Summer Series - Trip #6 report for July 28th

Montreal: The rain held off and 17 birders enjoyed a long morning walk through the trails of the Ile de la Visitation Nature Park. Overcast skies kept the heat down some and breezes off the Riviere des Prairies made for overall quite pleasant conditions.

The bird of the day was certainly a sighting of a Peregrine Falcon perched near the Hydro Dam just west of the Pie IX bridge. Everyone enjoyed seeing young cedar waxwings being fed by their parents, as well as a spotting of a Baltimore Oriole and some very close-up views of Black-crowned Night Herons.

Surprising in their absence were swallows and warblers of any species.We did finish the morning with a total of 32 species. Here they are.

Wood Duck, Am. Black Duck, Mallard, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Peregrine Falcon, Spotted Sandpiper, Ring-billed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Am. Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Am. Robin, Gray Catbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Baltimore Oriole, Am. Goldfinch, House Sparrow

Sheldon

Sightings for Wednesday July 22nd

Plaisance, Parc national de Plaisance at an observation pond, on Grande Presqu'île: American White Pelican (Pélican d'Amérique) - D. Collins

Summer Series - Trip #5 report for July 21st

Parc National de Plaisance in Plaisance, Quebec, north west of Montreal on the Ottawa River. Blue sky and sunshine throughout the day today for 11 birders on todays outting.

Following up on recent sightings posted at the welcome centre in the park, we hoped that we might come across a few rare species such as the Black-billed Cuckoo and the Sedge Wren, but neither were found today.

We did come up with an impressive list of 53 species though. This is a very impressive birding site. From the park's brochure we discovered that 65% of this park's total area is made up of wetlands and open water. Various habitats are available including marshes, open water, grasslands and forested trails. There is an extensive network of hiking trails and bicycle paths throughout. There are 7 designated observations points. 240 bird species have been recorded in this park, as well as more than 500 species of plants, 33 fishspecies, 13 species of amphibians and reptiles and 50% of all animal species found in Quebec.

Here is our list of 53 species seen today. Wood Duck, Am. Black Duck, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Pied-billedGrebe, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Am. Kestrel, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, E. Wood-Pewee, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Am. Crow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Am. Robin, Gray Catbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Am. Redstart, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Chipping Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Bobolink, Red-winged Blackbird,Eastern Meadowlark, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore Oriole, Am. Goldfinch

We had received reports of Wild Turkeys in the park in the last few weeks but we were unable to locate them today. It was a great day in a great place. A nice picnic lunch with thegroup added to the fun.

Thanks to all who participated.

Sheldon

Sightings for Wednesday July 18th

Pointe de Yamachiche: Snowy egret (aigrette neigeuse), 2 Caspian terns (sternes caspiennes), Greater & Lesser yellowlegs (Grand et Petit chevalier), Semi-palmated plover (pluvier semipalmé), Killdeer (kildir), Least & Semipalmated sandpiper (bécasseau minuscule et semipalmé), Spotted sandpipers (chevaliers grivelés), Great black-backed, Ring-billed, & Herring gulls (goélands marin, à bec cerclé, argenté), Bonaparte’s gulls (mouettes de Bonaparte), Comon mergansers (grand harle), DC cormorants (cormorans), Common loon (plongeon huard), Belted kingfisher (martin pêcheur), Bald eagle (Pygargues à tête blanche) - Jacques Gélinas

Sightings for Monday July 16th

Chateauguay, Ile St-Bernard

2 Wood Duck, 6 Mallard, 1 Pied-billed Grebe, 2 Double-crested Cormorant, 3
American Bittern, 4 Great Blue Heron, 14 Great Egret, 1 Green Heron, 7 Black-crowned Night-Heron, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Spotted Sandpiper, 1 Wilson's Snipe, 10, Ring-billed Gull, 6 Common Tern, 2 Black Tern, 4 Mourning Dove, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 3 Downy Woodpecker, 16
Northern Flicker, 3 Eastern Wood-Pewee, 23 Eastern Kingbird, 6 Warbling Vireo, 2 Red-eyed Vireo, 1 Blue Jay, 4 American Crow, 8 Tree Swallow, 6 Cliff Swallow, 5 Black-capped Chickadee,
11 White-breasted Nuthatch, 5 House Wren, 9 Marsh Wren, 1 Veery, 16 American Robin, 6 Gray Catbird, 25 European Starling, 1 Cedar Waxwing, 12 Yellow Warbler, 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler, 3 American Redstart, 14 Common Yellowthroat, 1 Chipping Sparrow, 30 Song Sparrow, 5 Swamp Sparrow, 4 Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 100 Red-winged Blackbird, 30 Common Grackle, 2 Brown-headed Cowbird, 8 Baltimore Oriole, 12 American Goldfinch, 4 House Sparrow

Summer Series - Trip #4 report July 14th

Superb weather conditions greeted a large turnout of 19 birders atthe Mount Royal Cemetery this morning. It did seem however that someof the birds may have taken off for summer vacation as we completedthe morning's outing with 30 species.

Although the species count was not large, the quality of birds wasvery good with excellent views of some of the highlight birds of the day including several Eastern Bluebirds, House Wrens, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, American Kestrel, and a flurry of activity from a group of Red-breasted Nuthatches.

