Sightings for Wednesday February 27

The trails at boisé Ste-Dorothée: After seeing a Pileated woodpecker and many typical birds at many well maintained feeders, we were stopped by Stéphane Tremblay, who had discovered an Owl. Indeed, without his kind intervention, we would never have seen the bird!

What a nice surprise waiting for us! He found a beautiful Boreal Owl (PHOTO) very well hidden in a spruce!
Des sentiers au boisé Ste-Dorothée Après avoir vu un Grand-pic et plusieurs oiseaux typiques aux nombreuses mangeoires très bien entretenues, nous avons été interpellé par M. Stéphane Tremblay qui avait découvert une Nyctale. D'ailleurs, sans son aimable intervention, nous n'aurions jamais vu l'oiseau!

Quelle belle surprise nous attendait! Il avait trouvé une superbe Nyctale de Tengmalm (PHOTO) très bien cachée dans une épinette! - Claude Gagnon et Doris Guimond

Bird Protectection Quebec "Field Trip"

Saturday, March 2 - samedi 2 mars
Montreal Botanical Garden - Jardin Botanique de Montréal
Leader: David Mulholland 514-630-6082  e-mail

8:00 a.m. Meet in front of the restaurant, near the entrance on Sherbrooke St. East. There is a charge for parking inside the gates. Looking for winter finches and early migrants. Half day.
  8h00 Rassemblement devant le restaurant, près de l'entrée du jardin botanique située sur la rue Sherbrooke Est. Des frais sont exigés pour le stationnement situé dans le jardin botanique. Espèces recherchées : oiseaux d'hiver et migrateurs hâtifs. Demi- journée.

Sightings for Sunday February 24

Montréal: Angrignon Park this morning (10am - 11am). There are feeders on the west side I visit with a bit of hope every winter, but never find anything. But this morning, there was a Carolina wren. A nice little surprise among the Dark-eyed Juncos, Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted nuthatches and Downy woodpeckers. Surprisingly, no House sparrow

parc Angrignon ce matin (10h - 11h). Il y a des mangeoires du côté ouest que je visite avec un peu d’espoir chaque hiver, mais sans jamais rien y trouver. Mais ce matin, il y avait un Troglodyte de Caroline. Une belle petite surprise parmi les Juncos ardoisés, Mésanges à tête noire, Pic mineurs et Sittelles à poitrine blanche. Étonnamment, aucun moineau - Diane Demers
-------------------------------------------------------------------
St-Bruno, Parc du Mont St-Bruno: Barred owl (Chouette rayée) - Richard Guillet

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip" February 23

Lachute & Grenville area

We were 3, birding in the snow and the wind, but all in all enjoyed a beautiful winter morning in the northern area of Montreal and got a few good birds. Unfortunately, snow and rather strong winds did not allow us to find the great grey owl that was spotted close to Lachute yesterday as well as to fully enjoy the diversity of gulls surrounding the Saint-Colomban dump.

All in all, we spotted 23 species, to which we can add 1 Rough-legged hawk (Buse pattue) on the way in this morning as well as 2 Snowy owls (Harfangs des neiges) perched on polls along highway 50 on the way back to Montreal! - Frederic

23 species:  Bald Eagle 1, Red-tailed Hawk 1, Herring Gull 2, Glaucous Gull 2, Great Black-backed Gull 30, Rock Pigeon 20, Mourning Dove 19, Downy Woodpecker 5, Hairy Woodpecker 8, Blue Jay 28, American Crow 23, Common Raven 7, Black-capped Chickadee 70, Red-breasted Nuthatch 2, White-breasted Nuthatch 1, European Starling 20, American Tree Sparrow 6, Dark-eyed Junco 8, Northern Cardinal 1, Common Redpoll 16, Hoary Redpoll 1, Evening Grosbeak 4, House Sparrow 2

