Details are still emerging, but Darroch Whitaker (a friend and birder on the west coast) forwarded photos of a FIELDFARE taken by a resident in Reidville. The vigilant homeowners have seen the bird about three times since mid-December, each time gorging itself on apples in their backyard before disappearing again. Apparently there are lots of fruit trees in the community, so it could be doing quite well by moving around in a relatively small area otherwise undetected.

Fieldfare used to be a routine rarity in Newfoundland during the 1970’s and 80’s , but has become far less regular in recent years – in fact, this is the first record for the province in more than a decade. It’s possible that this change in record frequency is related to changes in breeding status in Greenland and Iceland.

Stay tuned for more details as they emerge!!