Waterford River, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada |
The rarest bird sighted in 2018 was the purple gallinule on the Waterford River in St. John’s. There have been more than a dozen recorded sightings in the past, typically on a ship or in a random back garden only to be seen briefly and never again. This bird was different. It was present for about six weeks from mid-May and into June.
As 2018 comes to a close it is time to look back at the birding year in Newfoundland. According to my calculations 272 species of birds were observed on the island of Newfoundland in 2018. This grand total is on par with recent years.
Rare birds stop off in IcelandGardur, Southern Peninsula, Iceland
Sep 19, 2018
RÚV
Event
|
Rare Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Spotted in Western P.E.I.Saint Chrysostome, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Jan 24, 2019
CBC
Event
|
Rare bird visit to Cranbrook sparks BC-wide interestCranbrook, British Columbia, Canada
Jan 15, 2018
Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Event
|
Bird lovers flock to glimpse rare tropical bird in New BrunswickHopewell Hill, New Brunswick, Canada
Oct 9, 2017
CTVNews
Event
|
Bethel Receives an Unusual Winter Visitor – A RobinBethel, Alaska, United States
Dec 22, 2014
Event
|
Cattle egrets and an exceptional heronAngels Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Nov 10, 2018
The Telegram
Event
|
Warm weather prompts migratory birds to extend stay in FinlandMuhos, Pohjois-Pohjanmaa, Finland
Oct 9, 2018
Yle Uutiset
Event
|
White-winged Dove SightedStratford, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Nov 25, 2018
CBC
Event
|
Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre) in Canal FlatsInvermere, British Columbia, Canada
Jul 5, 2018
BC Rare Bird Alert
Event
|
Where have all Newfoundland's Songbirds gone?
Nov 3, 2017
The Telegram
Event
|
Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) in KelownaKelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Sep 9, 2018
BC Rare Bird Alerts
Event
|
White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) in Port RenfrewPort Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada
Aug 22, 2018
Event
|
Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) near Malcolm IslandQueen Charlotte Strait
Aug 22, 2018
BC Rare Bird Alert
Event
|
Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) in Lund/Powell RiverPowell River, British Columbia, Canada
Sep 13, 2018
BC Rare Bird Alert
Event
|
Brent Goose Nests in Iceland for First TimeReykjavik, Capital Region, Iceland
Jun 15, 2018
Iceland Review
Event
|
Typically-tropical great egret nests in Finland for first timePorvoo, Uusimaa, Finland
Aug 8, 2018
Yle Uutiset
Event
|
Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) in Campbell RiverCampbell River, British Columbia, Canada
Sep 5, 2018
BC Rare Bird Alert
Event
|
Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) off Haida GwaiiWest of Haida Gwaii
Sep 27, 2018
BC Rare Bird Alert
Event
|
American coot sighting in eastern Arctic pretty unusual says bird expertIgloolik Island, Nunavut, Canada
Oct 6, 2017
Nunatsiaq Online
Event
|
Purple Gallinule - eBirdBeautiful, colorful waterbird of marshes from southeast U.S. to South America, especially those with lots of emergent vegetation. Bright bluish-purple body with green back, white undertail, and red bill with yellow tip. Long yellow legs and enormous feet help it walk on lily pads. Immatures are buffy overall with dull olive wings. Usually found alone. Loud vocalizations similar to Common Gallinule. |