23 espèces: Pygargue à tête blanche 1, Buse à queue rousse 1, Goéland argenté 2, Goéland bourgmestre 2, Goéland marin 30, Pigeon biset 20, Tourterelle triste 19, Pic mineur 5, Pic chevelu 8, Geai bleu 28, Corneille d'Amérique 23, Grand Corbeau 7, Mésange à tête noire 70, Sittelle à poitrine rousse 2, Sittelle à poitrine blanche 1, Étourneau sansonnet 20, Bruant hudsonien 6, Junco ardoise 8, Cardinal rouge 1, Sizerin flammé 16, Sizerin blanchâtre 1 , Gros-bec errant 4, Moineau domestique 2

Sightings for Saturday February 23

Ste-Foy: Northern Hawk Owl in the fields west of the route Jean-Gauvin was seen again today this morning.

Chouette épervière dans les champs à l'ouest de la route Jean-Gauvin a été à nouveau observée aujourd'hui, en avant-midi. - Diane Labarre
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Quebec: forêt Montmorency (Pavillon d'accueil : rte 175, km 103) a one male Spruce Grouse flew the top of the mountain in the snowfields on the east side. 4 Canada jays on the east side at Stop # 5.

At the feeder, several Pine Grosbeak and Common Redpolls. On the trail, Red-breasted nuthatch and Black-capped and Boreal Chickadees.
forêt Montmorency (Pavillon d'accueil : rte 175, km 103) un Tétras du Canada mâle s'envola en haut de la montagne du champs de neige côté est et 4 Mésangeais du Canada du coté est à la Halte #5.

Au mangeoire, plusieurs Durbec des sapins et Sizerins flammés. Dans le sentier des Sitelles à poitrine rousse et des et bMésanges à tête noire et brune. - Bruno Tremblay

Sightings for Friday February 22

Sainte-Catherine: Around 2 pm during my visit to the Recre-O-Parc, I witnessed a large flock of about 20 Cedar waxwings (Jaseurs d'Amérique). They were all perched on a tree near the collection of spruce trees
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Quebec, Isle-aux-coudres: Great gray owl on chemin de la traverseune chouette Lapone à  sur le chemin de la traverse.

Saint-Joachim, avenue Royale:  Great gray owl (chouette Lapone) - Francine Cauchon, Danielle Brassard & Paul Dechêne

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip"

Saturday, February 23 - samedi 23fevrier
Grenville - Lachute Area
Leader: Frédéric Hareau  e-mail  514-815-8491 (cell phone on the day of the trip only)

8:00 a.m. From Montreal take Highway 40 to the Ontario border (40 km from Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue). Continue on Highway 417 and take Exit 9 (9 km) for Hawkesbury. Continue on Highway 17 approximately 7 km and take the Tupper Street exit on your right (signed for Province de/of Quebec). At 1.8 km at the T Junction, turn left on Main Street. After another 1.8 km, turn right onto John Street (opposite the big church). Continue on John St. across Long Sault Bridge over the Ottawa River. At the first traffic light in Grenville, QC, turn right on Rue Principale and make an immediate right into SAQ parking lot where we will meet. The distance is approximately 52 kilometres from the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge at the west end of Montreal Island on Highway 40. We will explore a diversity of habitats in the area between Grenville and Lachute. It will be a driving trip, and some of the roads will not be paved. Looking for winter finches, raptors and waterfowl. Half day

8h00 À partir de Montréal, prendre l’autoroute 40 et poursuivre jusqu’à la frontière ontarienne (40 km à partir de Sainte-Anne-de- Bellevue). Continuer sur l’autoroute 417 sur une distance d’environ 9 km et prendre la sortie 9 pour Hawkesbury. Continuer sur la route 17 sur une distance d’environ 7 km et prendre la sortie pour rue Tupper, à votre droite (indiquant Province de Québec). Après 1,8 km, à la junction en T, tourner à gauche sur Main Street. Après encore 1,8 km, tourner à droite sur John Street (en face de l’église). Continuer sur John Street et traverser le pont Long Sault qui passe au-dessus de la rivière des Outaouais. Au premier feu de circulation de Grenville, Québec, tourner à droite sur la rue Principale puis tourner immédiatement à droite dans le stationnement de la SAQ où a lieu le rassemblement. La distance totale à partir du pont Île-aux-Tourtes, situé à l’extrémité ouest de l’île de Montréal, est d’environ 52 km. On explorera une diversité d'habitats dans la région située entre Grenville et Lachute. Les déplacements auront lieu en voiture sur des routes don’t certaines ne sont pas asphaltées. Les oiseaux recherchés sont les fringilidés, les rapaces et la sauvagine. Demi-journée

