Puffins

A Perennial Favourite

Another perennial favourite is the puffin, and the Lone Pine Guide to Atlantic Birds lists the area around L’Anse aux Meadows as its first choice of spots to search. While we do see them regularly, they often come in on the face of strong easterly gales, so you may not want to wish for too many!

The area surrounding Cape Anguille Lighthouse Inn offers Newfoundland’s best bird watching.

Bird-Watching in the Codroy Valley

By Bill Montevecchi

Of all the wonderful places to go bird-watching in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Codroy Valley tops the list for the number of different species and for rarities and unusual birds. The diverse lush and fertile habitats of the Codroy River Valley provide shelter, feeding, staging and nesting grounds for a wealth of waterfowl, waders and warblers as well as many other species. Breeding, migrant, vagrant and wintering surprises await your discovery during every day and season of the year.

The Codroy Valley is the only place in Newfoundland and Labrador where one can see flocks of Great Blue Herons, and if they are found to nest it will be the northeastern most nesting site for the species in North America. The Codroy River systems are home to the Province’s greatest diversity and abundance of ducks and geese, and the Grand Codroy River has been designated as an International Wetlands under the Ramsar Convention. About a dozen waterfowl species nest here, including Pintails, Blue-winged Teal, American Wigeons, and Greater Scaup. The Codroy is the only site where Shoveler Ducks breed in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Province’s largest concentrations (up to many 1000s) of Canada Geese frequent the Grand Codroy Estuary in late summer, autumn and winter. Eagles, Harriers and Ospreys are common avian predators in the valley, and ptarmigan are abundant on the barren lands on the mountains above the valley.

Field Checklist

For the Birds of Codroy Valley

This checklist of the birds observed in Codroy Valley is based on confirmed reports from residents, tourists, birders and professional ornithologists. The area included is focused on the Codroy Valley and includes the region from Cape Anguille to Port-aux-Basques. Also, because many important Newfoundland bird records have been made on the Port-aux-Basques ferry and because many visitors to the Codroy Valley travel on the ferry, birds observed on the Newfoundland half of crossings are also included on the checklist. A total of 243 species are included on this list. A checklist is a dynamic source of information that is expected to change as new knowledge is acquired. Clearly, owing to incomplete information, many of the species recorded on this checklist have occurred in seasons other than those listed, and many species that have occurred in the Codroy Valley area are not recorded on this checklist, If you observe birds in the Codroy Valley area, your sightings are important. It is best to document unusual sightings with photographs and detailed descriptions, preferably provided by multiple observers. This checklist was prepared for the Codroy Valley Area Development Association by Bill Montevecchi.

Occurence (based on an experienced observer birding regularly and widely):

C = COMMON likely to be found daily in appropriate season/habitat.

U = UNCOMMON likely to be found monthly in appropriate season/habitat; may be locally uncommon.

U* = VERY UNCOMMON likely to be found annually in appropriate season/habitat; may be locally uncommon.

X = RARE not likely to be found annually; though apparently occurs regularly in very small numbers.

X* = VERY RARE recorded three times or less.

Status:

B = BREEDER known to breed (“b” if nesting abundance is significantly lower than indicated by occurrence designation).

R = RESIDENT non-migratory, or maintains a significant year-round population.

V = VAGRANT occurrence outside usual range.

I = INTRODUCED introduced to Newfoundland.

Seasonal Dates:

SP = SPRING 21 Mar – 20 June

S = SUMMER 21 June – 20 Sept

F = FALL 11 Sept – 20 Dec

W = WINTER 21 Dec – 20 Mar

Seasons during which a species has been recorded – a lower case entry indicates that a species is less common during that season than indicated by the overall occurrence designation: