Summer Series of Birding 2010 - Trip #6 - Saturday, July 31

This Saturday we will be visiting an excellent birding area of the province for the first time ever in our Summer Series. We will visit the Lac St-Francois Reserve at Dundee, and the surrounding areas in the southwestern corner of the province close to the point where Quebec, Ontario and New York State
meet.

DATE: Saturday, July 31, 2010
TIME: 8 AM; Half-day (but feel free to bring along lunch)
MEETING PLACE: The Visitor Centre parking lot on Fraser Point Road at the Lac-St-Francois Nature Reserve in Dundee, Quebec. Calculate about 1 to 1.5 hours from Montreal to Dundee.

Driving Instructions: From Montreal, take the Mercier bridge on to Highway 138. Follow it through Châteauguay to Highway 132. Turn right on to Highway 132 and follow it to Beauharnois. In Beauharnois (before reaching the bridge and dam), turn left on Hwy 236 and follow it through St-Étienne-de-Beauharnois, St-Louis-de-Gonzague, and St-Stanislas-de-Kostka until it joins again with Hwy 132. Continue on Hwy 132 west through Ste-Barbe, St-Anicet and Cazaville. Continue approximately 8 km on Hwy 132 past Cazaville to chemin-de-le-Pointe-Fraser. Turn right on this road and meet at the visitor centre parking lot about 1 km along on the left.

NOTE: For those in West Island, for an optional route to avoid the Mercier Bridge, take Hwy 20 west to Exit 14 and cross over the river at Valleyfield on the Msgr. Langlois Bridge on to Hwy 201. Follow it to join up with Hwy 30 which then becomes Hwy 132 and continues west through to Dundee.

Itinerary: We will begin by walking the wooded areas, the marsh boardwalk and the observation tower from the welcome centre. We will also bird along the length of Fraser Point Road. We will then drive to the Great Egret Walk trail and explore it. From there we will stop at a few other excellent birding areas in the region including Gordon Road, a road known for its Sedge Wrens in the past.

Saturday looks to be a perfect weather day. If you need any further info, please contact me at 450-462-1459. On Saturday morning, you can reach me on the BPQ cellphone at 514-637-2141.

Sightings for Sunday July 25th

Quai de Rivière-Ouelle (dock): 6-8 am from the end of the dock: 30 Common loon, 15 Red-throated loon, 1 Northern gannet (adult in flight headed east) 45 Double-crested cormorants (in flight headed west), 10 Great blue heron, 1 black duck (in flight headed east), 2 Gadwall (in flight headed west), 15 Common eider (in flight both directions), 2 Surf scoter (in flight headed east), 1 Common goldeneye (in flight headed east), 1 Hooded merganser (in flight headed west), 1 Bonaparte’s gull, 12 Ring-billed gull, 35 Herring gull, 10 Great black-backed gull, 8 Razorbill (in flight headed west)


(6h-8h) au bout du quai: Plongeon huard 30, Plongeon catmarin 15, Fou de Bassan 1 (adulte en vol vers l'est), Cormoran à aigrettes 45 (en vol vers l'ouest), Grand Héron 10, Canard noir 1 (en vol vers l'est), Canard chipeau 2 (en vol vers l'ouest), Eider à duvet 15 (en vol dans les 2 directions), Macreuse à front blanc 2 (en vol vers l'est), Garrot à oeil d'or 1 (en vol vers l'est), Harle couronné 1 (en vol vers l'ouest), Mouette de Bonaparte 1, Goéland à bec cerclé 12, Goéland argenté 35, Goéland marin 10, Petit Pingouin 8 (en vol vers l'ouest) - Jean-François Rousseau

Bird Protection Quebec's "Summer Series 2010" - Trip #5 Report

9 birders took part in the most productive Summer Series field trip, species-wise, ever since beginning these summer outings way back in 2004! Overcast skies for most of the day helped in keeping the temperature and high humidity levels down, making for quite a pleasant morning and early afternoon in the low to mid-20s.

We departed from the Hudson Inn, south on Highway 201, heading for Fief Road in St-Lazare. This turned into an incredible productive stop as we quickly discovered a number of excellent species in the fields and wooded areas along the length of the road. We were particularly impressed with the 8 Indigo Buntings, juvenile Eastern Meadowlark and Bobolinks seen here. We next headed to Montee Ste-Angelique where we added a nice group of 8 Eastern Bluebirds to our list.