Sightings for Tuesday February 19

Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue: At 1pm today, I saw 2 Pine Grosbeaks (Durbec des sapins) with a flock of 8 American Robins (Merle d'Amérique) at #15 St. Georges. Ste-- Alex Stone

Sightings for Monday February 18

Québec, rang Beaumont: Snowy owl (harfang des neiges) - Francine Cauchon, Nicole Cormier & Danielle Brassard
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Senneville: Great Gray Owl (Chouette lapone) off of Senneville road 

St Bart: Snowy owl (Harfang des neiges) 1km before exit 155 going east on the 40.- Dwight Brown

-------------------------------------------------------------------
St-Hubert: Snowy owl in the field beside boulevard de Montarville

harfang des neiges dans le champ près du boulevard de Montarville - Manon Roy

Sightings for Sunday February 17

St-Augustin, rang St-Ange: Snowy owl (Harfang des neiges)
I also saw an adult Peregrine Falcon near the north pillar of the Pont Laviolette (bridge)

J'ai aussi observé un Faucon pèlerin adulte près du pillier nord du Pont-Laviolette - Stéphane Blais
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Montréal, Parc Nature Bois-de-Liesse: Barred Owl (1), Pileated woodpecker (2), American robin (6), Northern Cardinal (6), Red-tailed Hawk (1), Black Duck (2), American Crow (30), Mourning Dove (10), Black-capped Chickadee (8), White-breasted Nuthatch (1), Common Redpoll (1)

Chouette rayée (1), Grand pic (2), Merle d'Amérique (6), Cardinal rouge (6), Buse à queue rousse (1), Canard noir (2), Corneille d'Amérique (30), Tourterelle triste (10), Mésange à tête noire (8), Sittelle à poitrine blanche (1), Sizerin flammé (1) - Michel Juteau
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Verdun, Île-Des-Soeurs: Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Great black-backed Gull, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee 2

garrot à oeil d'or, grand harle, goéland marin, pic mineur, pic chevelu, grimpereau brun, sittelle à poitrine blanche, mésange à tête noire 2

Ville Lasalle, Parc des Rapides: Common goldeneye, Common merganser, Canada geese, Long-tailed duck

garrot à oeil d'or, grand harle, bernache du Canada, canard kakawi  - Alexandre Salvas
-------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Lazare: We saw the Great Gray Owl (Chouette lapone) today at about 4:30 PM in the woods just south of the Centre Sportif on Montee St. Lazare. It was not visible from the road, but was easy to see with binoculars by walking across the field. The owl was attended by roughly a half dozen well behaved bird photographers. - Mike and Doris Bristol

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip Report" February 16

10 Birders enjoyed a sunny, but slightly chilly morning at Higgins (H) in Chateauguay, and the Recre-O-Parc (SC) in Ste-Catherine. Also there was a Deer on one of the little islets in the middle of the rapids. Below is a list of the 27 species seen.

