Birds, Berries & Looking Forward in a Time of Uncertainty

Posted on November 18, 2020 by birdtherock

Time seemed to move so slowly when the COVID-19 pandemic first settled on our shores. Shutdowns, home-schooling, social distancing, and (for me) a complete absence of visiting birders to share my adventures with. It felt like any semblance of normal might never return. But as things here in Newfoundland & Labrador improved and life began to shift back towards “normal”, time has really flown. I can’t believe it’s been seven months, it’s mid-fall and the first tastes of snow and cold weather are already here again!!

As I mentioned in my last blog post, the silver lining of such an unusual summer was being able to spend more time hanging out and exploring with my family. While their lives have since veered back towards normal — the girls & Susan are back to school, and many of their other activities are starting back up (even if they aren’t exactly as they were) — mine remains quite different. Trips & tours I was excited about are still being cancelled (most recently my annual Trinidad & Tobago tour), and I’m still unable to welcome guests from most of Canada and the world. On the upside, I’ve been using the time to get back to birding basics – exploring new areas, hunting for fall vagrants with old friends, and even scoring a few great finds along the way. Here are a few highlights from Fall 2020 so far …

The first major highlight of fall happened on September 26, during an annual “big day” of sorts. Bruce Mactavish & I were just finishing a lacklustre walk around Cape Race when I flushed a rail from the grass, just inches from my toes. We both got great looks as it flew in a low but long arc — **CORNCRAKE!!!!** This mega-rare (and extremely elusive) visitor from Europe was at the top of my wish-list – but after narrowly missing the only other modern day record for Newfoundland in 2002, I didn’t believe it would happen again. While we did get another quick look as it flew up again 10 minutes later, there were no chances to get a photo. It was not relocated over the next two days despite a small throng of searchers. I still feel the “buzz” of that moment nearly two months later!

This Great-Crested Flycatcher (Oct 5) was a long-awaited addition to my Newfoundland list. Surprisingly rare on the island, not only did we relocate this one first discovered the previous day – but ended up seeing two more before the day was done!

Yellow-billed Cuckoo is an annual visitor to the island, but one I don’t get to see most years. This one surprised us by flying across the road in front of our van just seconds after my friend Bruce said “This looks like a great spot to find a cuckoo” !! I wish it worked like that more often 😉

While shorebird migration didn’t bring any real rarities, it was a good one for Buff-breasted Sandpipers. This was one of several very confiding birds at Long Beach in late September.

Fall is also a great time to go berry-picking in Newfoundland. I spent several days picking blueberries (September) & partridgeberries (October; my favourite!) in Grates Cove – including a fun weekend getaway with my dad how I don’t get to see often enough.

This Marsh Wren was an added perk of our berry-picking trip to Grates Cove in mid-October – a surprise find, and my first “self found” for the province (~17th record overall).

Another new “self found” bird was this Townsend’s Warbler in Cape Broyle (Oct 26). While very rare overall in eastern North America, Newfoundland has an uncanny history with them – more than two dozen records, with multiple each fall in recent years. I’ve seen close to a dozen, but was still excited find this one on my own at the end of an otherwise slow day of birding.

I took some time during a November outing to Grates Cove to pick some marshberries (aka small cranberry). These very tart fruits are best picked in late fall or early winter.

All that being said, I’m stoked to get back leading tours and sharing Newfoundland’s amazing birds with new people! I’m making plans for a brand new start in January – leaving the weirdness of 2020 behind and striking out on new adventures 😉

Stay tuned for some announcements next week — an exciting new partnership, winter tours and weekend workshops!

I’ve always had a soft spot for this photo of a Slaty-backed Gull (a major local rarity) I took back in 2007 … and now it brings to mind 2020 and the COVID pandemic. Perhaps because I always joked that this bird reminded me of the “Phoenix” rising from the ashes – just like we all (and especially my friends and colleagues in the tourism industry) have to do after this very challenging year. Or, perhaps, because much of 2020 felt like the dumpster fire that is so obvious in this image ;). Rise up we shall!

I am going to steal some words from my last blog post, since they ring just as true three months later: I know many people and families have been impacted by this pandemic in much greater ways than ours, and our hearts go out to everyone who has suffered illness, experienced loss or simply struggled to make ends meet. We pray every day to see the light at the end of this dark tunnel soon. However, if you’re as fortunate as we are to stay safe and healthy, I encourage you to find the silver linings in your own lives and make the most of them. Your smile and positive attitude may be just what the next person you run into needs to see.

Be safe, take care of yourself and those around you, and keep dreaming about that next adventure.

Strange Days & Silver Linings

Posted on July 16, 2020 by birdtherock

What a weird summer this is. The world has been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic and public health restrictions – and we certainly hope that you and your family have been able to stay safe during this unprecedented crisis. Newfoundland & Labrador has weathered the storm very well so far — thanks in large part to good leadership, public cooperation and the ability to control influx from outside the province (I’m reminded of the words of the Newfoundland folk song “Thank God We’re Surrounded by Water“).

