Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip"

Saturday, April 4 – samedi 4 avril
Montréal, Pierrefonds - Parc-nature du Cap-St-Jacques

https://goo.gl/maps/zRNbV

Guide: Wayne Grubert 450-458-5498 / 514-774-0811 (Cell – Morning of trip only) e-mail

8:00 a.m. Take Highway 40 West. Exit Chemin Ste-Marie. Turn left to Anse- à-l’Orme Road. Turn right and continue to the end. Turn right on Senneville Road (Gouin Blvd.). Continue for 2 km to the welcome centre chalet d’accueil of the park. Parking: $9.00. Half day.

8 h 00. Prendre l’autoroute 40 ouest. Prendre la sortie pour le chemin Ste- Marie et tourner à gauche sur celui-ci. Continuer jusqu’au chemin de l’Anse-à- l’Orme. Tourner à droite sur celui-ci et continuer jusqu’au bout. Tourner à droite sur le chemin Senneville (boul. Gouin) et continuer sur une distance de 2 km jusqu’au chalet d’accueil du parc. Frais de stationnement : 9,00 $. Demi- journée.

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip Report" March 28"

Despite an unusually cold temperature for this date early in the morning, we were 19 birders at the meeting point (Parc des Rapides). Highlights were a sad duo of Great–blue Herons with ice caught in their feathers; a single Wild Turkey at the top of a tree (île aux Chèvres); a Red-winged Blackbird which cheered up the few people who heard him sing and a Raccoon that was sleeping in a tree trunk of which we could see only the angelic face …

Warm thanks to all who came!

Diane Demers 

Rive de Verdun, et Parc des rapides, Lasalle (8h00 à 10h00; 2,75 kms)
Canada Goose (4), Mallard (8), Common Goldeneye (80), Common Merganser (20), Wild Turkey (1), Great blue Heron (2), Ring-billed Gull (75), Herring Gull (1), Great Black-backed Gull (8), Rock Pigeon (X), American Crow (10), Black-capped chickadee (5), American Robin (1), European Starling (24), Red-winged Blackbird (1), House Sparrow (X)

Bernache du Canada (4), Canard colvert (8), Garrot à oeil d'or (80), Grand Harle (20), Dindon sauvage (1), Grand héron (2), Goéland à bec cerclé (75), Goéland argenté (1), Goéland marin (8), Pigeon biset (X), Corneille d'Amérique (10), Mésange à tête noire (5), Merle d'Amérique (1), Étourneau sansonnet (24), Carouge à épaulettes (1), moineau domestique (X)

Lasalle: Parc Angrignon (10h10 à 12h10; 2 kms)

Ring-billed Gull (10), Pileated Woodpecker (1), Hairy Woodpecker (1), Downy Woodpecker (3), American Crow (12), Black-capped chickadee (10), White-breasted Nuthatch (6), Northern Cardinal (2), Blue Jay (X)

Goélands à bec cerclé (10), Grand Pic (1), Pic chevelu (1), Pic mineur (3), Corneille d'Amérique (12), Mésange à tête noire (10), Sittelle à poitrine blanche (6), Cardinal rouge (2), Geai bleu (X)

Mammals: A raccoon sleeping in a tree trunk.

Mammifères: Un raton laveur dormir dans un tronc d'arbre

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip Report" March 21"

Montreal Botanical Gardens, 

19 birders, two new members and three or four hopefully new members to be covered the area of the Botanical Gardens from 8:00 until 12:00. It was damp with a penetrating cold and light snow all morning. The group accidentally split but regrouped after a short period. Cell phone numbers would have been helpful. The bird of the day was a flock of 50 or more Cedar Waxwings. Thank you all for participating in the trip. 

The list of birds: 1 Cooper's hawk, 30 Ring-billed gull, 3 Downy woodpecker, 10 American crow, 15 Black-capped chickadee, 2 Red-breasted nuthatch, 2 White-breasted nuthatch,12 American robin, 50 Cedar waxwing, 30 Dark-eyed junco, 12 Northern cardinal, 1 Purple finch, 8 House finch, 25 Common redpoll, 1 Hoary redpoll, 25 American goldfinch, 2 House sparrow
1 Épervier de Cooper, 30 Goéland à bec cerclé, 3 Pic mineur, 10 Corneille d'Amérique, 15 Mésange à tête noire,2  Sittelle à poitrine rousse,2 Sittelle à poitrine blanche, 12 Merle d'Amérique, 50 Jaseur d'Amérique, 30 Junco ardoisé, 12 Cardinal rouge, 1 Roselin pourpré, 8 Roselin familier, 25 Sizerin flammé, 1 Sizerin blanchâtre, 25 Chardonneret jaune, 2 Moineau domestique

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip"

Saturday, 28 March – samedi 28 mars
Parc des Rapides, LaSalle and Verdun Waterfront

MAP/ CARTE https://goo.gl/maps/ZKadR

Guide: Diane Demers 514-729-3051 E-MAIL 

8:00 a.m. Meet in the parking lot at Parc des Rapides, corner of LaSalle Blvd and 6th Avenue in Ville LaSalle (just east of Bishop Power Blvd). Take Hwy 20 to the Blvd de la Vérendrye exit. Heading west on de la Vérendrye, turn left onto the Stephens Street Bridge that crosses the Aqueduct. Follow this street south to the waterfront on LaSalle Blvd. Turn right on LaSalle Blvd and follow it to the parking lot at the corner of 6th Avenue. Looking for waterfowl and early migrants. If there is enough time left, we will visit the riverfront or the woods at Nuns Island. Be prepared to drive. Half day.