We focused our attention predominantly on the Mount Murray andMountain view sections of the cemetery but we also crossed over into a section of the Cote-des-Neiges Cemetery which is incredibly overgrown due to the lock-out of staff there ongoing since May.

We had hoped to find a few of the numerous Indigo Buntings that have been seen recently on the grounds but had to settle for just one female seen early in the morning.Completely missing in action were warblers, of any kind. Not a single warbler seen throughout the almost 4-hour walk today. So, here is our species list for the day.

Great Blue Heron, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Killdeer, MourningDove, Chimney Swift, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker,Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Am. Crow, Tree Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Common Grackle, Am. Goldfinch.

Very nice to see some new faces, together with a few we haven't seen in quite some time, coming out for the trip this morning. Thanks to everyone who attended.

Sheldon

Ile St-Bernard, Tuesday July 10th

Tom and I spent a couple of hours going along the outer trail of Ile St-Bernard this morning. We saw/heard 50 species of birds plus 3 deer and a mink.

Highlights were:Bobolink, Brown Thrashers, Spotted Sandpiper, Belted Kingfisher, Rose-breasted grosbeaks, many juvenile Baltimore Orioles, Great blue heron, Great egret, Black-crowned night-heron, Common & Black terns, Woodpeckers - Flicker, Downy, Hairy & Sapsucker, Flycatchers - Pewee, Great-crested & Kingbird, Warbling & Red-eyed vireos, Tree, Cliff & Rough-winged swallows, House & Marsh wrens, Hermit thrush, Veery, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat

Sharon

Sightings for Saturday July 7th

Montreal, Parc de la pointe aux prairies: 46 species including: Indigo bunting (passerin indigo), Redhead (fuligule à tête rouge), Orchard oriole (oriole des vergers), Baltimore oriole (oriole de Baltimore), Peregrine falcon (faucon pèlerin), American bittern (butor d'Amérique) - Sylvie Vanier

Summer Series - Trip #3 Report

12 birders participated in today's field trip to "the back-side" of the St-Etienne marshes at St-Etienne-de-Beauharnois. The day began cool and grey with even a few sprinkles of rain. However things improved throughout the morning and we managed to get through to lunchtime with no rain and even some sunshine.

Even with this week's rain the back roads between the marshes and the Beauharnois Canal were in excellent shape adding to an all-around great day of birding.

It was really great to have Lance Laviolette as well as Peter and Ann Tarassoff along on this trip, excellent birders who we just don't see enough of on BPQ field trips. Some of the highlight species of the day included Blue-winged Teal (seen at the end of the trip from the dyke near the farmhouse), Redhead, Ruddy Duck, American Bittern, 5 species of swallows, Marsh Wren, Horned Lark and Bobolink. Our total species count for the day was 57. Here they are. Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Am. Wigeon, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Am. Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Northern Harrier, Common Moorhen, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Common Tern, Black Tern, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, E. Wood Pewee, Alder Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Am. Crow, Horned Lark, Tree Swallow, N. Rough-winged Swallow, Bank Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, House Wren, Marsh Wren, Veery, Am. Robin, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Chestnutsided Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Chipping Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Bobolink, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, Am. Goldfinch, House Sparrow.

Thanks to everyone who attended.

Sheldon

Summer Series - Trip #2 Report

9 birders enjoyed a lengthy walk along the Chambly Canal and the Richelieu River in Carignan, Quebec, a part of the Trans-Canada Trail network. It was a bright, sunny morning but actually a little cool for June 30th, but overall very pleasant.

No one other than myself had visited this region before. We all believed that this might make for an excellent birding spot during the migration period given the great selection of habitats several marshes, river front, grassy meadows and forested areas. A long gravel bicycle path winds through the site. As the morning progressed, the bike traffic became fairly heavy at times.

We completed the morning with a total of 33 species. In addition we had two fox sightings. The second sighting was the most exciting, as the fox headed along the path in front of us carrying a late breakfast...what appeared to be either a groundhog or muskrat that was almost as big at the fox himself! The "Bird of the Day", and a surprise to most of us, was a total of 6 Common Goldeneye spotted on the Richelieu River. Here is our complete species list for the day: Am. Black Duck, Mallard, Common Goldeneye, Double crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Killdeer, Ring-billedGull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker,Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, American Crow, Tree Swallow (largenumbers), Cliff Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, House Wren, American Robin, Gray Catbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore Oriole, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow.

Thank you to those who attended this morning.

Sheldon

Summer Series of Birding Field Trip #1 report

5 people turned out at Ile-Bizard this morning in the midst of alight rain shower. The rain let up and the sky eventually clearedmaking for a pleasant morning of birding with a total of 52 species including some excellent sightings.

We were also happy to assist two students from a university in La Pocatiere who were working on an aquatic bird survey as a part of their studies.

Some of the highlights of the day included several sightings of perhaps as many as four Least Bittern; numerous families of Virginia Rail and Common Moorhen; a Cooper's Hawk on the nest feeding at least three chicks, plus a second Cooper's carry food back and forth across the parking lot; several flocks of Cedar Waxwings and two Soras calling.

Here is our complete list of 52 species today: Wood Duck, Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, AmericanBittern, Least Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Virginia Rail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Spotted Sandpiper, Ring-billedGull, Black Tern, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Wood Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh Wren, American Robin, Gray Catbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Chipping Sparrow, SongSparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore Oriole, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow.

Thanks to everyone for a fun morning of birding.

Sheldon