There have been costs, of course, and the tourism industry was hit fast and hard. I’ve missed welcoming visiting birders and nature lovers this spring and summer, and sharing the incredible beauty of my province with them – and have also had to cancel some of my favourite tours to other parts of Canada and even Greenland this season. I’m very much looking forward to seeing you all, as soon as it is safe and reasonable to travel again 😉

Birding in July 2019 with Jason Ward, Nick Lund, Nate Swick & Ted Floyd

Nick Lund with a towering view of the gannets at Cape St. Mary’s

Some clients enjoying a boat tour in 2019

Birding with Eagle-Eye Tours in 2019

Ferryland Head lighthouse

Birding in July 2019 with Jason Ward, Nick Lund, Nate Swick & Ted Floyd

There have been silver linings to this very dark cloud – not the least of which is the extra quality time I am spending with my family. Summer is usually very busy for me, so it’s been a blessing to have these extra few weeks with my kids who are growing up way too fast. We’ve played games and watched movies, went on family hikes along our beautiful coastlines, visited family (now that it’s safe to do so) and spent time hanging out in some of our favourite places like Lewisporte and Grates Cove 🙂 I may never have a summer like this again, and I’m determined not to squander it.

Leslie (8) making some nature notes during a family hike

Leslie (8) overlooking one of our family getaways – Grates Cove

Emma (11) & Leslie (8) during a family hike on the East Coast Trail

Susan and I during a family hike

Leslie (8) and her Nan Newhook planting one of our new raised beds

A visit with my parents

Emma (11) enjoying her “penny board” at Long Point lighthouse, Twillingate

Susan – enjoying a very rare night out

Emma, Leslie & I on a hike at Red Head Cove (appropriate, eh?)

A solo hike

And as much as I miss birding and exploring with so many of you, I am also embracing the opportunity to explore different places and in different ways on my own. I’ve spent time birding closer to home and contributing to the brand new Newfoundland Breeding Bird Atlas. I’ve even gotten to know my own backyard much better – watching the local robins and juncos raise their families, tackling gardening projects I’ve “talked about” for years, and helping my kids discover the little joys of nature. (They even scored the first record of new ladybug species for North America – right in our own yard!!)

Newfoundland’s first Breeding Bird Atlas has given me a fun new reason to get out birding – and helped take the sting out of missing all the visiting birders I would have been exploring with this summer. These are just some of the breeding songbirds I would have shared with those clients – and now have been tallied for the atlas 😉

Here is one of several 10-spotted Ladybugs (Adalia decempunctata) that my daughters first discovered in our yard. It turns out it was a (somewhat expected) first confirmed record for North America! Exploring our backyard has been a bright spot during our extended time at home this spring.

As part of my ramblings, I was lucky to spend a short time with a pair of Bald Eagles and their surprisingly young (given the date) chick. Check out this short video:

I know many people and families have been impacted by this pandemic in much greater ways than ours, and our hearts go out to everyone who has suffered illness, experienced loss or simply struggled to make ends meet. We pray every day to see the light at the end of this dark tunnel soon. However, if you’re as fortunate as we are to stay safe and healthy, I encourage you to find the silver linings in your own lives and make the most of them. Your smile and positive attitude may be just what the next person you run into needs to see.

Be safe, take care of yourself and those around you, and keep dreaming about that next adventure.

Spring in the Time of COVID-19

Posted on April 27, 2020 by birdtherock

What strange days we are living in! We here at BirdTheRock hope you are doing well, staying safe & healthy, and managing to find some solace in nature when/where you can. If you happen to be an essential worker — THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for everything you are doing to keep us safe and our world moving. If, like us, you are lucky enough to do your part by staying home – thank you as well for doing just that.

ThankYou

No matter where you find yourself during this pandemic, these are challenging and unsettling times. Many individuals and families are struggling with the health impacts of COVID-19, and our hearts go out to them. Many others, especially my friends and colleagues in the tourism & hospitality industry, are faced with a staggering loss of employment and the uncertainty of when (or even if) things will get back on track. I hope and trust that, by working together and supporting each other, we will rise out of this with renewed energy, strength and purpose. Thank you to everyone supporting small, local businesses in your own cities, towns and neighbourhoods during these tough times.

Spring is slowly rolling in here in Newfoundland, with or without our watchful gaze. Migration is well underway, and pretty soon our forests, lakes, barrens and seabird colonies will be bustling. I can’t wait to say hello to many of my favourite birds – like this Atlantic Puffin 🙂

But nature keeps on truckin’, and spring is arriving (mostly) on schedule. I was (and still am!) looking forward to a busy season of enjoying nature and sharing amazing birds, wildlife & scenery with so many of you this year — but I know that much of that will have to be postponed for the time being. In fact, I would normally be preparing for my first trip of the season next week – leading a fantastic Eagle-Eye Tours trip to experience spring migration at Ontario’s Point Pelee National Park, Algonquin and many points between. I’ll very much miss being there this year, but here are a few photos from previous trips to remind you (mostly me!) of how wonderful it is 😉 (More photos from the 2019 tour are available here.)

I do hope that things return to normal sooner than later, and that I’ll still be able to welcome some visiting birders to Newfoundland later this summer. In any case, I’ve been busy planning and am excited for the time when we can go exploring together again.

Group_Sackville_NB2018

Like you, I have also been adjusting to the “new normal” – spending lots of quality time at home with my family, focusing on the importance of those around me, and occasionally getting out to enjoy nature in safe and responsible ways. My family & I wish you all the best during these uncertain times.