Canada 400 | The Ovenbird Blog

Week 40 Lake Watching

by Ellen Horak | Oct 5, 2025 | Canada 400

On Tuesday there were NE winds in Hamilton which are good for lake watching. We need two Jaeger species and Sabine’s Gull so we planned to head in but made a stop in Dundas to see about getting a picture of a Nelson’s Sparrow. We only heard Nelson’s Sparrow in BC so it is on our list but we would like to see and photograph one. Nelson’s Sparrows are seldom seen in spring migration because they move through quickly but in the fall there are a number of traditional spots that they arrive and spend a few weeks before moving on in their migration. One spot is near along the Desjardins Canal and so we took the short walk through the tall goldenrod. Unfortunately, there were trucks and a crane working on the hydro towers so it was noisy. We stayed for a bit anyway but did not have these skulky birds pop up.

We headed to Van Wagners and set up for a lake watch. In the 3.5 hours we stayed we managed to see a few Parasitic Jaegers to add to our list. They were not close enough for a picture but close enough to identify. Well, to be fair, other birders confirmed their identity. We still have a tough time with Jaegers although we are getting better at it.

Wednesday morning was a repeat of Tuesday. First we checked for a Nelson’s Sparrow in Cambridge, then Desjardins Canal again and did not find them again so we headed to the lake again. The winds were stronger than the day before and it was chilly enough that I had long johns on and two layers of coats and gloves. There were quite a few birders there because the conditions were perfect for a Jaeger day but it was quiet. So much so that many birders left. Finally late in the day we saw 2 adult Parasitic Jaegers and had really nice scope views as they flew around out in the bay for an extended period of time. People with the big cameras managed to get decent pictures of them. We spent 6 hours there but did not have anything new. Such is lake watching…

Screen Shot of Margaret Hough’s picture shared with permission

Thursday the winds were from the East instead of Northeast which can still be good but the forecast was for light winds. I didn’t think it would be very good but at the same time I knew it would be the last day of favourable winds for a week so we dropped in to Van Wagners after seeing Babi and doing some errands. It was lovely and warm again and chatting with other birders made the time pass quickly. We only stayed a few hours as there were few birds around and birders that had been there longer had nothing to show for the time either. Hopefully we will get Sabine’s Gulls in October and maybe if we are lucky a late Long-tailed Jaeger. We spent a total of 11 hours this week lake watching to get one new species.

A good day when the waves are like this!

Friday I went to Vortex in Guelph to take my binoculars in for a repair. On day two of our East trip the focus wheel started acting up and it was an on and off problem for the whole month. I’ve had my Vortex Razor HD 8×42 binoculars since 2015 and they were fine for 6 years until the focus wheel first acted up in 2021. They had to be fixed again in 2022 and now again. They had me wait a few minutes and then brought me out a box with NEW BINOCULARS! Vortex has a life-time warranty and they stand behind that warranty. I bought Jerry a pair in 2017 and he has had them replaced twice after bad falls that broke the bins. I cannot understand why anyone would buy another brand without a life-time warranty. And they are an excellent binocular too! Vortex Rocks!

On Saturday we helped the Lions with the biyearly trash pickup along the major road in our community. When we got back home we started doing some gardening when the Discord chimes started going one after the other. Gray Kingbird, a Florida species, had been photographed at Princess Point in Hamilton in the morning but was not identified until 1:00 – we were in Hamilton at 1:57. There were 20 or so birders wandering around trying to refind the bird and more arrived while we were there. We covered the trails again and again all hoping to find a small gray bird catching insects. Unfortunately, it was not found. We stayed until after 5 and then headed home. There have been rarities this year but its been difficult to refind them. A bit frustrating for those of us doing big years. We did see and record other birds seen and Jerry took this very nice picture of a Night-Heron

Sunday we continued our discussions about the Caracara up near Timmins. Our calendar is quite full and there is little opportunity to go. I wanted to have it be a trip to get other species we still need but I don’t think we have a window for another few weeks with Thanksgiving coming up and the bird may leave soon as the weather cools down. It will be a very last minute decision if we go and a quick trip up and back.

Week 40 1 species added 420 on ebird and 421 on my list E&J

Week 39 Heading Home

by Ellen Horak | Sep 28, 2025 | Canada 400

Monday we took the ferry back to Nova Scotia and did a sea watch for about 5 of the 7 hours. It was a beautiful day but we did not see many birds for the first few hours.

