Canada Important Bird Area
Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve
144 bird species recorded; the most from July to August.
Johnath · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
28 species in January.16 species in February.24 species in March.58 species in April.75 species in May.91 species in June.93 species in July.101 species in August.71 species in September.51 species in October.34 species in November.57 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
NT
VU
VU
NT
VU
NT
VU
VUNT
VUNT
VU
VUNT
VUVUVU
NT
VU
VU
NT
VU
VUNTVU
VU
NT
VU
NT
VUVU
NTVUVUNTVUNTVUVU- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
144 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 144Speciesrecorded more than once
- 97Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 10ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 17,049Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 94 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 9Raptors
- 3Owls
- 19Waders
- 27Gulls & seabirds
- 15Ducks & geese
- 4Herons, ibises & grebes
- 59Songbirds
- 8Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 144 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- Falco atricapillusFalco atricapillus
Owls3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusVU
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
Waders19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Hudsonian WhimbrelNumenius hudsonicus
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
Gulls & seabirds27 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Common MurreUria aalge
- RazorbillAlca torda
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Brünnich's GuillemotUria lomvia
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Black GuillemotCepphus grylle
- Atlantic PuffinFratercula arcticaVU
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- FulmarFulmarus glacialis
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- Great shearwaterPuffinus gravis
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Little AukAlle alle
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Leach's Storm PetrelOceanodroma leucorhoaVU
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- Manx ShearwaterPuffinus puffinus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
Ducks & geese15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
- Harlequin DuckHistrionicus histrionicus
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- American ScoterMelanitta americanaNT
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- King EiderSomateria spectabilis
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
Herons, ibises & grebes4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
Songbirds59 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataNT
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Red Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- Boreal ChickadeePoecile hudsonicus
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- Pine GrosbeakPinicola enucleator
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- Canada JayPerisoreus canadensis
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventris
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Northern ShrikeLanius borealis
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinusVU
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNT
- Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphia
- White-winged CrossbillLoxia leucoptera
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Toxostoma rufumToxostoma rufum
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Grey-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimus
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
Other birds8 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Willow PtarmiganLagopus lagopus
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagicaVU
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from July to August.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan0°/-4°130 mm
- Feb0°/-4°106 mm
- Mar1°/-3°106 mm
- Apr4°/0°96 mm
- May7°/3°95 mm
- Jun11°/7°106 mm
- Jul16°/12°110 mm
- Aug18°/15°97 mm
- Sep16°/12°110 mm
- Oct11°/8°134 mm
- Nov7°/4°138 mm
- Dec3°/-1°136 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve.
Nature reserve of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve is an Important Bird Area (BirdLife) in Canada.
144 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 17,049 open records.
The most recorded are the Northern gannet, the Black-legged kittiwake and the Common Murre.
57 species come for the summer, 36 for the winter and 4 only pass through.
10 are threatened worldwide, including Black-legged kittiwake, Atlantic Puffin and Long-tailed duck.
The most species are recorded from July to August.
Get there and watch
- Official informationAccess, hours and rules from those who manage the place.Official site↗
- St. John's International Airport (YYT)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 138 km in a straight lineCar hire at YYT airport (St. John's)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1visitor centres within 6 kmCape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve
- 1viewpoints within 5 km
- 1car parks within 3 km
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- campsites within 10 km
- places to stay within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas24 mountains within 25 kmBill of The Cape · 2.6 kmGolden Bay Lookout113 m · 2.8 kmSt. Bride's Lookout150 m · 6.5 kmBig Hill · 7.6 kmGreen Hills · 8.5 kmPinnacle87 m · 18 kmPlatform Hills · 19 kmAngels Lookout153 m · 22 km
Coastya28 beaches within 10 kmPatty Powers Dock · 1.2 kmGolden Bay Beach · 1.5 kmBig Island Cove · 2.0 kmBrierly Cove · 2.3 kmBull Cove · 5.8 kmBull Island Cove · 6.0 kmBig Island Head Cove · 6.7 kmPoint Lance Sands · 7.3 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q14762326) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 17,049 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Coastya |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit