Birdwatchers gather in Codroy Valley for rare house finch sighting

Hillary Johnson · CBC News

· Posted: May 11, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

A uncommon sighting among a flock of birds whitethorn person been a archetypal for Newfoundland and Labrador.

Kellie Joyce spotted a house finch connected May 1, and instantly knew it was unusual.

"The location finch came successful with a flock of astir 20 to 25 purple finches, and on with that came successful astir 50 Savannah sparrows and a clump of others," Joyce told CBC News. "It was rather an astonishing time present astatine my feeder."

Having antecedently seen location finches during her clip successful Ontario, she contacted a chap birder and person to stock her discovery.

"He knew close distant that it was a uncommon bird, and past helium went connected to archer maine that it's ne'er been present before," she said. "So that was benignant of neat."

Word rapidly dispersed astir the find done the birding community, drawing the attraction of enthusiasts from adjacent and far. 

Many travelled to Codroy Valley successful hopes of catching a glimpse of the uncommon visitor.

"I had 1 feline effort to get present from Labrador, but unluckily the location finch left. He was the lone 1 of, like, accidental 25 to 30 radical that came to spot it that didn't really get to spot it and photograph it," Joyce said. 

Joyce says her passionateness for photography and birdwatching are interconnected pursuits. 

"Birding has go similar 2nd quality to maine now, and I conscionable emotion photographing thing successful nature, but birding especially," she said.  

"There person been 24 antithetic taxon successful my gait this week, truthful there's ever thing caller to look at." 

After the location finch's departure, Joyce said she had spotted different Wednesday evening. It is inactive uncertain whether it was the aforesaid bird or a caller visitor. Her occurrence successful attracting uncommon birds is attributed to her proximity to a vertebrate sanctuary. 

"I'm benignant of fortunate successful the consciousness that this is the way birds instrumentality erstwhile they're migrating through," she said. "I enactment retired provender each year … if you don't provender them, they won't come. It's rather an costly hobby."

A beardown advocator for sharing the joys of birdwatching, Joyce says she is ever consenting to invited chap enthusiasts to her birdwatching spot. 

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