Thursday’s, birding for beginners: "field trip report"

Bird walk for beginners, Morgan Arboretum, April 30, 2015, sunny, plus 14C.

The Arboretum had 25 participants on this beautiful spring morning and 24 species of birds were observed.

We also saw blooming Hepatica, Trout lilies, Spring beauty and Red trilliums. A garter snake was also seen by some of the group but the highlight of the morning was the yellow-rumped warbler a first of the season.

Thanks to David Mulholland, Alison Hackney, Gay Gruner and Audrey Speck for their help and all participants who were a pleasure to bird with. - Barbara MacDuff

Here is our complete list of birds: Canada goose 2, Mallard 2, Cooper’s hawk 1, Red-bellied woodpecker (heard), Yellow-bellied sapsucker 4, Downy woodpecker 1, Pileated woodpecker 1, Blue jay 2, American crow 2, Common raven 1, Tree swallow 6, Cliff swallow 2, Black-capped chickadee 12, White-breasted nuthatch 2, Ruby-crowned kinglet 5, American robin 1, Yellow-rumped warbler 2, Chipping sparrow 8, Song sparrow 4, Dark-eyed junco 6, Northern cardinal 1, Brown-headed cowbird 1, Pine siskin 2, American goldfinch 6

Bernache du Canada 2, Canard colvert 2, épervier de Cooper 1, Pic à ventre roux  (entendu), Pic maculé 4, Pic mineur 1, Grand pic 1, Geai bleu 2, Corneille d'Amérique 2, Grand corbeau1, Hirondelle bicolore , Hirondelle à front blanc 2, Mésange à tête noire 12, Sittelle à poitrine blanche 2, Roitelet à couronne rubis 5, Merle d'Amérique 1, Paruline à croupion jaune 2, Bruant familier 8, Bruant chanteur 4, Junco ardoisé 6, Cardinal rouge 1, Vacher à tête brun  1, Tarin des pins 2, Chardonneret jaune 6

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip"

Saturday, May 2 – samedi 2 mai

Dundee (Réserve Nationale de Faune du Lac Saint-François)

https://goo.gl/maps/u3ihE

eBird Hotspot http://ebird.org/ebird/qc/hotspot/L293311

Guides: Sheldon Harvey 450-462-1459 ve2shw@yahoo.com
Wayne Grubert : 450-458-5498 wgrubert@hotmail.com Cell (Please use only on morning of trip – à utiliser seulement le matin de la sortie) 514-774-0811

8:00 a.m. Meet at the Visitor Centre parking lot. If you are taking the Mercier Bridge from Montreal, go (left) east on Highway 132 for 4.5 km to Highway 730. Take Highway 730 to its junction with Highway 30. Proceed west on Highway 30 for approximately 33 km to the exit for Highway 530. Take Highway 530 until its end. Turn left onto Highway 132, crossing the bridge, and continue approximately 33 km past Sainte-Barbe and Saint-Anicet to Cazaville. Continue another 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. An alternative route, especially from the West Island, is to take Hwy 20 or 40 west past Vaudreuil-Dorion to Highway 30. Take Highway 30 (toll $2.00) and then exit onto Highway 530 and continue as per instructions above. Allow about 1.5 hours from Montreal. Looking for waterfowl, raptors, and migrating passerines. Half day.

8 h 00. Rassemblement dans le stationnement de l’Accueil. Si vous arrivez depuis le pont Mercier en provenance de Montréal, prenez vers l’est (gauche) sur la route 132 pour 4.5km jusqu’à l’autoroute 730. Prendre l’autoroute 730 jusqu’à sa jonction avec l’autoroute 30. Continuez vers l’ouest sur l’autoroute 30 pendant environ 33 km jusqu’à la sortie vers l’autoroute 530. Prendre l’autoroute 530 jusqu’au bout. Tournez à gauche sur la route 132, traverser le pont et continuer environ 33 km, en passant par Sainte-Barbe et Saint-Anicet jusqu’à Cazaville. Continuez encore 8 km sur la route 132 passé Cazaville jusqu’au Chemin-de-la-Pointe-Fraser. Tournez à droite sur cette route et rendez-vous au stationnement du centre d’accueil sur la gauche à environ 1 km. Un itinéraire alternatif, en particulier depuis l’Ouest de l’Ile de Montréal, consiste à prendre l’autoroute 20 ou 40 ouest passé Vaudreuil-Dorion jusqu’à l’autoroute 30. Prenez l’autoroute 30 (frais de 2,00 $), puis sortez sur l’autoroute 530 et continuer en suivant les instructions données ci-dessus. Prévoir environ 1h à 1h30 de route à partir de la région de Montréal. Espèces recherchées : sauvagine, rapaces, et parulines en migration. Demi-journée.