We then headed west along Chemin Ste-Marie/2e Rang, towards the Ontario border. We crossed into Ontario and then began heading north along Lemieux Road and La Grande Montee all the way to the Carillon Dam at Pointe-Fortune.

Certainly one of the highlights of the day was a stop at a recently cut field on La Grande Montee where we found a mixed group of adult and juvenile Horned Larks together with no less than a dozen Upland Sandpipers, including a flock of 7 in-flight across the field.

Other highlights of the day included an American Kestrel and a Merlin, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, a Purple Finch, a Winter Wren and a Brown Thrasher.

Our 66 species topped our previous Summer Series field trip high of 63 species seen on July 4, 2009 in Philipsburg/St-Armand. Thanks to Jane Atkinson for e-mailing after the trip to note that she spotted an Osprey just as she was leaving the Carillon Dam to top off the day.

So, here is our complete list. Thanks to all who joined in the fun.

Mallard 1, Pied-billed Grebe 1, Double-crested Cormorant 10, Great Blue Heron 1, Green Heron 1, Turkey Vulture 1, Osprey 1, Northern Harrier 1, Red-tailed Hawk 1, American Kestrel 1, Merlin 1, Killdeer 6, Spotted Sandpiper 4, Upland Sandpiper 12, Ring-billed Gull 150, Common Tern 13, Rock Piegon 30, Mourning Dove 25, Chimney Swift 1, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1, Belted Kingfisher 3, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3, Downy Woodpecker 1, Northern Flicker 6, Alder Flycatcher 6, Eastern Phoebe 1, Eastern Kingbird 12, Red-eyed Vireo 3, Blue Jay 6, American Crow 24, Horned Lark 8, Tree Swallow 100, Barn Swallow 15, Black-capped Chickadee 20, White-breasted Nuthatch 2, Brown Creeper 1, House Wren 3, Winter Wren 1, Eastern Bluebird 10, Veery 1, Wood Thrush 1, American Robin 24, Gray Catbird 2, Brown Thrasher 1, European Starling 200, Cedar Waxwing 25, Yellow Warbler 6, Chestnut-sided Warbler 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler 1, American Redstart 1, Common Yellowthroat 3, Scarlet Tanager 1, Chipping Sparrow 20, Savannah Sparrow 6, Song Sparrow 24, White-throated Sparrow 1, Northern Cardinal 2, Indigo Bunting 8, Bobolink 12, Red-winged Blackbird 70, Eastern Meadowlark 2, Common Grackle 35, Baltimore Oriole 3, Purple Finch 1, American Goldfinch 75, House Sparrow 6 - Sheldon

Sightings for Thursday July 22nd

Montréal: Three Great egrets (Grand aigrette) with a Great blue heron (Grand Héron) on the Montréal side of Jean Drapeau parc, just past the giant metal teepee structure on the St-laurent river beneath the bridge. - Amanda Collins

Quai de Rivière-Ouelle (dock): 7-9 am stationary at the end of the dock: 1 Common loon, 5 Red-throated loon, 260 Double-crested cormorants, 12 Great blue heron, 2 Mallard, 45 Common eider, 2 Surf scoter, 1 Merlin, 5 Spotted sandpiper, 14 Ring-billed gull, 3 Herring gull, 12 Great black-backed gull, 1 Caspian tern, 20 Razorbill (2 groups in flight headed west)

(7h-9h) d'observation en stationnaire au bout du quai: Plongeon huard...1, Plongeon catmarin...5, Cormoran à aigrettes...260, Grand Héron...12, Canard colvert...2, Eider à duvet ...45, Macreuse à front blanc...2, Faucon émerillon...1, Chevalier grivelé...5, Goéland à bec cerclé...14, Goéland argenté...3, Goéland marin...12, Sterne caspienne...1, Petit Pingouin...20, (En 2 groupes, en vol vers l'ouest) - Jean-François Rousseau

Summer Series of Birding 2010 - Trip #5 - Saturday, July 24

Our fifth field trip in the "Summer Series of Birding 2010" will take place Saturday, July 24 covering sections of St-Lazare, Ste-Marthe & Ste-Justine de Newton, then heading across the Quebec/Ontario border. We then head north towards Pointe Fortune. This will be a half-day trip, mostly driving, with several stops along the route. This is a trip which we did way back in July 2006, turning up 51 species.

