Birding Codroy Valley

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Birding Codroy Valley

For 2021, this tour is a self-drive guided tour (your guide will be in a separate car)

Tour Dates:

2021 Tour Dates (advanced booking is required):

September 12 to September 18 (end of summer birding).

October 10 to October 16 (fall birding).

2022 Tour Dates (advanced booking is required):

May 29 to June 4; June 5 to June 11; June 12 to June 18 (spring birding).

August 28 to September 3 (late summer birding).

September 25 to October 1 (fall birding).

This is an exciting 5-day, 6 night guided tour that offers a remarkable experience in one of the richest birding areas on the island of Newfoundland. We’ll devote 5 full days birding the best Codroy Valley has to offer, including a few lesser-known locations. Discover the “songbirds of Codroy Valley”, explore wetland habitat for a variety of waterfowl, stroll sandy beaches while watching for the piping plover, and sea watch from coastal sites. Plenty of breaks throughout the day and time before supper allow us to review daily sightings, share photos and personal highlights.

Overnight accommodations are not included in the tour price. However, there are a variety of clean, comfortable and bird-friendly options available to you. Contact us if you require assistance.

Tour Starts / Ends	Codroy Valley, NL
Day 1 – Arrival	Meet & Greet 7:00 PM
Day 7 – Depart for home	Checkout Time
Tour Includes	Detailed itinerary Transportation during the tour (2022 only) Field checklist of the birds for the area Visit to the Codroy Valley Wetland Centre (seasonal access)
What you might see on this tour	Nestled against the foothills of the Long Range Mountains is the beautiful Codroy Valley, a lush and rolling countryside that unfolds alongside the Grand Codroy River to the ocean, forming one of the most biologically rich estuary sites on the Island of Newfoundland. With lush forests and productive meadows, this sheltered valley is teeming with birdlife. In the spring, we look for interesting landbirds like the blackburnian warbler (the only location in the province this species is currently known to breed), boreal chickadee, endangered Red Crossbill (percna subspecies), ruby-throated hummingbird and gray catbird. Other interesting species that breed here in small numbers are the Least Flycatcher, Chipping Sparrow, Veery and Bobolink. Codroy Valley is also a known hotspot for rare bird sightings. The Grand Codroy Estuary supports a variety of nesting waterfowl and is considered the provincial stronghold for breeding blue-winged teal. Close by are several freshwater ponds that provide nesting habitat for Pied-billed Grebe and Sora. We’ll visit sandy beaches to peer through a scope at the endangered Piping Plover and enjoy roadside views of nesting tern. In the fall, the Grand Codroy Estuary provides staging habitat for a diversity of Arctic shorebirds, as they migrate along the Atlantic Flyway. Huge numbers of migrating waterfowl pepper the Grand Codroy River and coastal areas provide natural platforms to sea watch.

Codroy Valley – Tour Fact Sheet
Seasons Offered	Spring, Summer, Fall
Tour Dates	2021 Tour Dates (Advance booking is required): September 12 to September 18 (Summer) October 10 to October 16 (Fall) 2022 Tour Dates (Advance booking is required): May 29 to June 4 (Spring) June 5 to June 11 (Spring) June 12 to June 18 (Spring) August 28 to September 3 (Summer) September 25 to October 1 (Fall)
When to visit	End of May through June is best for discovering Codroy Valley songbirds, Blackburnian Warbler, spring vagrants Late summer for watching newly fledged songbirds Throughout the fall for Arctic migrants, waterfowl spectacles, migrating raptors
Birds we may see	Canada Goose, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Green-winged Teal, Ringed-neck Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Eider, Surf Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Nighthawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Sora, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Piping Plover, Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, Short-billed Dowitcher, American Woodcock, Spotted Sandpiper, jaegers, gulls, Arctic tern, American Loon, Great Blue Heron, raptors, woodpeckers, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Blue-headed Vireo, Boreal Chickadee, Horned Lark, swallows, Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Gray Catbird, Veery, Waxwings, Evening Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, Chipping Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Bobolink, Red-winged Blackbird, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Mourning Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
Other possible sightings	Moose, Woodland Caribou, Red Fox, Canada Lynx, Black Bear, River Otter, Seal, Snowshoe Hare, Purple Pitcher Plan (NL provincial flower).
Bird-viewing habitats	Boreal forest, estuary wetlands, intertidal flats, fresh water ponds, meadows, riparian areas, sandy beaches, rocky coastal areas.
Climate / Weather (average temperatures)	Spring (mid-May to June 20): 15°C (61°F) Summer (June 21 to September 20): 20°C (68°F) Fall (September 21 to December 20) 11°C (59°F) Winter (December 21 to March 20): hovers around 0°C (32°F) Visit our Getting Here page for more information about our climate.
Maximum group size	4 to 8 (plus your guide)
Tour pace & walking	Comfortable pace, easy walking over flat terrain
Ease of birding	Easy to moderate, with rare sighting opportunities
Rare visitors to the area	Ash-throated Flycatcher (2021) Sandwich Tern (2020) Red-headed Woodpecker (2020)
Photographic opportunities	Excellent for birds and the scenery is fabulous
Not included in tour price	Overnight accommodations, meals (catered meals can be arranged for your group). Transportation during the tour is not included for 2021. For 2021, this is a self-drive guided tour (your guide will be in a separate car). Contact us for assistance.
What to bring	Visit our Getting Here page for information on what to bring.
Cellular reception	Yes, however there are patches of dead zones in some areas
Additional remarks	The beautiful Codroy Valley is known for its exceptional scenery and unique habitats that are home to a diversity of breeding songbirds that are not known to nest anywhere in Newfoundland but here. Codroy Valley is also a very real hotspot for rare bird sightings. With 2 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and the only RAMSAR wetland of international importance in the province, Codroy Valley is considered by many to be a birder’s paradise.

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