Sightings for Tuesday April 28

Chateauguay, Ile Saint-Bernard, 

Refuge faunique Marguerite-D'Youville

Common loon / Plongeon haurd

Tom Long

4 3 species: 80 Canada Goose, 13 Wood Duck, 20 Mallard, 1 Blue-winged Teal, 1 Northern Shoveler, 3 Green-winged Teal, 10 Greater Scaup, 31 Bufflehead, 10 Common Goldeneye, 1 Hooded Merganser, 2 Common Loon, 3 Double-crested Cormorant, 1 Great Blue Heron, 1 Great Egret, 1 Turkey Vulture, 1 Northern Goshawk, 20 Ring-billed Gull, 2 Rock Pigeon, 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 4 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 11 Northern Flicker, 1 American Kestrel, 3 American Crow, 20 Tree Swallow, 20 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 Tufted Titmouse, 10 White-breasted Nuthatch, 1 House Wren, 3 Marsh Wren, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 30 American Robin, 10 European Starling, 8 American Tree Sparrow, 1 Fox Sparrow, 50 Song Sparrow, 4 Swamp Sparrow, 1 White-throated Sparrow, 3 Dark-eyed Junco, 3 Northern Cardinal, 75 Red-winged Blackbird, 20 Rusty Blackbird, 20 Common Grackle

4 3 espèces: 80 Bernache du Canada, 13 Canard branchu, 20 Canard colvert, 1 Sarcelle à ailes bleues, 1 Canard souchet, 3 Sarcelle d'hiver, 10 Grand Morillon, 31 Petit Garrot, 10 Common Garrot, 1 Harle couronné, 2 Plongeon huard, 3 Cormoran à aigrettes, 1 Grand héron, 1 Grande Aigrette, 1 Urubu à tête rouge, 1 Autour des palombes, 20 Goélands à bec cerclé, 2 Pigeon biset, 1 Pic maculé, 4 Pic mineur, 1 Pic chevelu, 11 Pic flamboyant, 1 Crécerelle d'Amérique, 3 Corneille d'Amérique, 20 Hirondelle bicolore, 20 Mésange à tête noire, 1 Mésange bicolore, 10 Sittelle à poitrine blanche, 1 Troglodyte familier, 3 Troglodyte des marais, 1 Roitelet à couronne rubis, 30 Merle d'Amérique, 10 Étourneau sansonnet, 8 Bruant Hudsonien, 1 Bruant fauve, 50 Bruant chanteur, 4 Bruant des marais, 1 Bruant à gorge blanche, 3 Junco ardoisé, 3 Cardinal rouge, 75 Carouge à épaulettes, 20 Quiscale rouilleux, 20 Quiscale bronzé

Birding for Beginners – Sorties ornithologiques pour les débutants

Morgan Arboretum

Thursday, April 30 – jeudi le 30 avril

Come learn the basics of bird identification in the field and observe some early migrants.

Venez découvrir les bases de l’identification des oiseaux sur le terrain et observer quelques espèces migratrices

http://goo.gl/maps/etLSX

http://www.morganarboretum.org/

Guide: Barbara MacDuff 514-457-2222  e-mail 

9:00 – 11:00 a.m. From Montreal take Highway 40 west. Take exit 44 (Morgan Blvd.). Turn left on Chemin Ste-Marie. Drive 1.4 km to second stop sign (at Arboretum road). Turn right. Drive 1 km to main parking on left. $5.00 admission charge for non-Arboretum members. Half day.

9 h 00 – 11 h 00. De Montréal, prendre l’autoroute 40 ouest, sortie 44 (boul. Morgan). Tourner à gauche sur le chemin Ste-Marie et continuer sur une distance de 1,4 km jusqu’au second arrêt (rue Arboretum). Tourner à droite et rouler sur une distance de 1 km jusqu’au stationnement principal, situé à gauche. Frais d’entrée: 5,00 $ pour les non-membres. Demi-journée.

Wood Warbler Walks at Summit Woods – Sorties ornithologiques au Boisé Sommet

Tuesday, April 28 and May 5, 12, 19 and 26 at 7:00 a.m.

Mardi le 28 avril et tous les mardis de mai

Guide: Jane Cormack 514 578-8249  e-mail 

Meet us at the Summit Circle Lookout. We are an informal group of BPQ members. All are welcome. It’s a perfect start to a spring day.

To reach Summit Circle, head north on Côte-des-Neiges. Turn left onto The Boulevard. Proceed to Ch. Belvedere and turn right. Drive up the steep hill on Ch. Belvedere to Summit Circle.

Vous êtes invités à vous joindre à l’une ou toutes des marches printanières avec un groupe amical des membres du POQ. C’est une belle façon de commencer une journée du printemps. Pour vous rendre au Summit Circle, dirigez vous vers le nord sur Côte-des-Neiges. Tourner à gauche sur le Boulevard. Poursuivre jusqu’au Ch. Belvédère et tourner à droite. Monter la côte abrupte sur le Ch. Belvédère jusqu’à Summit Circle.