100 Canada goose SC, 6 Black duck SC, 150 Mallard SC, 20 Common goldeneye SC, 20 Common merganser SC, 2 Bald eagle SC, Red-tailed hawk (traveling), 2 Ring-billed gull SC, 1 Herring gull SC, 2 Great black-backed gull SC,  2 Rock pigeon H, 3 Mourning dove H, 2 Red-bellied woodpecker H, 3 Downy woodpecker H, 3 Hairy woodpecker H, 2 Blue jay H, 4 American Crow H, 12 Black-capped chickadee SC, H, 2 Tufted titmouse SC, 8 White-breasted nuthatch SC, H, 4 European starling H, 8 American tree sparrow H, 6 Northern cardinal SC, H, 26 Common redpoll SC, H, 8 American goldfinch H, 1 Dark-eyed junco SC, 4 House Sparrow H

100 Bernache du Canada SC, 6 Canard noir SC, 150 Canard colvert SC, 20 Garrot à œil d'or SC, 20 Grand harle SC, 2 Pygargue à tête blanche SC, Buse à queue rousse (en route), 2 Goéland à bec cerclé SC, 1 Goéland argenté SC, 2 Goéland marin SC, 2 Pigeon biset H, 3 Tourterelle triste H, 2 Pic à ventre roux H, 3 Pic mineur H, 3 Pic chevelu H, 2 Geai bleu H, 4 Corneille d'Amérique H, 12 mésange à tête noire SC, H, 2 Tufted mésange SC, 8 Sittelle à poitrine blanche SC, H, 4 étourneau sansonnet H, 8 Bruant hudsonien H, 6 Cardinal rouge SC, H, 26 Sizerin flammé SC, H, 8 Chardonneret jaune H, 1 Dark-eyed junco SC, 4 Moineau domestique H

Great Backyard Bird Count

The GBBC starts today. Don't forget to report the birds you see this week-end. Click the button to the side to submit your reports.

Sightings for Thursday February 14

Same area as yesterday, Great Gray Owl (Chouette Lapone)Gouin near St Genevieve Cemetery but a bit more West. Poor light again so I didn't stay very long. - Dwight Brown

------------------------------------------------------------------
Verdun: There were 2 Harlequin Ducks this afternoon in front of the lookout one female and one immature male.

Il y avait 2 Arlequins plongeurs cet après-midi face au belvédère à une femelle et un mâle immature

and 2 Wild turkeys that were eatting buds 40 meters above the ground in a tree on Heron Island.

et 2 Dindons sauvage qui mangeaient des bourgeons à 40 mètres au-dessus du sol dans un arbre de l'Île aux Hérons.

Lachine: Seen Summerlea Park in  at the very end of the afternoon: 2 Long-tailed Duck, 1 Bufflehead, etc ... and 2 Snowy Owls perched on blocks of ice on Lake St. Louis. No doubt the owls would appreciate duck on their menu.

Vus du parc Summerlea à Lachine en toute fin d'Après-midi: 2 Hareldes kakawi, un Petit Garrot, etc ... et 2 Harfangs des neiges perchés sur des blocs de glace sur le lac Saint-Louis. Sans doute des harfangs qui apprécient le canard à leur menu. - Pierre Bannon

"Field Trip" up-date

Those who plan to come to this Saturdays "Field Trip" take note that there is going to be construction on the Mercier bridge on Saturday. The north bound side towards Montreal will be closed from 6 am till 9 pm.

Sightings for Wednesday February 13

Great Gray Owl (Chouette Lapone) near Gouin and

St Genevieve Cemetery

Dwight Brown

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip"

Saturday, February 16 - samedi 16 février

Chateauguay, Rue Higgins & Sainte-Catherine Récré-O-Parc
Leader: Tom Long 450-692-1590   e-mail

8:00 a.m.: Meet at rue Higgins in Châteauguay. The birds to look for at Higgins will be Red-bellied Woodpecker and Tufted Titmouse. But you never know what will show up. One Christmas Bird Count, 22 species were counted there in just over an hour including a Carolina Wren and an Eastern Towhee. After checking out the Higgins area, we will go to the Récré-O-Parc in Sainte-Catherine, where it will be mostly winter ducks and whatever else we can find. There are no facilities at the Récré-O-Parc. Half day.