DATE: Saturday, July 24
TIME: 8:00 AM - A Half-day outing
MEETING PLACE: Hudson Inn parking lot at Exit 17 off of Highway 40.

DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS TO MEETING SPOT: Take the Trans-Canada Highway 40
(direction Ottawa) to Exit 17 - Highway 201 Montee Lavigne / Hudson. Meet in the parking area outside the Hudson Inn complex. We should attempt to carpool from this location.

ITINERARY: From the Hudson Inn, we will drive south on Highway 201 into St-Lazare checking out Montee Ste-Angelique and ch. de Fief, looking for various species of field and grassland birds, etc. We then head west towards the Quebec/Ontario border along ch. Ste-Marie, into Ontario to Lemieux Road & La Grande Montee Road. Here we will be again be looking for grassland birds, including Upland Sandpipers, Bobolinks, Meadowlarks, etc. seen here in the past. We will continue north on La Grande Montee to Pointe Fortune and visit the
Carillon Dam where various gulls and shorebirds are often seen.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 450-462-1459. You may reach me by cellphone at 514-637-2141 on Saturday morning. Those who wish to can bring along a lunch, but we hope to wrap up the trip within the half-day period, but we all know what can happen when the birds co-operate!! - Sheldon
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Sightings for Wednesday July 21st
barrage Ste Martine (dam): Great egret, Mallards, Common tern, Canada goose, Greater yellowlegs, Lesser yellowlegs, Least sandpiper, Spotted sandpiper, Killdeer, Swallows - tree & barn

grande aigrette, canards colvert, sterne pierregarin, bernache du canada, grand chevalier, petit chevalier, becasseau minuscule 6-7, chevalier grivele 15, pluvier kildir, Hirondelles - bicolore & rustique - DaniellePaquette

Sightings for Monday July 19th

Montréal: again tonight, again around 8 pm, 3 Common Nighthawks hunted insects above Lafontaine Park. They were accompanied by 8 Chimney Swifts who were doing the same.

Encore ce soir, vers 20h00 de nouveau, 3 Engoulevents d'Amérique chassaient les insectes au-dessus du Parc Lafontaine. Toutefois, ils étaient accompagnés par 8 Martinets ramoneurs qui faisaient de même. - Patrick Laniel

Bird Protection Quebec's "Summer Series" 2010 - Trip #4 Report

It was a hot one, but we managed to get the trip in well before the skies opened up for the late afternoon rain. 11 birders, including a visitor from Trois-Rivieres, Robert Huxley, participated in a trip along the eastern shore of the Richelieu River, taking us through the communities of St. Jean, Sabrevois, Henrysburg and Noyan. Periodic cloudy periods, the occasional cooling breeze, and a welcomed rest-stop in an air-conditioned depanneur contributed to a fun day of birding with a total of 50 species. Here is our list.

Canada Goose - 1, Wood Duck - 2, Mallard - 1, Double Crested Cormorant - 3, Great Blue Heron - 8, Black-crowned Night Heron - 1, Turkey Vulture - 6, Osprey - 2, Northern Harrier - 1, Killdeer- 2, Solitary Sandpiper- 1, Spotted Sandpiper - 1, Wilson's Snipe - 1, Ring-billed Gull - 24, Common Tern - 2, Rock Pigeon - 20, Mourning Dove - 20, Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 2, Belted Kingfisher - 2, Downy Woodpecker - 2, Northern Flicker - 8, Eastern Wood Pewee - 2, Willow Flycatcher - 2, Eastern Phoebe - 2, Great Crested Flycatcher - 2, Eastern Kingbird - 1, Warbling Vireo - 2, Red-eyed Vireo - 2, Blue Jay - 3, American Crow - 12, Tree Swallow - 40, Bank Swallow - 1, Cliff Swallow - 15 Barn Swallow - 50 , Black-capped Chickadee - 6, House Wren - 1, Marsh Wren - 6, American Robin - 6, European Starling - 100, Cedar Waxwing - 10, Yellow Warbler - 3, Common Yellowthroat - 1, Chipping Sparrow - 2, Song Sparrow - 12, Swamp Sparrow - 20, Northern Cardinal - 1, Red-winged Blackbird - 15, Common Grackle - 12, American Goldfinch - 24, House Sparrow - 10 - Sheldon