We took a break and ate half of the subs we had bought before boarding and then headed back out. There was a bit more activity since we were around the half-way point. Jerry got on a bird at the back of the boat and we both noted it was different from what we had been seeing – not a gannet, not a gull but bigger than puffin, longer wings grey upper, white below. Jerry managed a few shots and we knew we would have to look at it later. Both of us were thinking it could be the Northern Fulmar we were hoping for but we also didn’t want to get our hopes up. We birded until we were close to shore and then headed in to finish those subs. We had a 1.5 hour drive to our hotel and then we started the tedious task of looking at pictures. Jerry had one fairly good picture that looked like a Fulmar to us based on ebird pics but we sent it off to the Discord ID chat just to make sure – YES! Northern Fulmar it was – Lifer and bird #420!!!! What a great end to our trip to the Rock! All that water and that one bird we still needed found its way to the back of the ferry as we were standing there.

Tuesday we were up early to head for our last province, PEI. We had booked the 10am ferry over so we did not need to rush but ended up arriving at 8:30 and the 8:00 ferry was still there just ready to leave. We drove right on and just like that gained 1.5 hours for our day in PEI.

We decided to bird Victoria Park in Charlottetown since we had extra time. After a little rain shower it was very birdy and we enjoyed trying to get our bins on all the warblers flitting around the shrubs and trees. After so much sea watching it was a nice change to see colour and leaves.

Our next stop was for lunch. Way back before Covid we spent a week on PEI with our daughter and family and we had fresh seafood every day from Gallants in Stanley Bridge. They are not there anymore but instead have a restaurant in Charlottetown. We stopped in and had their absolutely fantastic all crabmeat crabcakes, seafood chowder and haddock caught that morning. It was super yummy and a perfect last seafood meal on this trip.

After lunch we headed to the north of PEI to track down a Gray Partridge. We saw this species out in Saskatchewan but didn’t manage a picture so we were hoping for better views and pictures. We checked out the first place they had been seen recently but no luck. We moved on to another place but just before we got there Jerry spotted something in a field and sure enough there were10 Gray Partridge feeding at the edge of a field. He took some nice pictures and I did a quick video before they rushed off.

We left PEI 5 hours after we arrived having seen 37 species of birds on 5 checklists and so we have now birded every province in Canada this year. While driving today the conversation started turning to “what we need to do” when we get home. It is inevitable that my mind moves from the task at hand as this trip ends and I start thinking of what lies ahead in Ontario. A Crested Caracara is still up north, we need some boreal species yet. That Black Vulture still needs to be seen. We have one more birding day tomorrow and then I can start the plans for the rest of the year.

Wednesday we headed into Quebec and drove through a “corridor of colour”. The fall colours were close to peak and I could not help but snap picture after picture of the trees along the road.

We added 5 more moose to our count but unfortunately they were all dead in the backs of trucks and open trailers. The hunting season is in full swing in New Brunswick too. At one point I had to drive behind a trailer with a quartered moose in the back for about 15 kms. We arrived in Trois-Pistoles so that we could take one last ferry back and forth across the St.Lawrence River for one more crack at some missing species. We still need Parasitic, Long-tailed Jaeger and Sabine’s Gull and this ferry seemed to be getting them on a regular basis. Unfortunately, when we showed up at the ferry dock it was in thick fog despite beautiful blue sky two blocks away. We discussed what we should do, went in and made our reservations thinking maybe things would clear up as there was still two hours before the sailing. We discussed things more. There was a Black-tailed Gull that has been seen over the last week just outside Quebec City and we knew that it was a bird usually seen at the end of the day on the river so we would not be able to get it unless we spent an extra day in Quebec. If we didn’t do the ferry we could go for the Gull. The 3 birds we hoped for on the ferry we can still possibly get at lake watches in Hamilton. We opted to cancel the ferry trip and move on to the Black-tailed Gull spot. We arrived there at 3 and set up our last stake-out of the trip.

We waited almost 3 hours and no gull. Sigh, it would have been a nice finish to the trip but the Northern Fulmar was also a nice ending to the trip. We headed to our last hotel of the trip and were asleep by 10 pm. We head home with 420 species with three more months of birding to increase that number. We missed seeing 6 species and we added 5 lifers on this trip. We drove 9,595 kms this trip and arrived home Thursday by 2:30 because we were awake at 5am and on the road by 5:30.

It was lovely to have a good cup of tea and enjoy the view from my window Friday morning. No birding. We visited Babi, did laundry, cleaning and caught up with friends and family. There is a Crested Caracara 8 hours away to consider chasing but not happening this weekend. We have kids and grandkids to see…

Week 39 1 species added #419 ebird #420 my list E&J

Week 38 Newfoundland 2

by Ellen Horak | Sep 21, 2025 | Canada 400

Trinity was lovely and picturesque, we loved grabbing a tea from the lodge and wandering the roads first thing in the morning before breakfast. We even did a bit of birding and had great views of Red Crossbills next to our Guesthouse.

