Day 1 - Group to meet up this evening at hotel in St. John's, where we spend the night.
Days 2 to 3 - We will enjoy two full days exploring the N.E. end of the Avalon Peninsula, where the city of St. John's lies. The region is peppered with good birding locations, including lakes and ponds where we might find birds of a European nature, such as Tufted Duck or Black-headed Gull. Waterfowl to watch for on the ponds and lakes include Wood Duck, Northern Pintail, American Black Duck and Green-winged Teal, amongst others. We will be on the lookout for typical eastern birds such as Blue Jay, Common Grackle, Swamp Sparrow and Blackpoll Warbler while we visit St. John's local hptspots. One of the days we are here, we will take a boat trip out into Witless Bay, where islands are home to many hundreds of thousands of nesting alcids, including Atlantic Puffin, Common Murre, Thick-billed Murre, Razorbill and Black Guillemot. In addition to the birds, while on the boat, we may see some Humpback or Minke whales, and if we're really lucky, an iceberg or two. Nights in St. Johns.
Day 4 - We leave the Avalon Peninsula today and head for the scenic Bonavista Peninsula, where we will spend much of the day exploring. There will be more opportunities to see seabirds at their nesting colonies at Elliston. Our scopes will be trained on the horizon, especially if we encounter an onshore wind, for pelagic species, such as Great, Manx and Sooty shearwater and Northern Fulmar. We'll explore Dungeon Provincial Park, where, in addition to seawatching, a stroll through the spruce forest could yield Black-backed and American Three-toed woodpeckers, Boreal Chickadee and Spruce Grouse. Night in Clarenville.
Day 5 - The day is devoted to exploring Terra Nova Provincial Park. Forests here host a variety of birds, and some of the species we will search for include Gray-cheeked Thrush, Pine Grosbeak, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Fox Sparrow and Rusty Blackbird. Several warbler species are also possible in the park, such as Black-throated Green, Blackpoll, Palm, Mourning and Magnolia warblers, Ovenbird, American Redstart and Northern Waterthrush. Night Clarenville.
Day 6 - This morning we can spend a few more hours exploring Clarenville and, or Terra Nova Park, depending on what we have found on our previous days. On the drive to Placentia, where we spend the night, we'll make stops for birds. At Arnold's Cove, known as 'The Gateway to Placentia Bay', we will stop to take in the scenery and any birds that may be around. Hulking Great Black-backed Gulls are a common sight along the coast, throughout the tour, and there are often Common Terns about as well. Often seen in the bay are Common Loons, Red-breasted Mergansers and Double-crested Cormorants, while Bald Eagles can be seen sitting on prominent perches. Night in Placentia.
Day 7 - An hour from our motel is one of Newfoundland's best known birding sites, Cape St. Mary's. Here, on sheer cliffs, we get up close and personal with nesting colonies of seabirds, in particular Northern Gannets. In addition to the gannets, there are large numbers of breeding Black-legged Kittiwakes here as well, and alcids including Thick-billed Murre, Razorbill and Black Guillemot. Amongst the Double-crested Cormorants, we'll watch out for Great Cormorant. The sub-arctic tundra habitat here, the southernmost bit of it in the world, is home to breeding Willow Ptarmigan, as well as American Pipits and Horned Larks. The drive back to St. John's takes a little over two hours, and our tour will conclude late this afternoon.
