Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away.
Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club.
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Initial
Last Name
Area
Available
Language
M
LeBlanc
Bouctouche
Weekend
English
R
Perron
Dieppe
Anytime
English, French
Birdwatcher since 2002.
J D
Bourque
St-Jacques, Edmundston
Weekend
French, English, Spanish
R
Burrows
Grand Manan
Anytime
English, some French
I am 67 years old and was born in England. I have lived and birded extensively in seven Canadian provinces since 1970. I now call New Brunswick home and live on the island of Grand Manan. I worked for Parks Canada for 8 years after 1974 and was an onboard naturalist on Alaskan cruiseships for 5 years from 1996 and as shore excursions staff in the Caribbean for 3 years from 1998. I have authored or co-authored 9 bird books, including Birds of Atlantic Canada
and Birding in New Brunswick. I also paint and sell owl paperweights, magnets and wall- mountings.
Grand Manan is an archipelago situated in the southwestern corner of New Brunswick, Canada, and lies in the Bay of Fundy close to the Passamaquoddy Bay entrance and next to the state of Maine. The main island has a population of 2300+ residents living in several linked communities along the eastern coastline from North Head to Deep Cove. I live in Ingalls Head, which is halfway down the island and has a ferry link to White Head Island, the only other inhabited island with about 235 residents. Grand Manan has long been known as a birding paradise and attracts most of the species on the provincial list. Most arrive and leave during spring and fall migration periods, but about 40% of the species stay to nest and there are several target species around in the winter, including Harlequin Duck. In 2008, Grand Manan had the highest species total (82 + 10 in count week) among the province's Christmas Bird Counts, even though there were only 10 participants.
Update 2014 I still provide bird-related programs for the Marathon Inn at North Head, Grand Manan and undertake Grand Manan Breeding Bird Atlas, Christmas Bird Counts and Atlantic Canada Shorebird surveys. I am the author of "Birds of Atlantic Canada" and "Birding in New Brunswick". I recently bought a two-storey, 4-bedroom house on White Head Island, accessible by free ferry from Ingalls Head on the main island of Grand Manan. As well as providing birding assistance to Birdingpal participants, I am now in a position to offer overnight accommodation at a reduced rate on White Head Island where no commercial accommodation exists.
M
Doucet
Moncton, New Brunswick
Anytime
English & French
I know most of the birding lagoon, marsh and trails in South-east and North-east of New Brunswick.
I’m a member of the NBNature, the Moncton Naturalist and “Les ami(e)s de la nature” clubs.
Area:
Sackville Waterfowl, Wilson Marsh, Salisbury Lagoon, salt water marsh, the bay the Fundy and the Northumberland strait.
Area Birds:
Warblers, Waterfowl, Shorebirds & more.
Interests:
Nature: birdwatching, photography
In Memoriam
R
LeBlanc
Moncton
Anytime
French, English
In memoriam - "I am a television writer-director. I work mostly in French and have done as much nature related work as I had a chance to get. In fact one of my documentaries titled 'Migrations' has recently won first prize at an international film festival in France.
As for birding well I have been very active at it for about 14 years and am a member of several naturalist clubs in New-Brunswick as well as national and international birding and nature oriented organizations ( BSC, Nature Canada, ABA, Audubon etc.) I am also presently serving on the New-Brunswick Bird Records committee.
Now on to more interesting things. Birding in and around Moncton can be great. We are in fact ideally situated right smack in between two very different and ecologically rich bodies of water; the Bay of Fundy to our West and the Northumberland Strait to our East. And as these two are migration pathways well when you want to go birding the first question is always which way do I want to go because within 50 km either ways you can be in very interesting habitat.
Closer to Moncton the presence of the tidal Petitcodiac river, the large salt water marshes that surround it and the close by Acadian type forest also provide interesting habitats. And if you want to venture a bit further well the ferry to Grand Manan Island (were anything is possible at any time) is just a couple of hours away. With all of this the biggest problem for me is, as I am sure it is in many other places, to find enough time to get out there and enjoy mother nature's beautiful offerings. Bird on!!
KUDOS Last year I wrote to say how wonderful it was to bird in Newfoundland with Anne Hughes. This year, another great Birdingpal experience . . . well, two experiences, actually, with the same Pal.
In the spring, and again this past week, I birded the Moncton area with Roger Leblanc, an absolutely exemplary guide and companion: knowledgeable, hugely generous, tireless, a consummate naturalist and artist who is always ready to go the extra mile. Not just a Birdingpal, but a fine new friend. Thanks, Birdingpal!
-Skip Shand
R
Arsenault
Moncton
Anytime
English, French
Just retired, so expect to have lots of time after mid-May. Shorebird migration in nearby Johnson's Mills and Mary's Point in late July and early August is the local bird highlight likely to be of most interest to visiting birders.
B
Winsor
Salisbury
Anytime
English
Salisbury is near Moncton in southeast New Brunswick close to the upper Bay of Fundy and New Brunswick shore of Northumberland Strait. It also provided good access to the forested hill terrain which includes Fundy National Park which offers habitat for the northerly wood warblers and often a Boreal Chickadee.
L
Eaton
Shediac
Weekend
English
Live in a home on the beach which many shorebirds call home. Excellent area here and nearby to be many varieties of salt water loving birds, Osprey, Bald Eagles, Kingfishers, Willets, Plovers, many varieties of ducks. I am a relatively new birder but enthusastic about my hobby.
V
Bourque
South East NB
Anytime
French, English, Italian
D
Comier
St-Isidore
Anytime
French, English
Birding in St-Isidore is great for song birds but in less than one hour we also have access to the whole Acadian Peninsula and Baie des Chaleurs area with all its beaches and dunes. I must admit though shore birds identification always give me a hard time.
Professional Guides
If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services.