We drove up to Bonavista on Monday intent on doing some sea watching. We stopped at Elliston, the Puffin area, but all the puffins had left as we expected. We will have to visit during nesting season another time. We moved on to Cape Bonavista where the winds were coming in from offshore but it was foggy and rainy. We waited it out for a bit in the car and then got out with the scope for a bit but conditions were not great. We lasted only a short time and decided to move on to a hike along the Klondike Trail. We were cold enough that we pulled out our Canada Goose jackets for the first time this trip and were comfortable walking the windy shoreline. We happen to be here at peak blueberry season and so every hike involves picking wild blueberries for snacks along the way when it is allowed…

Our friends from NOTL arrived in Trinity and we spent Tuesday with them going on the Skerwink Trail, ranked one of the top 35 trails in North America. The trail is moderately difficult with stunning views. It started to rain for the last few kilometres and we ended up soaked but energized from having completed it. We ended the day having a delicious home-cooked meal courtesy of Julia and Nancy followed by a competitive game of Five Crowns. It has been nice to meet up with friends and family and spend time with them instead of it all being about birding. Jerry foraged some mushrooms, Chippewa Boletes apparently, and cooked them up for the guys to enjoy with their dinner. The wives watched and waited…but they all survived. LOL

Wednesday we headed to St. Johns but took the long route by driving down to Cape Race and covered many kilometres of road looking for a Willow Ptarmigan. The Willow will be the third and final Ptarmigan found in Canada. I didn’t go for it in the winter because we were involved with Babi stuff and our Quebec trip did not happen. I was pretty confident that we would see Willow in Newfoundland as there are many reports from the Cape Race area. Of course, once you start driving and seeing the vastness of the potential area you realize the huge task ahead. The White-tailed Ptarmigan took 5 hours at the summit of Whistlers and the Rock was found easy but required the 17km hike over 9 hours. We spent 4-5 hours driving the roads very slowly, stopping to scan and scan and nothing.

We consoled ourselves by having the “best” Cod and chips we have had on the Island at Chafe’s Landing Restaurant in Petty Harbour just outside St. John’s. The fish was thick and sweet with a tasty light batter. Yum!

Thankfully, Alvan came through with some information of a Willow Ptarmigan family that seemed to be hanging around the St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve, specifically Bird Rock so we made plans to go there Thursday. We arrived at the Reserve at 8:30 and spoke with Chris at the Interpretive Center, watched a short documentary about the Northern Gannets that nest there and then headed out. Our focus was the Willow Ptarmigan but there were 9,000 Northern Gannets still on the nesting grounds! It was a Birding Spectacle! Which is the next thing I want to concentrate on after this Canada Year. We walked the trail looking for the Willow but saw nothing. Once we got to “Bird Rock” as it is known, we had to spend some time with the Gannets. I won’t add too many pictures because I will do a separate blog in January of this incredible “spectacle”.

We walked the trail back still scanning and got some snacks and my scope and headed back again along the trail. Scoped and scoped and still no Willow. We visited the Gannets again while we were out there and then sadly headed back to the car. By this time it was noon and I decided that we should give up. I knew I could most likely get one in December in Quebec and we had other things we wanted to see. The forecast was for heavy rain on Friday so we were trying to see as much as we could before that. I hate to give up but Chris had told us the birds had not been seen that morning, when they usually were seen. We got in the car, drove out of the parking lot and I looked along the side of the road and there were the Ptarmigans out on a rock quite a distance from the road but only 200 feet from the parking! Jerry thought I was talking about some American Golden Plovers which also happened to be close to the road at the same spot and was not understanding me when I said “pull over, its our bird”. When we both got out of the car he could then see the distant birds. We got the scope out and confirmed what we already knew – our Willow Ptarmigan!!! I went back to the Center to let Chris know I had seen them and to ask permission to walk in a bit to get better pics. Apparently, a couple from Quebec had just come in to tell him about the birds and while figuring it out with google translate I came back to say we had found them. Total of about 10 hrs over two days to find the third Ptarmigan species.

Birding is all about timing!! We now have seen the TRIFECTA of Ptarmigans in Canada!!

After the high of finding the Ptarmigan we headed to a few places around St. Johns first to try for Leach’s Storm Petrel at Kelligrews Pond and Outflow. We found a beautiful Black-headed Gull with the red feet and bill so that was really nice to see. We had some nice close views of shorebirds but nothing out in the water. It is only seabirds left on our list to see here but rarities can be on the shore too.

We then headed to Burton’s Pond, 5 minutes from our hotel where a Pink-footed Goose has been spending its time for the last year. We got our Lifer Goose back in April in pouring rain with dismal looks through a scope to the back of a field. We had to stop by and see up close and personal what a Pink-footed Goose actually looks like and take some pics and video of course.

Next we headed to our hotel, the Holiday Inn, and the pond right behind the hotel has been hosting 2 Tufted Ducks so we stopped in and Jerry got some pics of the ducks as they dove around for food. We saw a Tufted Duck in Toronto waaaay back on January 5.