Sightings for Friday July 16th

Vaudreuil, Chemin de l'Anse: 5 Short-billed Dowitchers (Bécassin roux) feeding opposite Parc Leclerc where the storm water drain flows into the lake. Nice breeding plumage on all and surprised to see so many together.

Stilt Sandpiper (Bécasseau à échasses) is in its usual spot and was feeding with Lesser Yellowlegs (Petit chevalier). A few Least Sandpipers (Bécasseau minuscule) around as well. - A. Plimer

Summer Series of Birding 2010 - Trip #4 - Saturday, July 17

This Saturday we will return to a region that produced two of our most popular and successful summer trips in the past, with 55 species in 2008 and 61 species in 2007. We will follow the eastern shore of the Richelieu River, south of Iberville, through the towns of Sabrevois, Henryville and Noyan. This will be a full day outing exploring a combination of forest, marshland and waterfront habitats. Saturday's weather forecast calls for 27 degrees and sunny.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 17, 2010
TIME: 8:00 AM – Full day; a driving trip with several stops.
MEETING PLACE: Zellers parking lot, Place Portobello, Taschereau Blvd. in Brossard

DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS TO MEETING PLACE: From Montreal, take the Champlain Bridge
to Exit 8 - Taschereau Blvd. Turn right on Taschereau Blvd. The parking lot will be immediately on your right. Take the first entrance into the parking lot and turn right. Please try to be prompt as we would like to depart on time. Carpooling is highly recommended. Cars may be left in the parking lot for the day.

ITINERARY: From Brossard, we will take the Eastern Townships Autoroute to Exit 22, following Highway 35 across the Richelieu River to Route 133. You may recognize this as the route towards Philipsburg. Our first stop will be in the town of Sabrevois, exploring 11th, 21st, 26th avenues, etc. We will then continue on to the Henryville Marsh, rang Melaven, and rang des Cotes. These are all very well known, productive birding areas. We then continue on to Noyan, crossing back over the Richelieu to Lacolle where we join up with Highway 15 for
the return trip to Montreal.

Please bring along a lunch. We will choose a suitable spot of a lunch break, plus include occasional bathroom breaks throughout the trip. If you have portable, two-way radios, please bring them along. I will have several radios to share with those who do not have them.

If you have any question, please feel free to contact me by e-mail, or by telephone at 450-462-1459. If you need to reach us on Saturday morning, please call the BPQ cellphone, 514-637-2141. Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday. - Sheldon

Sightings for Tuesday July 13th

Dunham, 3034 rang St-Joseph: Clay-coloured sparrow (Bruant des plaines) - Claude Lalande

Sightings for Saturday July 10th

Johnville: Clay-coloured sparrow is aways present in the pine plantation at the corner of Chemins Johnston & Simard

Bruant des plaines est toujours présent dans la plantation de sapins au coin des Chemins Johnston et Simard - Gisèle Gilbert
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Vaudreuil, chemin de l'Anse: at little bit east of #238 - Marbled godwit, Short-billed dowitcher, Stilt sandpiper, Lesser yellowlegs, Killdeer, Least sandpipers, Great blue heron, Common terns, Ring-billed gulls, a young Great black-backed gull, Canada geese

en peu à l'est du numéro civique 238 - Barge marbrée, Bécassin roux, Bécasseau à échasses, Petit Chevaliers, Pluviers kildirs, Bécasseaux minuscules, Grand Héron, Sternes pierregarins, Goélands à bec cerclé, un jeune Goéland marin, Bernaches du Canada - Michel Betrand

Bird Protection Quebec's "Summer Series" 2010 - Trip #3 Report

Mission accomplished! Today's trip started out on ch. de l'Anse in Vaudreuil along the western shore of Lac Deux Montagnes looking in particular for the Marbled Godwit and the Stilt Sandpiper, both which had been observed by several birders earlier in the week.

