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CG Traveller

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Birdwatching is North Americas favourite wilderness pastime. Newfoundland, which hosts more than 300 different species each year, is one of Canadas hottest spots for anyone serious about avian life. With thousands of kilometres of spectacular coastline and precipitous cliffs, the island is best known for six internationally recognized breeding sites, which are all within accessible ecological reserves. These colonies offer excellent nesting habitat for more than 35 million seabirds — puffins, murres, Leechs storm petrels and northern gannets — that gather there each year. Away from the ocean, there is also a wide variety of habitats that hundreds of inland bird species call home. Check the links below for information to help you plan your flight of fancy to Canadas youngest province.

www.birding.com/wheretobird/Newfoundland.asp
Birding.com is a fabulous site to help you hook up with Newfoundland & Labrador's fine-feathered friends. The site has maps, field guides, provincial checklists plus key links to hotspots around the province. Set up as a directory, it gives you direct access to other sites that are 100 percent relevant to birdwatching in Atlantic Canada.

www.gov.nf.ca/parks&reserves/ecolres.htm
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador hits the high points of birding in the province in its Parks and Natural Areas site. World-renowned Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve (www.gov.nf.ca/parks&reserves/capestmarys.htm), located at the southwest tip of the Avalon Peninsula, is among the most accessible and impressive seabird colonies in the world and home to 60,000 chattering seabirds — northern gannets, common murres, black-legged kittiwakes, razorbills, black guillemots, cormorants and thick-billed murres. The claim to fame for the four islands that make up Witless Bay Ecological Reserve (www.gov.nf.ca/parks&reserves/witless_bay.htm) are the more than 1,000,000 seabird pairs that visit there each summer. The reserve includes the largest congregation of Atlantic puffins in North America and the second largest colony of Leach's storm petrels in the world. Baccalieu Island Seabird Ecological Reserve (www.gov.nf.ca/parks&reserves/baccalieu.htm) is a favourite stop for breeding seabirds. Located off the northwest tip of the Avalon Peninsula, it holds the largest seabird colony in the province and the largest colony of Leach's storm petrels in the world. Steep cliffs make it inaccessible, but tour boats can up under the towering cliffs for a close-up view.

www.bsc-eoc.org
The Bird Studies Canada web site keeps a list of Important Bird Areas of which Newfoundland & Labrador has many. Clearly indicated on the accompanying map, the hotspots are annotated with geographical information, location details and descriptions of the birds that visit there. Use the map to identify the region in the province that you plan to visit and then find the bird colony nearby.

www.cs.mun.ca/~nhs
The Natural History Society of Newfoundland & Labrador maintains a web site to keep its members up to date on local programs and lectures. A wildlife-watching visitor to the province may also find the contact info useful for digging up insider information on little-known places to go once you reach the province.

www.gov.nf.ca/tourism
The Government of Newfoundland & Labrador's tourism web site gives an informative overview about exploring the province. Newfoundland & Labrador covers a lot of territory and so the information in the site is organized by region rather than subject alone. The Avalon, Eastern and Western regions on the island map, which are found under "Attractions & Adventures," boast some of the hottest meeting places for birds and birders.

The general information about Newfoundland & Labrador is a delightful reminder of the unique life and culture in Atlantic Canada. Two useful features on the site for do-it-yourself travellers are the "Getting Here" and "Getting Around" functions, which are complete with transportation schedules and maps. The "Getting Here" link also has a handy summary of vacation packages for specialty wildlife watching and adventure tours.