Rocks Road. High onshore winds made for tough viewing conditions, but there were some fantastic surprises along the way - a Red-winged Blackbird and a Lapland Longspur!



After multiple sea watches from my car, I decided to drive the former Newfoundland railway bed along the coast. Late in the day, about 4 km north of Bear Cove, I finally spotted some, seven Red-necked Grebes diving about 1 km offshore.


Thursday brought me back to Stephenville, specifically Port Harmon, to look for more targets, including previously reported American Tree Sparrows, Red Crossbills, and Northern Flickers. No luck in the morning, but I did spot a menacing-looking American Goshawk!

Minutes later, a text message from Delphine, a birder in St. George’s, changed everything: “American Tree Sparrow at my feeder!!” A quick drive later, I had the bird ticked - plus a bonus toasted cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup. A perfect birding pit stop!



The day ended in Corner Brook with a final hard push - a late-afternoon walk around Glynmill Pond before dark. I could hardly believe my ears when a Red Crossbill flew overhead - an unexpected but very welcome addition!



January Ends on a High Note

On Friday, after a wonderful snowshoe at Pasadena’s Ski and Nature Park, January officially came to a close with a whopping 99 species in total! Wowsers!



A huge thanks to everyone who helped along the way. Looking forward to catching up in late February!






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