Sightings Translated From Ornitho-QC for Sunday February 26th

St-Barthélemy, chemin de Bécancour: 5 Bald eagles (Pygargue à tête blanche), Iceland gull (goeland arctique)
rangs des laurentides, york and montée ouest: 5 Snowy owls (Harfang des neiges)

Montreal, Rivère-des-Prairies parc Nature de Pointe-aux-Prairies: Great gray owl (Chouette lapone), Cooper’s hawk (Épervier de Cooper), Northern flicker (Pic flamboyant), red-winged blackbird (Carouge à epaulettes)

St-Clet, off Ste-Julie: 4 Snowy owls (Harfang des neiges)

St-Lazare, Pinery: Red Crossbills (Bec-croisés des sapins), Northern goshawk (Autour des palombes)

Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Falaise Dieppe: Gyrfalcon - white form (Faucon Gerfaut de forme blanche)

Montreal, Riviere des Prairies

hi from chuck
BINGO !!...owl species # 6 for me this season...... photographed a Great gray owl (Chouette lapone) at parc-nature riviere des prairies... 9:30 amtoday.... spotted the bird in a conifer , barely 25 feet from me.....in the 2 seconds i needed... to open my tripod... it flew off!.. followed it in my binoculars, it changed perches .. twice and landed in atree.... just over the little cemetery behind the convent....... separated by the property's fence ... i was able to take a series of photosat a distance of 75 to 100 metres... but not bad .... with 500mm lens.

chuck.

Sightings Translated From Ornitho-QC for Saturday February 25th

Varennes, exit 136 hwy 30: Snowy owl (Harfang des neiges)
Between the exits for Montarville and Clairevue: 3 Red-tailed hawks (Buses à queue Rousse)

Saint-Timothée, eastern screech owl (petit-duc maculé)

Chateauguay, rue Higgins: Red-bellied woodpecker (Pics à ventre roux), Northern flicker (Pic flamboyant)

Sightings Translated From Ornitho-QC for Thursday February 23rd

Verchères, chemin du Haut des terres noires: 2 Snowy owls (Harfang des neiges)

Chateauguay, rue Higgins: Red-bellied woodpecker (Pics à ventre roux), Northern flicker (Pic flamboyant)
Chateauguay river: Northern pintail (Canard pilet)
boulevard Salaberry Sud, corner boulevard René-Lévesque: Red-tailed hawk (Buse à queue rousse)

Sightings Translated From Ornitho-QC for Monday February 13th

Ile des Soeurs, at feeder on the start of boul. de la Forêt: Common grackle (Quiscale bronze)Also seen wa a Peregrine falcon (Faucon pèlerin)

Verdun: Barrow’s goldeneye – male (Garrot d'Islande), Common goldeneye (Garrots à oeild'or), common mergansers (Grands Harles)

LaSalle, rue Alepin: 5 Hodded mergansers (Harles couronnés), 6 Canada geese (Bernaches duCanada), 2 Gadwall (Canards chapeaux)

Repentigny, on the island facing parc St-Laurent: Snowy owl (Harfang des neiges), in the park a Merlin (faucon émerillon)

Sightings Translated From Ornitho-QC for Sunday February 12th

Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Falaise Dieppe: 2 Gyrfalcons – white + gray form (Faucons Gerfaut de forme blanche + grise)

Carignan, l'île-aux-Foins: 2 Eastern screech owls (Petits-ducs maculés)

Sightings Translated From Ornitho-QC for Saturday February 11th

Laval, boisé Papineau: Great horned owl (Grand-Duc), Screech owl (Petit- duc maculé), Northern saw-whet owl (Petite Nyctale), Pileated woodpecker (Grand-Pic)

St. Clet, Ste-Julie, 3ème Rang and chemin Ste-Marie: 5 Snowy owls (Harfang des neiges), alos in the area, (Snow buntings) (Bruants des neige), Horned larks (alouettes hausse-col), Northern shrike (pie-grièche grise)

Chateauguay, rue Higgins: 2 Red-bellied woodpeckers (Pics à ventre roux), Northern flicker (Pic flamboyant)

Sainte-Catherine: Bald eagle (Pygargue à tête blanche)

St-Lazare, pinery on Montée Poirier: White-winged crossbills (bec-croisés bifasciés)

Mirabel, rang Sainte-Marie and Saint-Dominique: 5 Snowy owls (Harfang des neiges)

Bird Protection Quebec Field trip for February 11th

It was a "2 for 1" field trip special today...two species perbirder, that is!10 birders participated in whirlwind South Shore driving excursionwhich. Our species count for the day was 20, including a few very exciting discoveries. The weather was spectacular; cold and crisp with bright sunshine and no wind. Our first stop was the composting site at St-Basile to look for the Gyrfalcon which has been seen there almost daily for several weeks now. After first spotting a number of rough-legged hawks in the distant trees close to the power lines, we then spotted a very different looking bird on a tall steel Hydro pylon. The bird was along way off, very close to the spot were Darlene and I had seen the Gyrfalcon last weekend. We all agreed that this bird, seen insilhouette only, was a Gyrfalcon. We left the site to head down toHighway 223, along the Richelieu River, under the Hydro wires, wherewe knew we would be much closer to the bird.Sure enough, we arrived a few minutes later and the bird was stillperched on the same pylon, but something was very different. This was not the gray Gyrfalcon we had seen last week. It was the white bird, most likely the second Gyrfalcon being seen regularly around dusk at nearby Mont-St-Hilaire! This was just the beginning of our day's adventure. We followed the Richelieu River north through St-Marc-sur-Richelieu, St-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, then west through Calixa Lavallée, Vercheres and Varennes gathering a collection of species along the way. In Varennes, atthe intersection of Highway 30 and Montee de la Baronnie we ran into the members of the Ahuntsic birding club who had been covering someof the same areas as us today. They were all gathered with scopes focused on a stretch of field just adjacent to Highway 30. On theground was a Snowy Owl. The bird co-operated by staying in the same spot long enough for all to get good looks and good photos before finally moving off.From Varennes, we headed over to Parc de la Frayere in Bouchervillewhere we hoped to add a Great Horned Owl to our day's list.Unfortunately he was not to be found but the partially open water on the St. Lawrence offered up two more species for the day, namely numerous Common Mergansers and a number of Great Black-backed Gulls. Here is our complete species list for the day.

