January 12 – Off to The Rock!

It’s been a quiet few days for me. I have been running errands and getting ready for a visit to the Atlantic coast. I haven’t been out birding, so I haven’t added any new species for my Big Year list.

This evening I will start driving out to the East coast of Canada. I will be joined by my youngest brother, Jackie Rae (a non-birder). It will be a long drive, so it will be nice to have someone to help with the driving, recording birds, and general conversation. I may have also bribed him with the promise of a day snowboarding! I have never gone snowboarding before, so I may end up regretting this part of the bargain…

I don’t have a set itinerary, but I am basically planning to get to St. John’s, Newfoundland as quickly as possible, and then take a more leisurely route back to Ontario. I plan to stop in Nova Scotia on the way back, probably the Halifax area, as there always seem to be some interesting birds around.

My target species for Newfoundland are: Pink-footed Goose (I hope it survived the blizzard that hit the province yesterday!), Tufted Duck and Black-headed Gull.

I’ve also spent some time thinking about my goals for my Big Year. After going through a long list of birds seen in Canada I have decided that I would really like to see 500+ species this year.

I also decided that I am not going to fly anywhere domestically for the purpose of birding. This will make it more challenging to reach my goal of 500+, but it will also allow me to see a lot more of my great country, and it will mean I will have a lot more time to spend birding. I also may regret this at times over the next year as rarities are found across the country!

Time to hit the road! Stay tuned…