8 h 00. Rassemblement dans le stationnement du Parc des Rapides. Celui-ci est situé à l’intersection du boul. LaSalle et de la 6e avenue à ville LaSalle (juste à l’est du boul. Bishop-Power). Prendre l’autoroute 20 et prendre la sortie du boul. de la Vérendrye. Aller en direction ouest sur ce boul. À la rue Stephens, prendre le pont qui traverse le canal de l’Aqueduc. Continuer sur la rue Stephens jusqu’au boul. LaSalle, qui longe le fleuve. Tourner à droite sur ce boul. et continuer jusqu’à stationnement, situé au coin de la 6e avenue. Espèces recherchées : sauvagine et migrateurs hâtifs. S’il reste suffisamment de temps nous visiterons la rive ou le boisé de l’île des Soeurs. Il faudra s’attendre à conduire. Demi-journée.

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip"

Saturday, March 21 – Samedi 21 mars

Montreal Botanical Garden – Jardin Botanique de Montréal

MAP / CARTE   https://goo.gl/maps/FOQNe

Guide: David Mulholland 514-630-6082 e-mail

8:00 a.m. This trip is dedicated to Guy Zenaitis. 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.

8 h 00. Cette excursion est dédiée à Guy Zenaitis. 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.

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip Report" March 14

Saturday's field trip on the South Shore attracted 11 participants, including King and Yvonne Wong of Brossard who experienced their first field trip experience. We hope to see them again on more outings. Thanks to everyone that ignored the weather warnings and turned out for the trip.

The forecasted bad weather held off throughout the morning and early afternoon allowing us to visit several locations in Boucherville, Varennes and St-Bruno. We began the trip at Parc de la Frayere in Boucherville. We then drove through secondary roads throughout Varennes to the border of Vercheres and finally worked our way back to Clarevue Blvd. in St-Bruno behind the St-Hubert Airport.

There were several stretches along the roads with very little bird life. Fortunately a few popular bird feeder stations helped to bump up the numbers for the day. We finished our trip with a respectable 19 species, including wrapping up the day with an excellent sighting of a Snowy Owl both perched, and in flight, over the farm fields opposite St-Hubert Airport. Certainly any hopes of spring migration were dashed by the winter storm that rolled in later in the day and overnight last night! - Sheldon Harvey

Here are the numbers for the day: Common Goldeneye 3, Common Merganser 2, Merlin 1, Great Black-backed Gull 5, Rock Pigeon 4, Mourning Dove 12, Snowy Owl 2 (one at St-Hubert Airport/ one on a Hydro pole along Highway 30 in Varennes), Downy Woodpecker 3, Hairy Woodpecker 1, Blue Jay 2, American Crow 24, Horned Lark 8, Black-capped Chickadee 30, White-breasted Nuthatch 4, European Starling 20, Bohemian Waxwing 15, Dark-eyed Junco 5, Northern Cardinal 8, American Goldfinch 30

Garrot à oeil d'or 3, Grand Harle 2, Merlin 1, Goéland marin 5, Pigeon biset 4, Tourterelle triste 12, Harfang des neiges 2 (une à l'aéroport de St-Hubert / une sur un poteau d'Hydro long de l'autoroute 30 à Varennes), Pic mineur 3, Pic chevelu 1, Geai bleu 2, Corneille d'Amérique 24, Alouette hausse-col 8, Mésange à tête noire 30, Sittelle à poitrine blanche 4, Étourneau sansonnet 20, Jaseur boréal 15, Junco ardoisé 5, Cardinal rouge 8, Chardonneret jaune 30

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip"

For this Saturday's field trip, we're heading out on a search for Spring around the South Shore areas of St-Hubert, St-Bruno, Boucherville and Varennes. This will be a combination walking/driving trip. We will, hopefully, come across a mix of late winter birds and possibly some early spring arrivals.

We will meet at a spot familiar to most of you have participated in some of our previous South Shore outings, that being Parc de la Frayere, on boul. Marie Victorin in Boucherville, on the St-Lawrence River. We'll begin by exploring the park, particularly the waterfront and the wooded trail in the Boisé Langevin. We'll then head out on the road trip taking us through parts of Boucherville, Varennes, St-Bruno and finally to the airport in St-Hubert.

STARTING POINT: Parc de la Frayere, boul. Marie-Victorin, Boucherville, Quebec, in the parking lot.
GOOGLE LINK: https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.649393,-73.443776,15z/data=!4m2!5m1!1b1?hl=en
DATE: Saturday, March 14, 2015
TIME: 8 AM - Half day trip
LEADER: Sheldon Harvey

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: The park 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 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 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 hydro pylons. You will see an entrance road into the parking lot for the Parc de la Frayere on your right.

