Main Info
Cape Ray and vicinity
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 June 20; and September 21 to December 20.
2022 scheduled tour dates are listed in the Tour Fact Sheet below, advance booking is required.
This one-day guided birding tour explores rich habitat inside an Important Bird Area (IBA) on the western edge of the South Coast Barrens. We’ll explore an aging forest at a Provincial Park, rare salt marshes and an extensive beach system in search of spring arrivals and a variety of fall migrants.
Tour Starts / Ends | Stephenville, NL |
Departure time | 6:30 AM |
Return time | 6:00 PM |
2022 Tour Includes |
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What you might see on this tour |
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South Coast Barrens – Tour Fact Sheet | |
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Seasons Offered | Spring, Summer |
Tour Dates | 2021 Flexible: 2022 Scheduled Tours: |
When to visit |
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Birds we may see | Blue-winged Teal, American Black Duck, Northern Pintail, Harlequin Duck, Piping Plover, Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Purple Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Wilson’s Snipe, Dovekie, American Bittern, Short-eared Owl, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Boreal Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Gray Catbird, Savannah Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Parula, Blackpoll Warbler, Palm Warbler, Red-breasted Grosbeak, flycatchers, vireos, swallows, thrushes |
Other possible sightings | Moose, Woodland Caribou, Coyote, Red Fox, Seal, Snowshoe Hare, Pink Lady Slipper, Purple Pitcher Plan (NL provincial flower) |
Bird-viewing habitats | Boreal forest, sandy beaches, coastal wetlands, salt marshes, rocky peninsulas, Cape Ray Barrens |
Climate / Weather (average temperatures) |
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 over mostly flat terrain. |
Ease of birding | Mostly easy, with some rare sighting opportunities |
Rare visitors to the area |
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Photographic opportunities | Excellent for birds and scenery |
Not included 2021 | Pick up and drop off service and 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 information on what to bring. |
Cellular reception | Yes, with patches of dead zones in some areas. |
Additional remarks | The Dorset Indigenous people were part of a pre-historic Palaeo-Eskimo culture that occupied Cape Ray between 1800 and 1200 years ago. Cape Ray is believed to be the most southern site occupied by Dorset people. Artifacts excavated at Cape Ray during the summer of 1996 revealed a tool technology that linked them to sea mammal hunting. Visitors may view the artifacts at the Lightkeeper’s House from July 1 to September 1 and can learn about their way of life and time at Cape Ray. |