French Ancestors Route

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Birding the Port au Port Peninsula

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

Tour Dates:

2021 tour dates are flexible and can be booked for any date between May 25 and September 19.

2022 scheduled tour dates are listed in the Tour Fact Sheet below, advance booking is required.

This is a two-day guided tour that takes you on a stunning panoramic journey around the Port au Port Peninsula. Admire breathtaking views while birding a remarkable diversity of habitat, in an area rich in culture and history. “The French Ancestors Route” is named for the area’s strong Francophone and Acadian Heritage and French-speaking birders can experience the tour through an interpreter (subject to availability).

Tour Starts / Ends	Stephenville, NL
Day 1 – Depart Stephenville	7:00 AM
Day 2 -Return Stephenville	5:00 PM
2022 Tour Includes	Transportation during the tour 1 breakfast 2 picnic-style lunches 1 overnight accommodations in Cape St. George Field checklist of the Port au Port Peninsula (unofficial)
What you might see on this tour	The dramatic seaside cliffs at Cape St. George are some of the most impressive on the island of Newfoundland and are home to Black-legged Kittiwake, Black Guillemot, and lesser numbers of Razorbill during the breeding season. Nearby are great views of rocky perches where Great Cormorant spread their wings to dry. In the spring, thousands of Northern Gannet pierce the sea close to shore in a spectacular dive for fish. Songbirds like Boreal Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Grosbeak, White-throated Sparrow, Tennessee Warbler, and Blackpoll Warbler take shelter in the boreal forest and patches of tuckamore along the coast. The Winter Wren may be heard singing its lengthy tune, one of the longest and most complex of the avian world. If our timing is right, we may see American Kestrel as it hunts over a rare Limestone Barrens! We are likely to see a variety of waterfowl, and later in the season, Arctic shorebirds at staging areas in Piccadilly. The fall is also a great time of year to encounter flocks of American Pipit as they move about the area. And there is always a chance to capture wonderful photos of whale, seal, moose, hare, and fox as we travel this historic route!

French Ancestors Route – Tour Fact Sheet
Seasons Offered	Spring, Summer
Tour Dates	2021 Flexible: Book for any date between May 25 and September 19. 2022 Scheduled Tours: May 25 to May 26 June 30 to July 01 July 14 to July 15 July 28 to July 29 August 11 to August 12 August 25 to August 26 September 8 to September 9 September 15 to September 16
When to visit	May for the chance to see Northern Gannets, Humpback Whales diving close to shore July is best for breeding seabirds August to September for migrating shorebirds, immature songbirds
Birds we may see	American Black Duck, Green-winged Teal, Ruddy Turnstone, White-rumped Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Razorbill, Black Guillemot, Black-legged Kittiwake, Caspian Tern, Common Loon, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Northern Goshawk, American Kestrel, Bank Swallow, Boreal Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, American Pipit, Pine Grosbeak, White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Blackpoll Warbler, woodpeckers, flycatchers
Other possible sightings	Moose, Red Fox, Seal, Humpback Whale, Snowshoe Hare, Yellow Lady’s Slipper
Bird-viewing habitats	Boreal forest, seaside cliffs with patches of tuckamore, cobble beaches, salt marsh, tidal mudflats (near) the Southern Limestone Barrens
Climate / Weather (average temperatures)	Spring (mid-May to June 20): 15°C (61°F) Summer (June 21 to September 20): 20°C (68°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, walking is easy to moderate but mostly easy.
Accommodations	Inn at the Cape
Ease of birding	Mostly easy
Rare visitors to the area	Redwing (ABA Code 4) (2021) Summer Tanager (2019) American Avocet (2002)
Photographic opportunities	Excellent for birds, wildlife and scenery.
Not included 2021	Transportation during the tour. For 2021, this tour 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 a list of items to bring.
Cellular reception	Currently, there is no cellular reception on the western side of the Peninsula at Mainland and Three Rock Cove.
Additional remarks	Cape St. George is home to the only Acadian monument in the province. Nearby is an outdoor bread oven that is active from June 30 to August 30. Mi’kmaq communities along the Route contribute to the Peninsula’s unique heritage and sense of place.

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