Jean and Clemence, Felix and Gillian were already on-site when the rest of us arrived and had succeeded in locating the two birds. These two species were lifers for several people on the trip. Throw in a fly-by by a couple of Caspian Terns, and our visit became a very productive one.

Cloud cover helped to keep the temperature down in the early morning although we could feel the humidity and heat starting to build.

Once exhausting the possibilities in Vaudreuil, the group decided to continue on to St-Lazare to visit one of Mark Dennis' favourite birding spots, the sandpits.

In total, 13 birders participated in today's trip, ending up with a total of 43 species. Our apologies to Jim and Nicole who we somehow managed to get separated from between Vaudreuil and St-Lazare. We're confident you made it back safely!!

So here is our total species list for the day. Thanks to all for your eyes and ears! - Sheldon

Canada Goose 10, Wood Duck 5, American Black Duck 3, Mallard 24, Green-winged Teal 8, Pied-billed Grebe 1, Great Blue Heron 4, Green Heron 3, Killdeer 20, Greater Yellowlegs 2, Lesser Yellowlegs 4, Spotted Sandpiper 4, Marbled Godwit 1, Least Sandpiper 12, Stilt Sandpiper 1, Ring-billed Gull 100, Caspian Tern 2, Common Tern 6, Rock Pigeon 2, Mourning Dove 4, Belted Kingfisher 1, Downy Woodpecker 2, Least Flycatcher 1, Eastern Phoebe 1, Eastern Kingbird 5, Blue Jay 2, American Crow 6, Tree Swallow 4, Barn Swallow 1, Black-capped Chickadee 8, White-breasted Nuthatch 1, American Robin 6 , European Starling 12, Cedar Waxwing 8, Yellow Warbler 1, Chipping Sparrow 30, Song Sparrow 4, Northern Cardinal 2, Red-winged Blackbird 8, Common Grackle 15, Brown-headed Cowbird 1, American Goldfinch 24, House Sparrow 2

Sightings for Friday July 9th

Dorval, Valois Bay: Great Egret & a Canada Gooose with goslings - Shirley Taylor & Neill Graham - click photos to enlarge


Vaudreuil: At 11:30 a.m. the Marbled Godwit (Barge Marbré) had been joined by a Stilt Sandpiper (Bécasseau à échasses) still in mostly breeding plumage - heavily barred below with a touch of chestnut behind the eyes. Not sure I have ever seen one in this plumage before as I think most of our sightings in this area are of birds later in the summer or fall - W. Grubert

Summer Series of Birding 2010 - Trip #3 - Saturday, July 10, 2010

Some of you may have noticed the postings by Mark Dennis and Felix Hilton this week indicating that a Marbled Godwit has appeared along ch. de l'Anse in Vaudreuil, along the western shore of Lake of Two Mountains.

As a result, this Saturday, July 10 at 8 AM we will visit this area. The water levels continue to be low in the Montreal region. In past years, this stretch of road heading north from Highway 40 up to the Vaudreuil/Hudson boundary has been an interesting spot, particularly when the water level is low when long stretches of sand and rocks are exposed. In addition to the Godwit seen this week, other shorebirds have been noted as well.

LOCATION: ch. de l'Anse, Vaudreuil
DATE: Saturday, July 10, 2010
TIME: 8 AM - Half day trip
MEETING SPOT: Passion Jardin Garden Centre, 999 av. St. Charles, Vaudreuil, QC

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: From anywhere on the island of Montreal, take Highway 40 west. Cross the Ile aux Tourtes Bridge and take Exit 35. Follow the exit until you reach av. St. Charles. Turn RIGHT on St. Charles. Our meeting point will be at the parking of a garden centre, "PASSION JARDIN" on your right at 999 St. Charles, just near the intersection with ch. Dumberry. From that meeting point, we will drive to ch. de l'Anse. Parking along the road is next to impossible in most spots, but there is a small public parking lot where we can leave our cars
and then walk along the road. There are various access points leading down to the waterfront.