Friday the forecast was for rain most of the day but we headed to Cape Spear for a sea watch in the morning. It was clear in town but Cape Spear was in the fog. We could still see the coast line so we got out and found a spot near the point with less wind and as we stood there the fog moved out a way making it easier to see birds flying past. Just like lake watches, sea watches are usually about hours of watching and seconds of excitement. I found a Puffin on the water fairly close in with the orange on its bill still prominent.

Cape Spear – Eastern most point in Canada

Shortly after as I was scoping across the water I saw 4 all dark small birds and knew it was the Leach’s Storm-petrels we were hoping for. I tried giving Jerry directions. Just above the water, 4 dark birds, long wings, smaller, moving right, a gull just flew left past them. It is not easy to help someone to find a bird when there is just water as a reference. He didn’t manage to get on them before they disappeared into the fog. We hoped others would show up. That was a lifer and while not a satisfying look, I will happily take it at this point. You will have to google Leach’s Storm-petrel to see what they look like. Northern Gannets flew past, Great Black-backed Gulls, some momentary excitement over a Common Murre and then finally Jerry got on 2 smaller dark birds with the distinct flight of Storm-petrels and he could add them too. Shortly after the fog started to come back in making it very difficult to see much, we waited a bit, but decided to pack it in.

We did a bit of sightseeing around St. Johns, touring the downtown, going up to Signal Hill, Quidi Vidi and then back over to Kelligrews Pond for a bit before the rain started.

Back in Victoria I took the picture of Mile 0 of the Trans Canada Highway, nice right? And I intended to do the same in Newfoundland.

I looked it up on the map and google directed me to the end or start of the Trans Canada. This is what the start of the Trans Canada in Newfoundland looks like:

I did some research and found out that the highway used to end or start in downtown St. Johns and was then diverted outside the city. The Trans Canada is known as the road with two beginnings and no end as both “ends” are known as mile 0. What? Apparently no one wanted to be the “end” of the road. There is still a historical zero marker near the hockey centre, so Google told me. Friday we had dinner at the Gingergrass Thai and Vietnamese Restaurant. Sidenote: the food was delicious and I forgot to take pictures. After we walked downtown to find the Mile Marker. We had to ask a local parking lot attendant and finally found this:

Not really what I was looking for and the distance on the TCH between St. John’s and Victoria is about 7,821 kms soooo this will have to suffice to say that we have travelled from one end of Canada to the other, sometimes on the TCH and I have stood at both ends of Canada this year. When we got back to the hotel we made the bookings for ferries and hotels for the drive home.

Saturday was our last day in St. John’s and we headed down to St. Michaels on the very off-chance that a Northern Fulmar was late leaving a nesting area on an island offshore. It was a lovely drive and we met a lovely local man who let us into his back yard to scope over to the island but all the Fulmars had departed. We then toured back north and stopped in Witless Bay where another offshore bird colony houses Leach’s Storm-petrels. We hiked a trail along the coast and scoped over to the island but sun and distance made it difficult. I saw some Leach’s along the cliff but Jerry could not get any pictures at that distance. We stopped for another rarity, Glossy ibis, that we already have on our list but thought Jerry might get better pictures.

We then headed up to Cape Spear to see it in the sun and walked around the area and scoped a bit but nothing interesting turned up. What a difference between the foggy day and the sunny day.

We headed back into St.John’s for an early Mexican meal at Casa Amigos and toasted to the ending of our East Trip with a delicious margarita. We are both ready to go home, life on the road gets tiring.

Sunday we drove the 9 hours from St. John’s back to Port aux Basques so we can take the ferry on Monday. The drive was lovely, with blue sky, little traffic and the tunes cranked in the car as we both kept an eye out for a moose. Despite there being a large population of moose we have not seen one. There are around 150,000 moose on the island and there are around 27,000 licenses given out each year to hunt. The hunt started last weekend so perhaps that is why we have not seen any. We did see one truck with the haul from what we assumed was a successful hunt. Most of the local families we spoke to depend on the moose hunt to feed their families.

Tomorrow is the 7 hour ferry back to the mainland and we hope we might see a pelagic species we need on the ferry across. There is still potential for more birds on the way home.

Week 38 2 new species added ebird #418, my list #419 E&J

Week 37 A Spectacular Week! Ptarmigan and Sea Eagle!!!!

by Ellen Horak | Sep 14, 2025 | Canada 400

Monday we started our day going through photos that we were still trying to ID and I sent one to the Discord group to confirm a Jaeger species we had seen on the whale watch. The response was quick and affirmative for Pomarine Jaeger so we added another bird without getting out of bed!

We had another delicious breakfast at the East Wind Guesthouse and then did a final check for the Oystercatchers but they were still missing in action.

