 Looking for the best places in the province to see birds? Just standing next to a lighthouse, or only a minute from the highway, you can see amazing spectacles of them. Taking a boat tour is also one of the best ways to go. Below you’ll find five of the top bird watching hot spots in Newfoundland and Labrador.
| Avalon Region - Witless Bay Ecological Reserve |
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| What's There | Atlantic Puffin, Black Guillemot, Black-Legged Kittiwake, Common Murre, Great Black-Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Leach’s Storm Petrel, Northern Fulmar, Razorbill, Thick-Billed Murre | | Best Times | May-September | | How To Get There | Tour boats from Bay Bulls, Witless Bay, Tors Cove, Bauline East, Mobile – all on Route 10. In U23 on Traveller’s Map. | | Comments | World class seabird viewing. Largest breeding colony of Atlantic Puffin in North America – 260,000 pairs. Birds nest on 4 islands in the reserve. Viewing from boats – no landing on islands. Humpback and minke whales; icebergs probable in spring. |
| Avalon Region - Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve |
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| What's There | Black Guillemot, Black-Legged Kittiwake, Common Murre, Double Crested Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Harlequin Duck, Northern Fulmar, Northern Gannet, Razorbill, Thick-Billed Murre | | Best Times | May-September; Winter for Halequin Duck | | How To Get There | Paved, but narrow, 11-km access road from Route 100 just east of St. Bride’s. In W 18-19 on Traveller’s Map. | | Comments | World class seabird viewing. Most accessible seabird colony in the province. Birds nest atop a sea stack only 50 feet from clifftop lookout. Southernmost breeding site for Thick-Billed Murre. Best land-based viewing for Black Guillemot, Northern Fulmar, Razorbill, Thick-Billed Murre. Good whale watching area. |
| Central Region - Terra Nova National Park |
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| What's There | Bald Eagle; Black-Backed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Northern Goshawk, Overbird, Palm Warbler, Pine Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, Spruce Grouse, White-Winged Crossbill; shorebirds, gulls, terns, ducks | | Best Times | May-October | | How To Get There | On Routes 1 and 310 between Port Blandford and Glovertown. In OP 18-19 on Traveller’s Map. | | Comments | Bald Eagles can be seen year round, but are best seen from Ocean Watch boat tour (fee charged) in summer when they take fish from the waters of Newman Sound. Good trail system provides access to boreal species. Shorebirds can be seen at the southern end of the causeway connecting Traytown and Cull’s Harbour. Red Crossbill and Ovenbird are local subspecies with restricted ranges. |
| Eastern Region - Bonavista, Maberley and Elliston |
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| What's There | Atlantic Puffin, Black-Legged Kittiwake, other seabirds, boreal birds | | Best Times | May-August | | How To Get There | Bonavista is at the northern end of Route 230; Mabely and Elliston are on Route 238, southeast of Bonavista. In O22 on Traveller’s Map. | | Comments | Puffins can be seen from land at Elliston – inquire at Puffin booth – and at Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site. Fee-based guided tours are available through Natural Wonders in Elliston. Whales and icebergs in season. |
| Western Region - Codroy Valley Estuary |
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| What's There | American Black Duck, American Wigeon, Blue-Winged Teal, Canada Goose, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Greater Scaup, Green-Winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Ovenbird, Piping Plover, Pintail, Red Crossbill, Ruby-Throated Hummingbird | | Best Times | May-November | | How To Get There | On Route 406, 3 km from Route 1. In R2 on Traveller’s Map. | | Comments | Major international wetlands area. The Grand Codroy Estuary is an important stopover for migratory and nesting waterfowl, and one of the few nesting areas for the endangered Piping Plover. A trail throughout the estuary provides access, and there is an interpretation centre in Upper Ferry. Flocks of up to 3,000 Canada Geese can be seen in fall. |
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