Top Birding Places in Newfoundland: Exploring the Avalon Peninsula

Puffins, Gannets and Seabirds Along Newfoundland's Rugged Coast

From a boat surrounded by hundreds of thousands of seabirds to cliff-top colonies and an urban lake, our Avalon Peninsula birding adventure delivered unforgettable wildlife encounters.

Top Birding Places in Newfoundland - If you're looking for the top birding places in Newfoundland, the Avalon Peninsula is an unforgettable place to start. From Atlantic Puffins and Northern Gannets to Common Murres, Black-legged Kittiwakes and thousands of nesting seabirds, birding in Newfoundland offers spectacular wildlife encounters along the rugged North Atlantic coast. During our adventure around St. John's and the Avalon Peninsula, which was made possible through the support of Eh Canada Travel after we won the 2025 Top Adventure Seeker draw, we explored three very different birdwatching destinations: the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, the dramatic cliffs of Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve, and the Quidi Vidi Lake Important Bird Area in St. John's, NL. Along the way, we experienced enormous seabird colonies, breathtaking coastal scenery, and even an unexpected Minke whale encounter! Whether you're planning a dedicated Newfoundland birding trip, packing your camera and binoculars for a wildlife-watching adventure, or setting out on a road trip through the Avalon Peninsula, these are three places we won't soon forget.

Top Birding Places in Newfoundland: Witless Bay Ecological Reserve

Our search for the top birding places in Newfoundland began on the water at the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve. Located just off Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, this protected marine ecosystem consists of four small islands that become home to an extraordinary concentration of seabirds during the summer breeding season from early May to late August.

We joined an O'Brien's Whale and Bird Tours in Bay Bulls for a boat trip out to the reserve. First, we climbed aboard the comfortable vessel and settled in for the journey offshore. During the approximately half-hour ride, the naturalists shared stories about the area's marine ecosystem, geology, history, folklore and conservation efforts. As a result, we arrived at the islands with a much better understanding of the remarkable wildlife we were about to see.

Then the islands came into view.  Suddenly, the sky was filled with birds! Atlantic Puffins zipped across the water and made clumsy landings on the grassy slopes of the island, their huge orange bills filled with lines of small fish for their nestlings. Meanwhile, Common Murres crowded the rocky ledges and filled the sky above of the islands. Black-legged Kittiwakes circled overhead, while Leach's Storm-Petrels filled the surrounding waters. 

The Witless Bay Ecological Reserve supports North America's largest breeding colony of Atlantic Puffins, with more than 260,000 pairs of these endearing seabirds making the four islands of the reserve their home each summer.  In addition, the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve also supports more than 620,000 pairs of Leach's Storm-Petrels, and over 70,000 pairs of Common Murres, making it one of the most spectacular seabird colonies in North America.

Even for non-birders, the sight of hundreds of thousands of seabirds filling the sky and crowding the cliffs just meters from the boat is a spectacle to behold. Some birds plunged into the waves beside us while others flew so close that we could watch them beating their wings against the coastal wind. For a birder, photographer, or wildlife enthusiast, it was a truly extraordinary experience.

And then, as if the seabird spectacle wasn't enough, a Minke whale surfaced just off the port side of our boat on the journey home.  That unexpected encounter was the perfect ending to one of our favourite wildlife experiences in Newfoundland.

Cape St. Mary's: A Seabird Spectacle on the Avalon Peninsula

Next on our Newfoundland birding adventure was Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve, another spectacular bird watching and wildlife-viewing destination on the Avalon Peninsula. Perched above the North Atlantic, Cape St. Mary's offers visitors an entirely different way to experience another one of Newfoundland's seabird colonies. This time, rather than simply arriving at the reserve and exploring on our own, we joined a guided birding tour offered by Jared Clark from Bird The Rock.  This turned out to be an excellent decision! 

Located on the southwestern Avalon Peninsula, Cape St. Mary's is one of Newfoundland's most spectacular and accessible seabird colonies. The reserve protects approximately 64 square kilometers of coastal and marine habitat, including the dramatic sea stack known as Bird Rock. During the nesting season from May through September, approximately 24,000 Northern Gannets gather here, along with thousands of Black-legged Kittiwakes, Common Murres and other seabirds.

The roughly two-and-a-half-hour drive from St. John's was an adventure in itself. As we left the city, the landscape changed from Boreal forest filled with spruce, fir and tamarack to the open, windswept barrens of the Avalon Peninsula. Along the way, we stopped near Salmon River in St. Catherine's for a short walk. While we stretched our legs Jared helped us find and identify several Boreal bird species, including a charismatic and curious pair of Boreal Chickadees. We also watched a Wilson's Snipe flying overhead and learned that its distinctive whinnying sound comes from its tail feathers.

When we reached the Cape St. Marys's Ecological Reserve the view of Bird Rock was unforgettable. The sea stack and surrounding cliffs were alive with seabirds. Northern Gannets soared around us while thousands of Black-legged Kittiwakes gathered nesting material. Common Murres crowded the cliffs and floated in the water below. With Jared's experienced eye, we also found Great Cormorants, Double-crested Cormorants, Black Guillemots and Razorbills among the masses of birds.