NOTE: As alternates to the Champlain Bridge, HIGHWAY 132 East can also be accessed from any of the other bridges to the South Shore (Mercier, Victoria, Jacques-Cartier, or the Lafontaine Tunnel, as well as Highway 30. Once on Highway 132 east, route instructions above apply.

We will work in a pit stop, or two, throughout the trip. Carpooling is recommended, if possible, plus if you have two-way radios, bring them along, tuned to channel 11, for inter-vehicle communications. If you have any questions, please contact me at 450-462-1459, or on Saturday morning at 514-637-2141. - Sheldon Harvey

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip Report" March 7

It was a coolish morning in Hudson, -10C with fine snow falling. The sun peeked through and the snow and streams looked lovely on this winter morning. We had six participants
and 13 species, the highlight being approximately 150 Bohemian waxwings. One sharp-eyed birder managed to find 3 cedar waxwings in that group. Flocks of common redpolls were in evidence too. - Barbara MacDuff

Great black-backed gull 1, Hairy woodpecker 3, Pileated woodpecker 1, Blue jay 3, American crow 20, Black-capped chickadee 12, White-breasted nuthatch 3, American robin 4, Bohemian waxwing 150, Cedar waxwing 3, Northern cardinal 4, Common redpoll 60, American goldfinch 6

Goéland marin 1, Pic chevelu 3, Grand pic 1, Geai bleu 3, Corneille d'Amérique 20, Mésange à tête noire 12, Sittelle à poitrine blanche 3, 4 Merle d'Amérique, Jaseur boréal 150, Jaseur d'Amérique 3, Cardinal rouge 4, Sizerin flammé 60, Chardonneret jaune 6

Sightings for Saturday March 7

Montréal: I visited Mt. Royal Park this afternoon, hoping to get a look at the Barred Owl that Jane and others have seen there. I dipped out on the owl, but was pretty astonished to get a Turkey Vulture (Urubu à tête rouge) as a consolation prize. Yes, there's a TV on the front page of The Gazette today (illustrating David Bird's article), but that doesn't mean I expected to see one out there in the snowy winter. According to Pierre Bannon's much-appreciated arrival dates chart (of which there has been so much talk in the last day or two), this is far from the earliest date for a Turkey Vulture. Still, it's been a brutal winter, and I suspect this particular individual may be wishing it had checked the Weather Network before heading up here! - Zofia Laubitz

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip"

Saturday, March 7 – Samedi 7 mars
Hudson
MAP / CARTE  
https://goo.gl/maps/z9UtA
Guide: Barbara MacDuff 514-457-2222  e-mail

8:00 a.m. Meet at the CPR station on Wharf Street in Hudson. Highway 40, exit 22 onto Côte St. Charles north, right on Main Street, left on Wharf Street. Looking for winter finches and early migrants. Half day.

8 h 00. Rassemblement à la gare C.P. sur la rue Wharf, à Hudson. Prendre l’autoroute 40, sortie 22, et tourner à droite sur la Côte St-Charles nord. Continuer jusqu’à la rue Main et tourner à droite sur celle-ci. Continuer jusqu’à la rue Wharf puis tourner à gauche sur celle-ci. Espèces recherchées : oiseaux d’hiver et migrateurs hâtifs. Demi-journée.

Bird Protection Quebec "Monthly Lecture, Meeting"

Lecture – Designing Wildlife Corridors: Examples from the Northern Appalachians
With: Louise Gratton , founding member of The Appalachian Corridor and board member of Two Countries, One Forest and a long time Science Director of Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Monday, March 2, 7:30 - 9 p.m.
Kensington Presbyterian Church, 6225 Godfrey Ave., Montreal, NDG
Monday, January 5 - 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

The Northern Appalachians are one of the most intact temperate broadleaf forests in the world. However, well-established farms, increased second-home development, and new roads threaten to fragment this extraordinary region into a series of disconnected ecological islands. In 2008, Wildlands Network, Two Countries One Forest, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society and other organizations identified a set of landscape linkages that are essential for regional-scale movement of wildlife and to maintain ecological processes between large blocks of habitat. A network of partners was convened to share information and mobilize action in those linkages. Two of these critical linkages are found in Quebec: The Northern Green Mountains and the Three Borders. Conserving and restoring connectivity is a challenging undertaking, but according to scientists it is the best way to mitigate the impacts of habitat fragmentation on wildlife populations and biodiversity.

Louise Gratton has an MSc in Biology from UQAM and 35 years experience working in ecology and conservation, including 12 as Science Director of Nature Conservancy Canada, Quebec region. She has worked with federal and provincial agencies, non-governmental organizations, municipalities, promoters, and landowners across Quebec. Louise is a founding member and acting secretary of the Appalachian Corridor and has been on the board of Two Countries, One Forest from its inception. Both organizations focus on the protection and sustainable development of the Northern Appalachians ecosystems. She has received several awards recognizing her commitment to biodiversity conservation.