Bird Protection Quebec's Field Trip Report for Saturday March 21st

Cap St Jacques Field Trip

Clear, calm weather greeted 13 birders at Cap St Jacques yesterday with temperautures climbimg from -9C to near the freezing point by the end of the outing.

The nice weather did not bring with it the expected number of birds. Perhaps the colder temperatures of the previous few days had put a slight "damper' on migration.

In any case, the group had a pleasant walk with good company and we managed to pick up 30 species including those seen along the route to the park. Birds of the day were a small group of common goldeneye performing courtship displays inbright sunlight. A close second would be the pair of pileated woodpeckers whose sighting became a "teachable" moment as we compared the extent of the red patterns on the male and female heads.

Our complete list of species includes:
20 Canada Goose Bernache du Canada
2 Wood Duck Canard branchu
2 Mallard Canard colvert
2 American Black Duck Canard noir
10 Common goldeneye Garrot à oeil d'or
Raptor sp - 1 (Too far for positive ID even as to family)
3 Killdeer Pluvier kildir
12 Ring-billed Gull Goéland à bec cerclé
1 Great Black-backed Gull Goéland marin
3 Hairy Woodpecker Pic chevelu
1 Downy Woodpecker Pic mineur
3 Pileated Woodpecker Grand Pic
2 Blue Jay Geai bleu
24 American Crow Corneille d'Amérique
12 Black-capped Chickadee Mésange à tête noire
6 White-breasted Nuthatch Sittelle à poitrine blanche
2 Brown Creeper Grimpereau brun
10 American Robin Merle d'Amérique
40 Common Starling Étourneau sansonnet
100 Bohemian Waxwing Jaseur boréal
50 Cedar Waxwing Jaseur d'Amérique
4 American Tree Sparrow Bruant hudsonien
3 Song Sparrow Bruant chanteur
1 Dark-eyed Junco Junco ardoisé
4 Northern Cardinal Cardinal rouge
30 Red-winged Blackbird Carouge à épaulettes
10 Common Grackle Quiscale bronzé
1 Brown-headed Cowbird Vacher à tête brune
3 Pine Siskin Tarin des pins
1 American Goldfinch Chardonneret jaune

Wayne