For us, this is what makes Cape St. Mary's one of the best birding places in Newfoundland. You aren't simply looking at a few birds through binoculars. You are standing above the North Atlantic, surrounded by an entire thriving seabird colony, with thousands of birds nesting just metres away.

And the surprises continued after we left the cliffs. While enjoying a lunch provided by Bird the Rock inside the Visitor Centre, a young Red Fox wandered past the window. Shortly afterward, a Short-eared Owl flew by - an especially exciting sight for us!  Our trip to Cape St. Mary's had delivered far more than we expected. 

Thanks to Bird the Rock and Jared's local expertise, we experienced the reserve not simply as a beautiful destination, but as a living, breathing wildlife spectacle.

Quidi Vidi Lake Important Bird Area: Birdwatching in St. John's, NL

The third stop on or tour of top birding spots in Newfoundland was completely different from the dramatic seabird colonies of Witless Bay and Cape St. Mary's. Instead of heading offshore or standing on windswept coastal cliffs, we found ourselves walking a peaceful and fully accessible trail around a picturesque lake right in the heart of St. John's, NL. Quidi Vidi Lake Important Bird Area proved that some of the best birding in Newfoundland can be surprisingly close to the city.

So, what makes an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area, or IBA, special? These internationally recognized sites are identified because they provide important habitat for birds and are particularly valuable for their conservation. Quidi Vidi Lake is one of these important places. In fact, this approximately 7-square-kilometre IBA is especially significant for gulls, serving as an important daytime resting site from late fall through early spring. Several species can gather here, including Herring Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, Iceland Gulls, Glaucous Gulls and Common Black-headed Gulls. In addition, waterfowl such as American Black Ducks, Mallards and Northern Pintails are also common around the lake during winter.

The Quidi Vidi Lake Trail makes exploring the area easy. The approximately 3.8-kilometre loop is relatively level, with a combination of paved and hard-packed sections, making it a comfortable choice for a leisurely walk while keeping an eye out for birds and it earning it a place on our list of Best Day Hikes in St. John's Newfoundland. Benches along the route provide convenient places to pause, scan the water and enjoy the scenery. Moreover, Quidi Vidi Lake is more than an important birding destination. It is also woven into the culture and history of St. John's. During the summer, the lake becomes a hub of activity as rowers train for the Royal St. John's Regatta, North America's oldest annual sporting event, and it is just steps from the Quidi Vidi Brewery, one of our favourite stops during our Ultimate St. John's Pub Crawl.

Consequently, a walk around Quidi Vidi Lake offers a wonderful combination of urban exploration, outdoor recreation, local history, nature photography and birdwatching. For visitors looking for the Top Birding Places in Newfoundland: Exploring the Avalon Peninsula, it is a reminder that you don't always have to travel far from the city to find important wildlife habitat.   For us, it became one of our favourite birding spots in St. John's.

Three Newfoundland Birding Experiences We Won't Forget

What made these top birding places in Newfoundland so memorable was how different each experience felt.  At Witless Bay, we were surrounded by seabirds from the deck of a boat. At Cape St. Mary's, we stood above the North Atlantic with thousands of birds nesting on the cliffs below. Then, at Quidi Vidi Lake, we enjoyed peaceful birdwatching without even leaving St. John's, NL.

Together, these destinations showed us just how diverse birding in Newfoundland can be.  From popular sightseeing excursions to dedicated birding tours to independent explorations, there are many different ways to bird the Avalon Peninsula, and there is something to fit every style and budget.    

Whether you are planning a dedicated birdwatching trip, a Newfoundland road trip, a hiking adventure or a family vacation, the Avalon Peninsula offers an incredible variety of wildlife experiences. Puffins, Gannets, Murres, Kittiwakes, ducks and other coastal birds are all part of the experience.  And, of course, there is always the possibility of seeing something unexpected.  For us, that unexpected moment was a Minke whale surfacing beside our boat.

In Conclusion: Exploring Newfoundland's Best Birding Destinations

Our Avalon Peninsula adventure showed us why Newfoundland is such a remarkable destination for birders and wildlife lovers. From enormous seabird colonies and dramatic ocean cliffs to peaceful urban trails, the top birding places in Newfoundland offer unforgettable opportunities to connect with nature.  We are incredibly grateful to Eh Canada Travel for making this adventure possible through the 2025 Top Adventure Seeker draw. Newfoundland gave us far more than a list of birds - it gave us stories, surprises and memories we'll carry with us for years to come.

Disclosure: Our trip to St. John's, Newfoundland, was supported by Eh Canada Travel as part of our prize for winning the 2025 Top Adventure Seeker draw. As always, the experiences and opinions shared in this post are our own.

Top Birding Places in Newfoundland: Exploring the Avalon Peninsula

 Discover the top birding places in Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, from Atlantic Puffins at Witless Bay and Northern Gannets at Cape St. Mary's to gulls and waterfowl at Quidi Vidi Lake in St. John's.