From Montreal, take Hwy 138 and cross the Mercier Bridge. Stay right coming off the bridge and take Hwy 138 through Kahnawake into Châteauguay. As you enter Châteauguay, turn right onto Boul. Saint-Francis. Follow Saint-Francis all the way to the end where it meets the Châteauguay River at Blvd. Salaberry Nord. Turn right on to Salaberry Nord and continue till rue Higgins and turn right. There is a small parking area on the left next to the cell-phone tower.

8h00 Rendez-vous à la rue Higgins. Sur la rue Higgins à Châteauguay, les espèces recherchées sont le Pic à ventre roux et la Mésange bicolore. Mais nous ne pouvons prévoir qui sera au rendez-vous. Lors d'un décompte de Noël, 22 espèces ont été dénombrées dans un peu plus d'une heure comprenant un Troglodyte de Caroline ainsi qu'un Tohi à flancs roux. Après avoir fait le tour de la zone Higgins, nous irons à la Récré-O-Parc à Sainte-Catherine. A la Récré-O-Parc, nous y verrons presqu'exclusivement des canards d'hiver et peut-être autres surprises. Le Récré-O-Parc n'offre aucune installation sanitaire ni de restauration. Demi-journée.

De Montréal, prendre la route 138 et traverser le pont Mercier. Rester à droite en venant du pont et prenez l'autoroute 138 à Kahnawake dans Châteauguay. Lorsque vous entrez dans Châteauguay, tourner à droite sur le boul. Saint-Francis. Suivez Saint-Francis, jusqu'au bout à la rencontre de la rivière Châteauguay au boul. Salaberry Nord. Tourner à droite sur Salaberry Nord et continuer jusqu'à la rue Higgins et tourner à droite. Il y a un petit parking sur la gauche à côté de la tour de téléphonie cellulaire.

Sightings for Sunday February 10

Montreal, Ste-Geneviève: One of the Great Gray Owls (Chouette lapone) seen at Ste-Geneviève cemetery, near Cap St-Jacques, was there this morning, superbly ignoring the harassing Crows (Corneilles). Not content with that, we also tried Montée St-Lazare but dipped out there. Still, a day with even one Great Gray Owl has got to be a good one! - Zofia Laubitz
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Aéroport St.-Hubert: Gyrfalcon hunting near the Ecole d'Aeronautique (Place de la Savane)

Faucon Gerfaut chasse près de l'Ecole d'Aeronautique (place de la Savane) - Chantal Trudel

Bird Protectection Quebec "Field Trip Report" February 9

Today's outing on the South Shore turned out to be a fairly pleasant day. The sun came out and the winds were not as strong as had been predicted. The temperature remained around -13 C throughout the morning. Unfortunately the weather didn't manage to coax too many birds out.

10 birders met up at Parc de la Frayere in Boucherville. We began the day by walking through the woods across from the parking area. It seems that someone has decided to hang up a few feeders in the woods. This certainly helped to attract birds, including our "Birds of the Day" which were two White-throated Sparrows enjoying breakfast at the feeders.

We drove from Boucherville out through Varennes, through a number of secondary and farm roads, then returned along Highway 30 and scouted out the roads behind the St-Hubert Airport. Things were generally quiet although we did manage to accumulate 16 species for the day. Here is our list: 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 16 Great Black-backed Gulls, 30 Rock Pigeons, 3 Mourning Doves, 3 Downy Woodpeckers, 3 Blue Jays, 20 American Crows, 40 Black-capped Chickadees, 3 White-breasted Nuthatch, 50 European Starlings, 2 White-throated Sparrow, 8 Dark-eyed Junco, 6 Northern Cardinal, 27 Common Redpoll, 4 American Goldfinch, 20 House Sparrows

1 Buse à queue rousse, 16 Goélands marins, 30 Pigeon biset, 3 Tourterelle triste, 3 Pics mineurs, 3 Geai bleue, 20 Corneille d'Amérique, 40 Mésange à tête noire, 3 Sittele à poitrine blanche, 50 Étourneau sansonnet, 2 Blanche à gorge Bruant, 8 Junco ardoisé, 6 Cardinal rouge, 27 Sizerin flammé, 4 Chardonneret jaune, 20 Moineaux domestiques
Thanks to all of the participants -Sheldon Harvey

Bird Protectection Quebec "Field Trip"

South Shore Surprise Trip - Saturday, February 9
Leader: Sheldon Harvey

Saturday's trip will be a driving trip around the South Shore.

