Newfoundland Winter List (2008-2009)

Overall, the winter of 2008-2009 was par for the course. A total of 138 species recorded in Newfoundland, and one additional species (Hoary Redpoll) in Labrador, included a few rarities and notable winter records along with most of the usual suspects. Remarkable was the overwhelming lack of finches and berry-eating birds (robins and waxwings), at least partly due to the poor crop of primary food sources for these species (especially spruce cones and mountain ash, respectively). However, it turned out to be a good winter for ducks and gulls – the primary source of enjoyment for local birders this year.

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Winter duck numbers seemed particularly healthy throughout the province, especially in well-birded St. John’s where a season high count of 67 aythya included record numbers of Lesser Scaup (7) and Tufted Duck (20). Two other Tufted Ducks were recorded in the province – one at Clarenville and one in Conception Bay South. A Blue-winged Teal in St. John’s on Dec 17 was just the 2^nd winter record for the province, while overwintering Northern Shoveler (2) and Ruddy Duck (1-2) in St. John’s were unusual. Barrow’s Goldeneye were reported from three locations – Corner Brook (m/f), Rocky Harbour (m/f) and Spaniard’s Bay (2m).

A Northern Lapwing arrived in Portugal Cove South in late November, entertaining birders until it disappeared on Dec 6. A Greater Yellowlegs in Biscay Bay on Dec 4 furnished the 1^st winter record for this otherwise common species. Late records of White-rumped Sandpiper (Dec 20), Killdeer (Dec 28) and Black-bellied Plover (Jan 31) added to the winter shorebird tally.

Arguably, gulls were the story of the winter this year. Two Yellow-legged Gulls in St. John’s, although annual now, were still a huge rarity on the North American scale. A total of three adult Slaty-backed Gulls (two in St. John’s, one in Corner Brook) marked the 12^th record for the province (likely of ~10 individuals) in the last four winters! A Franklin’s Gull (Dec 1-7) was a winter rarity in St. John’s, and an invasion of Ivory Gulls across the province in January made for lots of excitement. A Forster’s Tern observed at Long Beach on Dec 14 was fleeting but thrilling.

A Red-bellied Woodpecker visiting feeders in Bishop’s Falls throughout the winter was the 5^th provincial record. A late report of a Brown Thrasher overwintering in Bellburns on the Great Northern Peninsula was confirmed by photographs. A cold snap in late November appears to have decreased the number of lingering warblers to be recorded this winter – in fact only three species were reported, including a very late Ovenbird on the St. John’s Christmas Bird Count (Dec 26). A late report of a female Summer Tanager visiting a feeder in St. Lawrence (Nov 18 – Dec 18) provided the 2^nd winter record.

1. Canada Goose
2. Wood Duck
3. Gadwall
4. Eurasian Wigeon
5. American Wigeon
6. American Black Duck
7. Mallard
8. Northern Pintail
9. Blue-winged Teal
10. Green-winged Teal (American & Eurasian)
11. Northern Shoveller
12. Tufted Duck
13. Ring-necked Duck
14. Greater Scaup
15. Lesser Scaup
16. Common Eider
17. King Eider
18. Harlequin Duck
19. White-winged Scoter
20. Black Scoter
21. Surf Scoter
22. Long-tailed Duck
23. Bufflehead
24. Common Goldeneye
25. Barrow’s Goldeneye
26. Hooded Merganser
27. Red-breasted Merganser
28. Common Merganser
29. Ruddy Duck
30. American Coot
31. Willow Ptarmigan
32. Rock Ptarmigan
33. Spruce Grouse
34. Ruffed Grouse
35. Common Loon
36. Red-throated Loon
37. Pied-billed Grebe
38. Red-necked Grebe
39. Horned Grebe
40. Northern Fulmar
41. Northern Gannet
42. Great Cormorant
43. Double-crested Cormorant
44. Bald Eagle
45. Rough-legged Hawk
46. Sharp-shinned Hawk
47. Northern Goshawk
48. Gyrfalcon
49. Peregrine Falcon
50. Merlin
51. Black-bellied Plover
52. Killdeer
53. NORTHERN LAPWING
54. Greater Yellowlegs
55. Ruddy Turnstone
56. Sanderling
57. White-rumped Sandpiper
58. Purple Sandpiper
59. Wilson’s Snipe
60. Pomarine Jaeger 
61. Black-headed Gull
62. Bonaparte’s Gull
63. Franklin’s Gull 
64. Common Gull 
65. Ring-billed Gull
66. Herring Gull
67. Lesser Black-backed Gull
68. YELLOW-LEGGED GULL
69. Iceland Gull
70. Glaucous Gull
71. Great Black-backed Gull
72. SLATY-BACKED GULL
73. Ivory Gull
74. Black-legged Kittiwake
75. Forster’s Tern
76. Dovekie
77. Razorbill
78. Common Murre
79. Thick-billed Murre
80. Black Guillemot
81. Atlantic Puffin
82. Rock Pigeon
83. Mourning Dove
84. Great Horned Owl
85. Snowy Owl
86. Boreal Owl
87. Belted Kingfisher
88. Black-backed Woodpecker
89. Hairy Woodpecker
90. Downy Woodpecker
91. Northern Flicker
92. RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER
93. Blue Jay
94. Grey Jay
95. Northern Shrike
96. American Crow
97. Common Raven
98. Black-capped Chickadee
99. Boreal Chickadee
100. Red-breasted Nuthatch
101. Brown Creeper
102. Golden-crowned Kinglet
103. Blue-grey Gnatcatcher
104. American Robin
105. Brown Thrasher
106. European Starling
107. American Pipit
108. Cedar Waxwing
109. Bohemian Waxwing
110. Yellow-throated Warbler
111. Orange-crowned Warbler
112. Ovenbird
113. Summer Tanager
114. American Tree Sparrow
115. Chipping Sparrow
116. Savannah Sparrow
117. White-throated Sparrow
118. Fox Sparrow
119. Song Sparrow
120. Swamp Sparrow
121. Lincoln’s Sparrow
122. Dark-eyed Junco
123. Lapland Longspur
124. Snow Bunting
125. Common Grackle
126. Red-winged Blackbird
127. Brown-headed Cowbird
128. Baltimore Oriole
129. Dickcissel
130. Pine Grosbeak
131. Purple Finch
132. Red Crossbill
133. White-winged Crossbill
134. Common Redpoll
135. Pine Siskin
136. American Goldfinch
137. Evening Grosbeak
138. House Sparrow