Mallard, Common Merganser, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk,Gyrfalcon, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove,Snowy Owl, Downy, Hairy, Blue Jay, Am. Crow, Common Raven, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, European Starling, Dark-eyed Junco, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow.Our Birds of the Day, without a doubt, the Gyrfalcon and the SnowyOwl.

Thanks to everyone who turned out for a great day in the field.
Sheldon

Sightings Translated From Ornitho-QC for Wednesday February 8th

Saint-Basile-le-Grand, compost site: Gyrfalcon - gray form (Faucon gerfaut)

Sightings Translated From Ornitho-QC for Wednesday February 8th 2006

Saint-Basile-le-Grand, compost site: Gyrfalcon - gray form (Faucon gerfaut)

Chateauguay, rue Higgins: 2 Red-bellied woodpeckers (Pics à ventre roux), Northern flicker (Pic flamboyant), Coopers hawk (Épervier de Cooper), Raven (Grand Corbeau), elsewhere in Chateauguay (TPine siskins (Tarins des pins)

Saint-Étienne: Horned larks (Alouettes hausse-col), Song sparrow (Bruant chanteur), Lapland longspur (Bruant lapon)

Sightings Translated From Ornitho-QC for Sunday February 5th 2006

Sainte-Catherine: Bald eagle (Pygargue à tête blanche), Northern flicker (Pic flamboyant)

Posted at "The Songsparrow"

The grey phase Gyrfalcon (Faucon gerfaut) at the St. Hilaire falaise between 4:30 and 5 this afternoon (Sunday); good views as it harried some of the many Ravens coming into roost. Also saw a Peregrine falcon (Faucons pèlerin) below the cliffs earlier.
At the Ste. Basile composting site another (the same?) grey phase Gyrfalcon on a utilities pole at a distance.

Sylvia Wees

Bird Protection Quebec Field trip for February 4th

Hudson: ten birders enjoyed a March-like day with +4 temperature, no wind and a sun thatalmost broke through the clouds. The following is the 18 species of birds seen.

Red-tailed hawk 1, Rock pigeon 12, Mourning dove 9, Snowy owl 2, Downy woodpecker 6, Hairy woodpecker 10, Pileated woodpecker 2, Northern shrike 1, Blue jay 28, American crow 20, Black-capped chickadee 75 ( 1 with a white tail ) , White-breasted nuthatch 12, European starling 12, Bohemian waxwing 125, American tree sparrow 1, Northern cardinal 1, American goldfinch 60, House sparrow 10

Thanks to everyone who came out for a pleasant morning of birding and to WayneGrubert for finding two Snowy owls after lunch.

Barbara MacDuff

Sightings Translated From Ornitho-QC for Saturday February 4th

Chateauguay, rue Higgins: 2 Red-bellied woodpeckers male & female (pics à ventre roux), other Woodpeckers – Northern flicker, downy, hairy, (pics flamboyants, mineurs et chevelus), Red-tailed hawk (buse à queue rousse)

Saint-Basile-le-Grand, compost site: Gyrfalcon (Faucon gerfaut)

Boisbriand, autoroute 15 exit 19: Red-shouldered hawk (Buse à epaulettes)

Mirabel: Pileated woodpecker (Grand Pic), Raven (Grand Corbeau), Northern shrike (Pie-grièche grise), Red-tailed hawk (Buses à queue rousse), Snow buntings (Bruants des neiges)

Saint-Armand: Tufted titmouse (Mésanges bicolores)
chemin Luke: Turkey vulture (Urubu à tête rouge)

Sainte-Catherine: Bald eagle (Pygargue à tête blanche)

Sightings Translated From Ornitho-QC for Wednesday February 1st

Richelieu river between Chambly and Noyan: 2 Snow geese (Oie des neiges), 34 Canada geese (Bernache du Canada), 1 Wood duck (Canard branchu), 188 Common goldeneye (Garrot à oeil d'or), 12 Hooded mergansers (Harle couronné), 753 Common mergansers (Grand Harle)
Fort Chambly: (Belted kingfisher) Martin-pêcheur d'Amérique)
Sabrevois: 2 Tufted titmice (Mésanges bicolores)
Saint-Jean: 2 Peregrine falcons (Faucons pèlerins)
Henryville: Sharp shinned hawk (Épervier brun)
île Sainte-Thérèse: Iceland gull (Goéland arctique)

Laval, in the marsh east of 4085 boul. St-Elzéar Est: Northern mockingbird (Moqueur polyglotte)