The majority of the trip will be on roads that do not have a lot of traffic, making it easier to stop safely along the route at several different locations to look for birds. Spotting scopes will definitely be an asset on this trip.

There is a forecast for snow beginning tonight and throughout Friday including high wind warnings for late Friday. Hopefully it will not be substantial enough to cancel our trip on Saturday but please verify the Songsparrow group page on Friday evening. At that point I will evaluate the situation with the snow and road conditions. I will definitely post on Friday evening to determine whether or not the trip is still on. At this point the forecast for Saturday looks good.

Our meeting point will be at 8 am. at Parc de la Frayere in Boucherville, on boul. Marie-Victorin, along the St-Lawrence River. We will begin by doing a quick visit of the park's wooded area and waterfront. From there we will move on to various roads and observation points in Boucherville and Varennes, then work our way back to the St-Hubert Airport area where we will wrap up the outing. This will be a half-day outing.

Here are the driving instructions to the meeting point at Parc de la Frayere in Boucherville.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: Parc de la Frayere 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 Highways 20 and 132 split at the exit for Quebec City/Hippolyte- Lafontaine Tunnel. Stay to the left at this exit, continuing on Highway 132 towards Varennes. Continue on Highway 132 East past the exits for de Montarville, de Montbrun and chemin du General Vanier. The next traffic light 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 on to boul. Marie Victorin. Continue approximately a kilometer on boul. Marie Victorin, past the hydro pylons. You will see an entrance road into the parking lot for the Parc de la Frayere on the right.

If you have any questions regarding the trip, please contact me by e-mail, or by telephone at 450-462-1459


. On Saturday morning you can reach me on the BPQ cellphone at 514-637-2141.

I look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, weather permitting.

Sightings for Thursday February 7

Ville LaSalle: I visited Parc des Rapides this afternoon with Prayitno Goenarto. There was a good selection of ducks present including Barrow's Goldeneye and Hooded Merganser. Other sightings of note included 3 Bald Eagles on Heron Island, an immature Glaucous Gull and a dead Brown Creeper impaled on a tree branch.

Canada Goose 50, Mallard 35, American Black Duck 5, Gadwall 2,  Common Goldeneye 80, Barrow's Goldeneye 2 (1 male,1 female), Hooded Merganser 3, Common Merganser 50, Bald Eagle 3 (2 adults), Herring Gull 3, Great Black-backed Gull 5, Glaucous Gull 1, American Crow 7, European Starling 5, Dark-eyed Junco 2

Bernache du Canada 50, Canard colvert 35, Canard noir 5, Canard chipeau 2, Garrot à l'oiel d'or 80, Garrot d'Islande 2 (1 mâle et 1 femelle), Harle couronné 3, Grand harle 50, Pygargue à tête blanche 3 (2 adultes), le Goéland argenté 3, Goéland marin 5, Goéland bourgmestre 1, Corneille d'Amérique 7, Étourneau sansonnet 5, Junco ardoisé 2 - Vivek Govind Kumar

Sightings for Monday February 4

Montreal, Ste Genevieve: Two Great Gray Owls (Chouette lapone) today, one just north of Chemin des l'anse a l'Orme near where the river passes under the road and the other, also seen from the road, near the farmhouse just before you get to the cemetery. In between, a Barred Owl, small by comparison, nearby the road on the way into the southern half of Cap St. Jacques Park (the road to the beach). Otherwise, very little. - Bob Barnhurst