We changed our original plans to head to Halifax and Truro and instead drove to Antigonish Landing to see if we could find a Little Blue Heron that had been reported over the last week. We arrived around 1 and started down the path looking at some warblers bathing in a puddle and the Heron flew in behind. We had great looks and took many pictures and video of the Little Blue Heron catching fish. Because this is a juvenile Heron it is not blue but white instead. I’ve included a picture of what the adults look like – a spectacular shade of purple/blue.

With nothing pressing to chase or rush to we took the time to walk the Antigonish Wildlife Area and enjoyed just looking for and recording the birds along the trail. We then headed to Sydney and made some calls to move up our ferry to Newfoundland to Tuesday from Wednesday and changed some hotel dates too.

The ferry ride from Sydney to Port-Aux-Basques was 7 hours and we spent about 5 of them scanning the Gulf of St.Lawrence for possible pelagic birds. It was a bit windy but pretty comfortable when the sun was out but by the end of the trip I was chilled from standing so long.

We saw lots of Gannets and a few Shearwaters but nothing new for our list. We thought we saw a Storm-petrel and in the moment were pretty sure but Jerry did not manage a picture and after discussing it we did not add it as we would not be able to identify it to species anyway. While we were on the ferry reports came in from the area we just left in Nova Scotia of a Gull-billed Tern! Uggh! that would have been another great bird to add to our list! Perhaps it will still be there on our way back through. We stayed right at Port-aux-basques the first night so we could drive the lower coast road and check a possible spot for Rock Ptarmigan the next day.

Wednesday we headed out at 7:30 and were hiking by 8 to the Barachois Falls. it was a very short hike but pretty and we took the time to scan along the grasses and tops of the surrounding hills for possible Ptarmigan.

We then headed back to Port-aux-basques and on to Gros Morne with a stop along the way in Stephenville to see if a Black-headed Gull might be hanging around. We pulled up to the ebird spot and got the scope on some gulls milling around on the water and I had two smaller gulls that looked like they could be Black-headed Gulls. Another birder was parked further up so I wandered up and confirmed with her that they were indeed the ones we wanted. Jerry took some pictures and we scoped the other birds around and then continued to Gros Morne.

We stayed at the Gros Morne Tiny Chalets and were very pleased with the accommodations. You might have noticed a trend in my choice of havens – I love minimalism and tiny homes are the epitome of the movement. How cute is that?

My original plan was to hike the Summit trail of Gros Morne for Rock Ptarmigan on my 67th birthday but the weather forecast was rain all day so we moved it up a day and went on Thursday. Friends from Niagara-on-the-lake were planning on doing the hike that day as well. The hike is difficult and long – 17km with the summit at 806 meters.

Jerry and I started at 7:13 and cruised along the first 4 kms because they are pretty easy, a wide trail, some rocks and with an elevation of 300m.

You then come to the “decision point”.

Then the climb is a scramble up large and small rocks, using your hands to negotiate the bigger, steeper areas. The top you see from below is a false summit with the real summit, hidden behind and to the left up the rock scramble.

We arrived at the summit at 11:15 – 4 hours from our start. It was tough but really not too bad. We both felt pretty good still!

The summit area is more of the broken rock but when you start to walk across the top you come to the alpine tundra where the Ptarmigan live and we started scanning.

Having spent those many hours at the top of Whistler’s in BC looking for the White-tailed Ptarmigan I was not overly optimistic that we would be able to find one quickly. But a few minutes later I saw one up on a rock a distance away. i can’t tell you how excited I was! We moved quickly to get closer and then found 4 working their way towards us and eating as they went. We had to make sure they were Rock and not Willow Ptarmigan as both can be found there. These were indeed Rock Ptarmigan!

We spent the next couple of hours watching them as they moved around feeding, we had some lunch, we showed the birds to to other hikers as they went past, we took many pictures and video. This might be the only chance we have to see this bird unless we travel to Alaska or the Yukon so I wanted to enjoy “the moment”.

Eventually, our friends arrived having started later than we did and we started the trail back down after enjoying views of the top. The weather was perfect with just a bit of a breeze. Usually it is much windier and cold at the summit but it was a perfect temperature. The views were spectacular and pictures do not do them justice.

The climb down was another 6km of narrow trails filled with rocks and tree roots, mixed with some stairs, and then rock scrambles that seemed to never end. It was a tough slog. Your legs are sore, your feet are sore, the joints start aching, it is hot, your water is getting low. You think you MUST be close to the end but then you see the trail ahead where you need to end up and realize you are still not close. It is the WORST part of the hike. All you can do it keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Thankfully with a group of 6 of us there was opportunity to talk, and switch walking companions to make the hike bearable. If it had been Jerry and I on our own I am sure there would have been some sniping back and forth. When we finally reached the intersection with the original trail we still had the 4km back to the parking lot with a further descent of 300m. I have never been happier to see a picnic table! I was for sure at my physical limit by the time I got back. Some beverages were enjoyed at the end but Jerry and I totally forgot about getting a pic of both of us. LOL.