SITE DESCRIPTION: ch de l'Anse runs parallel to the western shore of Lac des Deux Montagnes, overlooking the water from a sutstantial height. The road is fairly narrow, and often busy, so we will need to pay close attention as we walk along. There is one small side road off ch. de l'Anse, rue St-Denis, about halfway between the southern end of ch de l'Anse and the Hudson boundary. After exploring part of the road, we can then drive to rue St-Denis, park and explore
again from that point.

NOTE: There are no washroom or restaurant/service station facilities along the road. Scopes are recommended for viewing out on to the lake and along the shoreline.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 450-462-1459.
On Saturday morning you may reach me on the BPQ cellphone at 514-637-2141.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday.

Sheldon Harvey

Sightings for Thursday July 8th

Verdun: Adult Bald eagle flew over the Bell Canada campus on Île-Des-Soeurs at 8:50

un Pygargue à tête blanche adulte vient tout juste de survoler le Campus de Bell Canada sur l'Île-Des-Soeurs 08h50 - Norman Auger
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Mont St-Hilaire, 937 Chemin de la montagne: Clay-coloured sparrow this morning around 10:45 in the orchard, in front of the boutique La Vieille Cave. There is a small parking lot in front of the shop, but it takes good ears to hear because there is a lot of traffic. The bird was on both sides of the road but was mostly in the orchard.

Bruant des plaines ce matin vers 10h45 dans le verger situé devant la boutique La Vieille Cave. Il y a un petit stationnement en face de la boutique. Ça prend de bonnes oreilles pour l'entendre car il y a beaucoup de circulation. L'oiseau se promenait des 2 côtés de la route mais se tenait la plupart du temps dans le verger - Charles Ménard
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Godmanchester, Chemin Biggar: Yellow-billed cuckoo, Eastern towhee, Field sparrow and Brown thrasher

Coulicou à bec jaune, Tohis à flancs roux, Bruant des champs et Moqueur roux.

Rockburn, chemin Gowan: Another Yellow-billed cuckoo. I saw and heard the cuckoo 150m east of the civic number 2213. It was perched high in the leaves north of chemin Gowan between two large stands of pine white and a little planting of corn. He flew into the wooded
hardwood end of the field south of the road.

Paruline des pins. un autre Coulicou à bec jaune. J'ai vu et entendu le coulicou grogner 150m à l'est du numéro civique 2213. Il était perché haut dans les feuillus situés au nord du chemin Gowan entre les 2 gros peuplements de Pins blancs et une petite plantation de maïs. Il s'est envolé dans le boisé de feuillus au bout du champ situé au sud de la route - Dominique Lavoie

Sightings for Wednesday July 7th

Vaudreuil: Marbled Godwit present this morning around 11:30 across from 258 chemin de l'Anse

Barge Marbré était toujours présente ce matin vers 11h30 en face du 258 chemin de l'Anse - Charles Ménard

Sightings for Tuesday July 6th

Vaudreuil: Marbled Godwit on the Chemin de l'anse, halfway down where they launch the ice fishing huts

Barge marbrée à mi-chemin avec la rampe du kiosque pour la pêche sur glace - Mark Dennis
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Les Escoumins, 94 rue St-Marcellin Ouest: Northern Mockingnird perched at the top of a dead tree

Moqueur Polyglotte pose sur le sommet d'un gros arbre mort. - Leah den Besten
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Lake Memphramagog: On the east shoreline opposite Île Longue we had a good view of a
Great Blue Heron (Grand Héron) flying to and from nest in the tree tops. The female stayed in the tree. Two Common loons (Plongeon haurd) alongside same island and 1 female Mallard (Canard colvert) brought her 3 young to the rock were were picnicking.

On June 27th - An American Bittern (Butor d'Amérique) landed at our pond and we witnessed him catching and eating one of our frogs. He has since returned 2 more times - Jeannie Bird

Bird Protection Quebec's "Summer Series" 2010 - Trip #2 Report

15 birders, including a few first-timers, participated in Saturday morning's field trip to Parc de la Frayere in Boucherville on a simply perfect morning. The temperature was very pleasant, with a nice breeze helping to keep down the mosquito population. Clear, sunny conditions topped everything off as we were able to observe a total of 48 species.

