Bird Protection Quebec's Field Trip Report

The only downside to yesterday's outing to Reservoir Beaudet in Victoriaville and les Etangs Burbank in Danville was the inaccurate weather forecast for the day. The forecast called for mainly sunny with a few cloudy periods. The weather people seemed to have things reversed with predominantly cloudy skies with the very occasional sunny period. That however did not put a dent in the birding experience.

23 people turned out for the day that got underway a little before noon at Victoriaville. As we approached the outskirts of Victoriaville the sky was filled with the arrival of thousands and thousands of Snow Geese descending towards the surface of the water at the reservoir. The parking lot was filled with locals and visitors spending the late morning and early afternoon experiencing the semi-annual event.

Snow Geese far outnumbered any other species on the reservoir as they covered probably two-thirds of the complete water surface. Several duck species and gulls could be seen but generally far across the water opposite our observation point.

However, our first "celebrity" bird of the day appeared a mere 50 feet or so in front of us. A lone Cackling Goose easily stood out amongst the Snow Geese providing all of us with excellent opportunities to take in what was a lifer for the majority of us. Later in the day, at least two others were spotted at Victoriaville, and quite possibly another two at Danville, although they were extremely distant from our observation point.

Les Etangs Burbank in Danville certainly did not disappoint either. We spent from mid-afternoon until well after sunset taking in the additional thousands and thousands of Snow Geese. This location also provided a few other highlights. First off, a lone American Coot swam and dove just a few feet off the end of one of the numerous observation decks around the site. Good sized groups of Hooded and Common Mergansers filled some of the open water spots not fully occupied by Snow Geese.

Towards the end of the afternoon, from the observation tower, Nick Acheson has spotted a Ross's Goose, but as our group was spread out throughout the site the majority of the people did not get a chance to see this bird. But as we gathered at the end of the afternoon at the main belevedere in the park to watch the sunset arrival of additional Snow Geese, persistent scanning of the thousands of geese paid off as one of our group from McGill spotted a sole Ross's Goose swimming slightly away from the masses, in close proximity to us, providing excellent views with binoculars and scopes, as well as a great photoopportunity. The majority of our group had landed their second lifer of the day!

Our species count for the day just about matched our birder count, but the quantity of birds was overwhelming. Here is our species list of 24, with very much estimated numbers on many of the species.

Snow Goose - 100,000 plus, Ross's Goose - 2, Cackling Goose - 3 (confirmed) + 2 tentative, Gadwall - 1, American Wigeon - 1, Mallard - 24, Ring-necked Duck - 10, Scaup sp. - 1, Common Goldeneye - 24, Hooded Merganser - 80, Common Merganser - 50, Red-breasted Merganser - 1, Ruddy Duck - 2, American Coot - 1, Ring-billed Gull - 24, Herring Gull - 2, Great Black-backed Gull - 1, Rock Pigeon - 50, Blue Jay - 6, Am. Crow - 12, Black-capped Chickadee - 4, European Starling - 30, American Tree Sparrow, 3, Fox Sparrow -1

Oie des neiges - 100.000 plus, l'oie de Ross - 2, Bernache de Hutchins - 3 (confirmé) + 2 provisoire, le canard chipeau - 1, Canard d'Amérique - 1, Canard colvert - 24, Fuligule à collier - 10, esp. Fuligule. - 1, Garrot - 24, Harle couronné - 80, Grand Harle - 50, Harle huppé - 1, érismature rousse - 2, Foulque d'Amérique - 1, Goéland à bec cerclé - 24, Goéland argenté - 2, Goéland marin - 1, Pigeon biset - 50, Geai bleu - 6, Corneille d'Amérique - 12, Mésange à tête noire - 4, Étourneau sansonnet - 30, Bruant Hudsonien, 3, Bruant fauve-1


The trip ended with a spectacular view of what the locals at Danville call the Ghost Geese. Across the ponds towards the town of Asbestos, a long line of illumanated greenhouses provide an interesting backdrop from the observation deck. After sunset, a patch of the sky is illuminated by these lights. As arriving Snow Geese pass through this patch, their white bodies are lit up like ghostly images drifting across the sky. This certainly put an exciting and rewarding end to a great day of birding.

Thank you to everyone who made the voyage and contributed to memorable day. - Sheldon Harvey