The rain did come on Friday and we woke up with sore legs and some bruises but actually better than I had thought. I went into town and did some laundry and then we headed to a small hamlet 1.5 hours away to see if any seabirds might be heading into the bay with the north winds. Alvan, a birder contact on the island had suggested it to us. We did not get anything new but saw a lot of birds through the afternoon. My bday dinner was “The Fisherman’s Platter” of course with a side of red wine.

Saturday we left Gros Morne and headed to Twillingate for our “tourist” part of the trip. We stopped at Dildo Provincial Park for a welcome walk in the woods! Jerry got his best year pics of Boreal Chickadee and Gray Jay.

We have a hard time being tourists but I did want to see Twillingate and I rented us a room in the Toulinguet Inn right over the water to enjoy the perfect ambiance of Newfoundland. So pretty!

Sunday we headed towards the Trinity Eco Lodge but I was in contact with Robert Burgess about seeing the Steller’s Sea Eagle and we decided to do the detour and try for it at 4 in the afternoon. It would mean a 2 hour drive PAST where we needed to go but both of us were anxious about it leaving before we got a chance to see it and the next available time might have been Thursday. As it happened I checked messages as we sat down to a meal in Whiteway and Alvan was in the area and had found a Curlew Sandpiper on a secluded beach in the same area as the Sea Eagle. It required a fair bit of bushwacking and a hike in, neither that we had time for. We ate quickly and then headed to another beach area as the birds had flown and met up with Alvan. We had been conversing about birding for a few months but had never met so it was nice to have a face to face. The birds were not at the beach area so likely had returned to the unaccessible beach. We turned our attention back to the Sea Eagle.

We met up with Robert Burgess who has been taking birders and photographers out since late July to see the Steller’s Sea Eagle. His family settled the area in 1862 and he owns a heritage property and does walking tours of the property and area. We headed out at 4 in his small boat and at 4:08 we were looking at the STELLER”S SEA EAGLE!! The Steller’s is from Russia or north Japan and has been in North America since 2022 first spending time in Nova Scotia and Maine before making Newfoundland its home for the last two summers. It is a HUGE bird with a giant yellow beak and large feet and claws. It was a wonderful experience to be all alone in a boat with just 3 of us and the Eagle meters away. A fantastic experience! Kudos to Robert and so thankful for his expertise and knowledge of the bird’s behavior.

It was a stunning finish to the week. We had a 2.5 hour drive back to our guesthouse in Trinity but the gamble to go for the Eagle early paid off and we were more than happy to not have to worry about it leaving before we got there. We are now at #417 with the Western Warbling Vireo split and still have some birds to track down here and at home. Next on the agenda is the Willow Ptarmigan that will give us the trifecta of Ptarmigans in Canada. But first, we have a couple of days with friends in Trinity before we move to St. Johns for the final push in Newfoundland.

Week 37 4 birds added 416 ebird 417 with split J&E

Week 36 EAST and a FEAST of BIRDS

by Ellen Horak | Sep 7, 2025 | Canada 400

Monday we left at our usual 4:30 am and cruised through Toronto with little holiday traffic. We were headed into Quebec to chase three possible birds. A Common Ringed Plover had been found as well as a Ruff and a Purple Sandpiper. They were very close together but a bit past our turnoff to New Brunswick. Well worth taking the detour if they were still there. In between driving I checked emails and the Quebec Discord. The Ruff was re-found but it appeared the Plover was gone as well as the Purple Sandpiper. There was still time for the birds to show up so we continued to plan to go to the Ruff spot. We arrived just before 4:00 and made our way to the trail to the beach. We spoke to a few birders in a combination of English and hand signs for more details because I know very little French. The Ruff had been seen minutes before but had flown down the beach so we happily set off to find it. After being in the car 11.5 hours we were happy to walk. Jerry spotted the Ruff in with a few hundred Semipalmated Sandpipers and we both had good looks before it flew off down the beach. I followed it with my bins and then we headed down to where it had landed. Jerry waded in a ways to get some better pictures.

There were many other peeps (sandpipers) along the beach and close enough for nice pictures and video.

So out of 3 birds we only got one but the Ruff was a good one. We missed that species in February in BC because people did not have our contact info and we were in the parking lot where it was being seen and did not know it. Anyway, it was a good one to get a second chance at. We drove on to a hotel in Edmunston.

