Newfoundland - Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative

DECKS AWASH - 77
Birds of Newfoundland: a unique resource
by Roger Burro.....s
I
n the last five yea rs, birdwa tching has grown
into a major industry in North America and the
island of Newfoundland is rapidly becoming
known as an excell ent place to see birds.
The cold, rough waters dividing Newfoundland
from mainland Canada are a considerable barrier
to birds . The power of flight cannot overcome
the hazards of a journey most of us take for granted
in the relative comfort of a ferry boat. Many
birds that ar e common as close as Cape Breton
and southern Labrador rarely find their way to
Newfoundlandand are usually only deposited here
by storms during migr ation periods.
Newfoundland lies on the edge of continental
and ocean storm syst ems and the wildly fluctuating
winds result in bird arrivals from totally unexpected
sources. It is possible to find birds from
the Arctic , from continental Canada. from the
southeastern United States or from Europe within
days of each other , as hap pened this summer on
the Avalon Peninsula . In recent years, Newfoundland
has welcomed many European vagrants,
some of them for the first time on Nort h Amer i­
can shores. Many other birds may have simply escaped
detection because of our long coastline and
too few qualified observ ers.
The growing number of sightings, perhaps as a
result of an increase in the number of resident and
visiting birdwatchers, gives a hint of much higher
numbers than expected . A history of isolation and
the occurrence of many unique hab itats in Newfoundland
add up to an inter esting set of circ um-
Indigo Bunung
one of many "exotic species"
more or less regula r
in the Southwest
BJuewinged Teal
still a rath er local and
decidedly warm weather
visitor
stances. Many species ar e still missing, but there
are signs tha t this situation is rapidly changing .
Long-time residents will have seen for the first
time in the last 20years bobolinks, with their bubbling
song, red winged blackbirds, with their flash
of red on an otherwise black plumage, and evening
grosbeaks, a welcome splash of yellow and
black at many feeders .
Other songbirds are also beginning to arrive in
larger numbers, first being seen on the west coast
and then gradually extending their range. Some,
like the black and white eastern kingbird , the brillian
tly colored scarlet tanager and rose-breasted
grosbeak, and the equally colorful indigo bunting,
are easy to recognize in one-of the many field
guides on the market. Others , including many of
the flycatch ers and warblers, are harder to distinguish
and may be more common than the
provi nce's bird checklist suggests .
More recognizable, perhaps, are the ma ny
western ducks now finding their way here . The
ringnec ked duck , which prefers the seclusion of
woodland ponds, began its invasion of Newfoundland
aro und 1940and now ranks as the third most
abundant freshwater species . A similar range expansion
has been shown by the northern pintail ,
which is now widespread throughout the province
and very common on the west coast. Other
western ducks, such as mallard, gadwall , American
wigeon and bluewinged teal, are regular in the
Codroy Vall ey and increasingly observed
elsewhere.
The province is also attracting more and more
shorebirds in spring and fall. There are still areas
of fres hwater and saltwater marsh with ample
food to susta in small flocks of northbound
migrants in spring and much larger flocks in fall.
Severa l European vagrants have been found in
Newfoundland in recent yea rs, making it a very
popular destination for professional birdwatchers