The average North American is unlikely to look twice if they see a Eurasian blackbird in the wild. At first glance, it looks like something close to the common robin with its black plumage and pointed beak.
But when it comes to birds, Bruce McTavish and Ken Knowles are no ordinary North Americans.
The two avid birders — McTavish, of St. John’s, and Knowles, of nearby Outer Cove — were amazed to see a photo circulated on social media days before Christmas of the rare bird on the Labrador coast. It’s a staple bird in Europe, known there as the common blackbird, but the pair said they knew of only one other recorded sighting in North America.
They quickly decided to hit the road. The problem? It was 1,400 kilometers away.
“It was probably part madness,” laughed Knowles. “Bruce and I and many other birders pursue rare birds for their uniqueness. If you saw a kangaroo in Australia, you wouldn’t bother to see it. But if you saw a kangaroo in Newfoundland, you probably would.”
There was an obstacle in their way – Christmas. Surely they couldn’t miss Christmas to see a bird, and closing on holidays would cause problems along the route. So they risked the bird still being there and planned to leave on December 27th.
They left St. John’s around 3:30 a.m. and headed north. They reached the tip of Newfoundland 12 hours later, just in time to catch the ferry to Labrador. They were met on the other side by fellow birder Vernon Buckle, who had alerted them to the Eurasian blackbird after it was spotted by a couple, Jeff and Tracey Martin, in Cartwright.
Bruce McTavish, left, Vernon Buckle and Ken Knowles went to dinner at Jungle Jims after seeing the rare Eurasian Blackbird in Labrador. (Submitted by Bruce McTavish)
The trio slept half the night in southern Labrador before driving four hours to Cartwright, arriving just as the sun was rising.
And there it is.
“The bird was over there under a spruce picking some frozen apples,” Knowles said. “We were quite excited because sometimes when we go out looking for these rare birds we wait and wait and wait and sometimes they never show up. But sometimes they appear right away, and the rest of the time you get with the bird it’s all in the sauce.”
So how much time do you spend looking at a rare bird that you traveled 1400 kilometers to see?
“We left after four hours feeling pretty satisfied,” McTavish said.
“You’re going to wonder why we spent four hours looking at the same bird and taking pictures, but I took over 300 pictures and I think I got one that came out well,” laughed Knowles. “The bird, as it tends to do, hides on the ground in the bushes and trees and bushes, so it was quite annoying at times.”
The men watched the bird for four hours, taking hundreds of pictures, before setting off. (Bruce McTavish)
They rushed back to Blanc-Sablon, on the Quebec side of the border with southern Labrador, and caught the ferry back to Newfoundland at 7 p.m. that evening.
They drove another 12 hours, arriving back on the Avalon Peninsula only three days after leaving in the first place.
“We were elated but tired,” McTavish said. “We had a little celebratory drink and then went to bed.”
The two birders were still feeling the effects of the trip when they spoke to CBC News earlier this week – but not because they were tired.
“There’s a kind of warm glow,” Knowles said. “Hardly anyone in North America will get to see this bird.”
St John’s Morning Show9:41 A rare sighting of a Eurasian Blackbird in Labrador
A rare Eurasian blackbird showed up in Labrador at Christmas, and two local birders weren’t going to pass up their chance to see a bird that’s only been spotted a handful of times in North America.
Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
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