Tuesday we drove south to the end of New Brunswick and took the first of four ferries of the day over to Deer Island. It was not so much that the island had birds we needed but I wanted to be on the water as much as possible in the hopes of seeing some seabirds. And we quickly saw Black Guillemots just after we left the dock. The atlantic Guillemot is similar to the pacific Pigeon Guillemot – all black, red legs, and white wing patches. There were many juveniles that look different with lots of white/black/gray feathers for a mottled look. Shortly after we saw our first Great Cormorant mixed in with a group of Double-crested Cormorants. Again, small differences between the two species.

We stopped on Deer Island at a few places and went to the Lighthouse Point to do a bit of a sea watch but we were not very successful. We did get to practice identifying various gulls and terns. We then decided to take another ferry to go to the next Island – Campobello. Again hoping that something cool would cross the ferry but it was fairly quiet. We checked out a few places on the Island and then took the ferries back and drove onto Saint John. On the way along the highway I suddenly saw a hawk glide across from the other side of the road and I knew it was an American Goshawk, a beautiful adult it cruised right past the windscreen while I was trying to brake from130km/hour. Jerry did his best to try and get out of the car but the hawk disappeared below the tree line. I suggested there would be other opportunities. That made it a 3 bird day! Very good for this far into the year, but to be expected being our first time out to get Eastern specialities.

We stopped at Irving Nature Park at the end of the day for a quick look at groups of peeps. There were hundreds flying forming murmations (tight groups flying together) and then landing on the beach only to be disturbed again by people and dogs. We had little opportunity to see them up close but scoped a bit and Jerry took some pictures. We drove around the loop and as we came around a corner another Goshawk flushed from the trees to make it a two Goshawk day which is crazy!

Wednesday we headed out early to catch the ferry to Grand Manan Island. It was clear when we drove to the ferry at 6:30 am but by the time we set sail a thick fog had settled in and I resigned myself that we would not be seeing anything on the way over. The ferry trips are important at this stage as most of the birds we need are out on the water. We still stayed out on deck for some of the trip and eventually we saw a shape in the fog that turned out to be a Northern Gannet. An expected species to see and another bird for the list.

I had seen reports from a Hamilton birder on the island over the last few days and so texted over to see if Barry would be up for a day of birding with us. He graciously accepted our invite and we picked him up when we arrived and set out to see about getting 3 targets. We needed Laughing Gull, Razorbill and to see and take a picture of a Nelson’s Sparrow. Barry had seen all of these in the last few days and so we had high hopes. Our first stop was at Castalia Marsh hoping that the Nelson’s Sparrows would be sitting up on grasses keeping out of the high tide but when we arrived high tide had quickly arrived and left and there were no apparent Nelson’s Sparrows. Our next stop was for the Gull and the area was still fogged in even though we had just been driving in sunshine minutes before. We thought we might have it but scope views in the fog left us a little unsure so we chose not to list it. We moved on around the island but everywhere we headed to became covered in fog. We had to laugh because it was so bizarre that we would be in the sun but then into fog. We were not upset because the company was fine, Barry had some lovely stories about his many years visiting Grand Manan, so we paid little attention to the lack of birds not being added to our list. At 5:30 we got back on the ferry and what a different ride from the morning.

We had numerous Northern Gannets flying past and hundreds of Phalaropes we assumed would be a mix of Red-necked (which we already have) and Red (which we need). Again, the differences are subtle and not obvious from a fast moving ferry at a great distance but Jerry managed pictures of some closer groups and we were sure there would be a Red Phalarope in them that we can count. We do hope to maybe see some closer on the upcoming boat trips. Suddenly, we spotted a couple of birds on the water that looked different and realized one was a Great Shearwater! Jerry took photo after photo as I had it clearly in my bins for great looks.

The other bird we were not sure about, was a gull and we knew it looked different. We would have to ID it from the pictures later. A bit further along we saw a large group of birds on the water near the front of the ferry. We could not get closer as there is only one area to watch from so Jerry did his best to take pictures. It was a large group of Great Shearwaters!

The rest of the ferry ride was uneventful but we were happy to have seen what we had. Once we were back to Saint John with a pizza for dinner we started the task of looking at the pictures carefully. The bird that was with the first Great Shearwater was a juvenile Laughing Gull! Another bird for the list. We then scanned through the Phalarope pictures and sure enough there was at least one Red Phalarope we have a picture of so it turned out to be a 4 bird day after having a 3 bird day yesterday! I was beyond happy!

Thursday morning was our 7th ferry ride as we moved from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia. Our great friends Marg and Lawson, from Ontario just happened to be touring out here and we realized we would be on Brier Island at the same time so we met up with them at the 8:00am ferry on another foggy morning. When the fog broke about mid way we went outside and watched some Northern Gannets cruise beside the ferry but the fog moved back in and we chose to stay warm inside instead of trying to see something outside.

