It’s been a very busy summer, and I apologize for the lack of blog updates. There’ll be lots to come in just a few weeks … promise!

In the meantime, here’s a quickie. Last week (July 27), two rare southern terns showed up in Renews. The first was a Royal Tern (presumably the same one that had been seen by Bruce Mactavish at Cape Race a few days earlier – Newfoundland’s sixth record!). While looking for that, Alvan Buckley found an equally rare cousin in the form a Sandwich Tern. Both were seen roosting together in Renews inner harbour for a short while before flying off into the fog. Fortunately, Alvan refound the Sandwich Tern again the following day – ~100km of coastline away in St. Vincent’s! Since I was heading that way anyways, I managed to see it that afternoon … a Newfoundland lifer! (However, Royal Tern is my new nemesis bird since I also missed two in 2012.)

This SANDWICH TERN was just the sixth record for Newfoundland, and an island first for me! There is an ongoing discussion about its origins – is it American or European? (My very distant photo doesn’t add much to that conversation – but it sure was great to see!). July 28, 2016, St. Vincent’s NL.

Heading back to St. John’s later that day, Alvan, Alison Mews, my guests and I stopped in at Renews one more time. This time, three Whimbrel were sitting on a grassy island along the river just inland from the highway – an unexpected sight in its own right. Even more unexpected was the obvious paler underparts, white belly and underwings and white rump of one of those birds when they lifted off and flew back over the river! It was a EURASIAN WHIMBREL!! Although this Old World race of Whimbrel is almost annual in Newfoundland, most records come from spring – not mid-summer. In fact, it was only the second I’ve been lucky enough to see and a completely unexpected end to a great day of birding!

These three Whimbrel were sitting on the inland side of the river. The paler underparts of the centre bird are subtle but evident in this photo.

As soon as they took flight, Alvan Buckley and I both noticed the obvious white belly and underwings of one bird. Something was very different about this one …

This photo won’t be winning any awards, but it does show the obvious white underwings and belly of the Eurasian Whimbrel (left) compared to the more expected American (Hudsonian) Whimbrel on the right.

Another photo showing the whiter underparts, and especially the underwing, of the Eurasian Whimbrel (centre).

Nailing the identification is the large white rump patch on the Eurasian Whimbrel (centre). Compare that the the plain brown rumps of the two American Whimbrel on either side.