Everyone was particularly impressed with the location which offers such a wide variety of habitats in such a small area, with newly installed observation decks on the marsh, well defined trails and excellent waterfront views. Newly installed washroom facilities are also a welcome addition to the site!

Bird-wise, the abundance of Black-crowned Night Herons on the small marsh was most impressive. Here is our complete bird list for the day - Sheldon


Canada Goose - 50
Wood Duck - 5
Gadwall - 13
Mallard - 6
Pied-billed Grebe - 8
Double-crested Cormorant - 20
Great Blue Heron - 8
Great Egret - 1
Black-crowned Night Heron - 17
Am. Kestrel - 1
Common Moorhen - 4
Spotted Sandpiper - 3
Ring-billed Gull - 50
Greater Black-backed Gull - 1
Common Tern - 4
Rock Pigeon -1
Mourning Dove - 1
Belted Kingfisher - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 4
Northern Flicker - 4
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 3
Least Flycatcher - 1
Eastern Phoebe - 3
Great Crested Flycatcher - 2
Eastern Kingbird - 2
Blue-headed Vireo - 1
Warbling Vireo - 6
Red-eyed Vireo - 2
Am. Crow - 3
Tree Swallow - 5
Black-capped Chickadee - 4
Am. Robin - 15
Gray Catbird - 2
European Starling - 6
Cedar Waxwing - 5
Nashville Warbler - 1
Yellow Warbler - 20
Am. Redstart - 2
Common Yellowthroat - 10
Chipping Sparrow - 1
Song Sparrow - 8
Swamp Sparrow - 1
Red-winged Blackbird - 24
Common Grackle - 6
Brown-headed Cowbird - 12
Baltimore Oriole - 3
Am. Goldfinch - 20
House Sparrow - 8

Sightings for Saturday July 3rd

mont Saint-Hilaire summit: 5 Turkey Vultures Soared to at least 1500 ft (300 ft min higher than mont Saint-Hilaire. Coordinates: 45 ° 33 '37 "North 73 ° 09' 57" West

Au sommet du mont Saint-Hilaire: 5 Urubu à tête rouge Planaient à au moins 1500 pi (min de 300 pi plus haut que le mont Saint-Hilaire. Coordonées: 45° 33′ 37″ Nord 73° 09′ 57″ Ouest - Louis-Philippe Durocher
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Laval: Peregrine falcon perched on the bridge over the Rivière des Prairies on the A-15
Faucon pèlerin est perché sur le pont surplombant la Rivière-des-Prairies sur l'A-15

St-Donat, Montagne Noire: Once there, the birds are already singing getting out of the car, the day will be fruitful. 39 species in total including 16 breeding possible, 13 breeding probable and 10 confirmed breeding. Most breeding likely have been classified by the (code M), but also a code P (couple) and an A (adult agitated). For confirmed breeding, juveniles were observed for 8 species (Code JE), and an adult carrying the food for two others (code TA).

The most abundant species, the Swainson's thrush with 36 indivduals! Next was the
Red-eye Vireo 24, Black-throated Green Warbler 22, Magnolia Warbler 18,
Black-throated blue warbler 16, Winter Wren and White-throated Sparrow 15, Nashville warbler 14, Dark-eyed Junco 13.

The nice surprise, Common Goldeneye, Hooded merganser with young and a pair of Ring-necked ducks

And two endangered species: a young and a female carrying food and 2 singing male Canada Warblers

The other endangered species, the Bicknell's Thrush. It called when I reached the summit at 11.15; I then got the camera to take some pictures (not extraordinary quality) but good enough quality to for identification. Click Photos to enlarge

Une fois sur place, les oiseaux chantent déjà en sortant de l'auto, la journée
sera fructueuse, soit 39 espèces au total dont 16 nicheuses possibles, 13 nicheuses probables et 10 nicheuses confirmés. La plupart des nicheuses probables ont été qualifiés par le nombre (code M), mais aussi un code P (couple présent) et un code A (adulte agité). Pour les nicheuses confirmées des jeunes ont été observés pour 8 espèces (code JE), un adulte transportant de la
nourriture pour 2 autres (code AT).