Once we landed in Nova Scotia we headed down to Brier Island where we hoped to catch up with a long staying Wood Stork who had clearly lost its way from the Southern States. We arrived at one of the spots and were told it had been seen about an hour previously and was likely still back in the marsh feeding. Patience was required and we were fine with that. The sun was out, benches were supplied so we sat and watched and waited. Thirty-eight minutes later Jerry looked up and the Stork was there – we did not even see it come up from the marsh. It circled above us for a few minutes before gracefully landing back in the marsh completely hidden from view.

We then toured the Island a bit and then headed to our guesthouse for some welcome downtime and to catch up on pictures and this blog. Dinner was delicious seafood at the Grandview on Brier restaurant with friends! Oh those scallops were yummy, I could have licked the plate!

We woke up on Friday to the sound of RAIN! and deep fog. The people of Brier island have had 3 months without rain so I’m sure there was some rejoicing but it did not last and it was not enough to change the dry, brown grass. We went out after the rain stopped and visited the two lighthouses but with the fog it was hard to see anything off shore. At 12:30 we headed out for our whale watch with low expectations – it was still foggy and visibility was just ok. Once we went out about an hour the visibility was better and we started seeing whales and birds.

We saw one Humpback whale and then I was talking to the guide who suggested that since we had whales in the passage we did not have to go out too far and it was not likely we would see pelagic species, specifically Puffins. I assured her we had no expectations and as birders we knew it is “all about timing”. How many times have you heard me say that? But a minute later I saw a chunky black bird flying along the water off the back of the boat and I clearly could tell it was a Puffin! Did we manifest a PUFFIN? Jerry managed a picture for ID and we continued to enjoy the whale we had stopped for.

A little while later Jerry had something on his side of the boat and it turned out to be two Razorbills! Another bird to add but I didn’t see it as I was on the other side of the boat. He again managed to take pictures despite a rocking boat and foggy conditions.

We continued on a short way seeing whales as we went and then I saw something out on the water that I was sure was not a gull. I called to Jerry and he came over and I had him photograph the bird and he took it up to the captain to confirm what I thought it was. A SOUTH POLAR SKUA!!!! A lifer and a very good bird to get inland at all. It had been seen on a few whale watches of late and I had spent some time studying what they looked like and it had paid off.

I was now making sure I did not miss any birds as I needed to see a Razorbill too or Jerry’s life would be under substantial threat LOL. Luckily, a short while later we saw another one and I could breathe a sigh of relief. Three birds on our whale watch – we were VERY happy. We were only on our 5th day and we had added 12 birds.

Saturday we had a second whale watch booked and headed out at 9:30. There was a bit more wind and a bit more swell and no whales were found where we had had them the day before. The captain headed out further and we were hopeful we would get to see more pelagic species but the waves were high, it was difficult to see with binoculars and the rolling of the waves. We did manage to see Puffins, Razorbills and Great Shearwaters again but we did not see anything new.

Many people on the boat were sick with the large waves but the miracle gravol pill I took kept me from joining that club LOL. After 2.5 hours we managed to see one Humpback whale who put on a great 5 minute show of slapping his tail on the water.

After the whale watch we drove the 3.5 hours to Cape Sable Island in search of the few American Oystercatchers that tend to summer in the Atlantic. When we arrived a birder, that we had just met over on Brier Island, was there hoping to see the Oystercatchers to. We chatted in between listening to the Jays game and scoping the hundreds of sandpipers visible to us. Just as we were about to leave I looked up at a gull flying over and knew it was “different”. The guys got on it and Jerry managed a few quick pics. We assumed a Laughing Gull but the other birder suggested it looked like a Franklins because it had the white wing tips. We consulted Sibleys and then I put it on the Discord ID help and it was confirmed to be a Franklin’s which is rare to this area but common out west.

Franklin’s Gull – a rarity in Nova Scotia

When the light faded without seeing the birds we headed to the East Wind Guesthouse, our home for the next two days, for a scumptious meal prepared by the proprietor, Louise. If you want to visit Cape Sable book the East Wind, it is lovely!

Sunday we were out birding early and then met up with our nephew and his fiance to spend the day birding. We went for a lovely beach walk in the fog and mist. The beach edge was teeming with pipers and while it was difficult to see we managed to identify many species and got some pictures. And then the rain came. We had a long walk back to the cars and by the time we got there we were pretty soaked. Not to give up easily we waited it out a bit and checked for Oystercatchers again but then the rain was too heavy to continue. We warmed up in a Tim Hortons and talked about birding and weddings and then went on to a wonderful dinner at JB’s Family Restaurant.

We will have one more chance for those pesky Oystercatchers in the morning. And so our first week out East ends as we move again and head to Newfoundland and hopefully a few more birds…

Week 36 12 species added 411ebird, 412 J&E

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