Another year of birding in Newfoundland has come and gone!
In total there were over 275 species of birds seen on the island this year, which is about average for us.
The year started off rather mild with little snow accumulation until February.
The following photo was taken in early February! Quidi Vidi lake, usually frozen by early January was opened up after a warm spell - note the lack of snow on the ground...
A Brown Thrasher was a pleasant surprise in February:
This Pine Warbler managed to survive the winter thanks to the generosity of local birders.
Spring in Newfoundland doesn't really exist, but for us it does signify the arrival of thousands of eiders driven further South by the approaching sea ice.
Finally Spring arrived and birds began their long journeys northward through Newfoundland:
As soon as the local breeders returned I was off to Germany for a month of school, and of course birding.
In August I finally spent some time studying the local moths. 2016 promises to be better ;)
A White-winged Tern in August was easily the highlight of the year for many of the local birders.
The first half of fall migration in Newfoundland involves time spent in the alder patches looking for small gems from further afield.
This Little Stint was seen by a few lucky birders - another amazing record for the island:
I crossed the province in October for an 8-week placement in the town of Port-aux-Basques. Weekends allowed me to explore the local birding hotspots.
One of my favourite birds, the Harlequin Duck, is a regular species in this area:
Then the finches started to arrive - this has probably been the best finch Autumn/Winter in several years. Redpolls were the first species to arrive in large numbers:
And White-winged Crossbills weren't far behind:
Winter is now back and we have another year to look forward to :-)
Happy New Year!