L'espèce la plus abondante, la Grive à dos olive avec 36 individus! Suivent le
Viréo yeux rouges 24, Paruline gorge noire 22, Paruline à tête cendrée 18,
Paruline bleue 16, Troglodyte mignon et Bruant à gorge blanche 15, Paruline à
joues grises 14 et Junco ardoisé 13

Les belles surprises, le Garrot à oeil d'or, le Harle couronnée avec des jeunes
et un couple de Fuligule à collier.

Et 2 espèces menacées : un jeune et une femelle transportant de la nourriture
et 2 mâles chanteurs de la Paruline du Canada.

L'autre espèce menacée, la Grive de Bicknell. J'ai alors sorti la caméra et pu en prendre quelques clichés (pas de qualité extraordinaire) d'assez bonne qualité pour en faire l'identification. Pour agrandir cliquez les photos - Richard Guillet

Sightings for Thursday July 1st

Seen from the shore of Lake Memphremagog about 4 km north of Georgeville. Bellieved to be nesting on Ile Lord. I am fairly sure they are Red-Breasted Mergansers (Harle Huppé) - Olaf Knutson
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Sightings for Wednesday June 30th
Parc Nature de l’île Bizard : Black Tern nest with three eggs (male and female exchange brooding). The hatchings are expected in the coming days. Small Virginia Rail (all black) with adults. Green Heron Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird (male and female at the nest) feeding the young. Juvenile Moorhen, Gray Catbird seen in the parking lot.

Guifette noir au nid avec trois œufs(mâle et femelle relais la couvaison).L’éclosion devrait avoir lieu dans les prochains jours. Petit râle de virginie (tout noir) avec les adultes. Héron vert Grand pic Tyran tritri (mâle et femelle au nid ) nourrissant les petits. Poule d’eau juvénile Moqueur chat vu dans le stationnement. - Michel Paquin
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Pointe de Yamachiche: 4 Caspian terns, 2 Lesser yellowlegs, 3 Black bellied plovers and many Killdeer and Spotted sandpiper

4 Sternes caspiennes, 2 petites chevaliers, 3 pluviers argentés et plusieurs pluviers kildir et Chevaliers grivelés - Jacques Gelinas

Summer Series of Birding 2010 - Trip #2 - Saturday, July 3

This Saturday, July 3 at 8 AM we will be returning to the spot where the very first Summer Series of Birding trip was held back in June 2004. We'll head to the South Shore to visit Parc de la Frayere (MAP) in Boucherville. This is a Ducks Unlimited site, with an excellent variety of birds and habitats.

LOCATION: Parc de la Frayere, boul. Marie-Victorin, Boucherville (FREE PARKING)
DATE: Saturday, July 3, 2010
TIME: 8 AM - Half day trip

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: The site is a little less than 30 minutes from the South Shore side of the Champlain Bridge. From Montreal, take the Champlain Bridge, to the first exit (Exit 6) off the bridge. Follow Highway 20/Highway 132 EAST, heading towards
Varennes/Longueuil). Continue east on Highway 20/132. Note that Highway 20 and 132 split at Exit 15 for Quebec City/Hippolyte-Lafontaine Tunnel. Stay to the left at this exit, continuing east on Highway 132. Continue past the exits for de Montarville, de Montbrun and chemin du General Vanier. The next traffic lights will be at Boul. de la Marine/Boul. Lionel Boulet (Highway 229). Turn left at the traffic lights on to Boul. de la Marine, heading north towards the waterfront. Continue north, cross the railway tracks and turn left at the traffic lights at the corner of boul. Marie Victorin. Continue on boul. Marie Victorin, past the massive hydro pylons. You will see an entrance road into the parking lot for the Parc de la
Frayere on your right. There is a large Ducks Unlimited sign at the entrance to the parking, but a little difficult to see from the road.

SITE DESCRIPTION: There are five distinct habitats at this one location, all within very easy walking distance: open water, shoreline, a marsh, open fields, and wooded trails with small streams and ponds. All paths and trails are easily accessible.

Washroom facilities and picnic tables available on-site. Insect repellent is recommended. Spotting scopes will be very helpful, particularly on the waterfront.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 450-462-1459. On Saturday morning you may reach me on the BPQ cellphone at 514-637-2141.

Sheldon Harvey