These walks are dedicated to Jim Houghton. – Ces sorties sont dédiées à Jim Houghton.

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip Report" April 25

List of birds seen on field trip to Montréal, Parc-nature de la Pointe-aux-prairies led by Joël Coutu

41 species: 80 Snow Goose (In flight), 200 Canada Goose (In flight), 5 Wood Duck, 8 Gadwall, 2 American Wigeon, 1 American Black Duck, 8 Mallard, 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Great Egret, 1 Black-crowned Night-Heron, 1 Northern Goshawk, 80 Ring-billed Gull, 1 Herring Gull, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 3 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 6 Northern Flicker, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 6 American Crow, 1 Common Raven, 12 Tree Swallow, 6 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, 4 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 20 American Robin, 6 European Starling, 5 Cedar Waxwing, 2 American Tree Sparrow, 1 Fox Sparrow, 12 Song Sparrow, 4  Swamp Sparrow, 1 White-throated Sparrow, 6 Dark-eyed Junco, 6 Northern Cardinal, 20, Red-winged Blackbird, 3 Common Grackle, 6 Brown-headed Cowbird, 1 House Finch, 1 Purple Finch, 2 American Goldfinch

41 espèces: 80 Oie des neiges (en vol), 200 Bernache du Canada (en vol), 5 Canard branchu, 8 Canard chipeau, 2 Canard d'Amérique, 1 Canard noir, 8 Canard colvert, 2 Harle huppé, 2 Grande Aigrette, 1 Bihoreau gris, 1 Autour des palombes, 80 Goéland à bec cerclé, 1 Goéland argenté, 1 Goéland marin, 1 Martin-pêcheur d'Amérique, 3 Pic mineur, 1 Pic chevelu, 6 Pic flamboyant, 1 Faucon pèlerin, 6 Corneille d'Amérique, 1 Grand Corbeau, 12 Hirondelle bicolore, 6 Mésange à tête noire, 1 Sittelle à poitrine blanche, 4 Roitelet à couronne rubis, 20 Merle d'Amérique, 6 Étourneau sansonnet, 5 Jaseur d'Amérique, 2 Bruant Hudsonien, 1 Bruant fauve, 12 Bruant chanteur, 4 Bruant des marais, 1 Bruant à gorge blanche, 6 Junco ardoisé, 6 Cardinal rouge, 20, Carouge à épaulettes, 3 Quiscale bronzé, 6 vacher à tête brune, 1 Roselin familier, 1 Roselin pourpré, 2 Chardonneret jaune

Parc-nature de la Pointe-aux-prairies e-Bird hotspot 

http://ebird.org/ebird/qc/hotspot/L2359722

Sightings for Saturday April 26

Fort Chambly: Charline Gilbert and Louis informed me of their observation of a Little Gull amongst the Bonaparte's Gulls yesterday at Fort Chambly. I went back this morning and along with Réal Boulet we found it. She moved around with fifty Bonaparte's Gulls flying occasionally. With its black under the wings, we could trace it in its movement. Her black feathers on the head further down the neck. It was slightly smaller than the Bonaparte.

There was also on site: 3 Red-necked Grebes with brownish chest, 1 Common Loon, 3 Osprey carrying branches to the nest of last year, 6 Black-crowned Night-Herons on the Richelieu side

Charline Gilbert et Louis m'ont informés de leur observation d'une Mouette pygmée parmi les Mouettes de Bonaparte, hier au Fort de Chambly. J'y suis donc retourné ce matin et en compagnie de Réal Boulet nous avons trouvé celle-ci. Elle se déplaçait avec la cinquantaine de Mouettes de Bonaparte en vol à l'occasion. Grâce à son noir sous les ailes, nous avons pu la retracer lors de ses déplacement. Ses plumes noirs sur la tête descendaient plus loin dans le cou. Elle était légèrement plus petite que la Bonaparte.
Il y avait aussi sur place: 3 Grèbes jougris avec la poitrine brunâtre, 1 Plongeon huard, 3 Balbuzards pêcheur transportant des branches sur le nid de l'an dernier, 6 Bihoreau gris du côté de Richelieu - Gilles Ethier

Bassin de Chambly e-Bird hotspot 

http://ebird.org/ebird/qc/hotspot/L165065?yr=all&m=&rank=mrec

Sightings for Friday April 24

Brigham: 2 Barnacle Geese were still present this morning between 6:15 and 7:15 in a flooded field north of chemin Choinière Brigham, located between the chemin Coveduck and Magenta east.

2 Bernaches nonnettes étaient toujours présentes ce matin entre 6h15 et 7h15 dans un champ inondé au nord du chemin Choinière à Brigham, situé entre les chemin Coveduck et Magenta est. - Monique Berlinguette, Monique Maheu, Jean-Pierre Santerre ++

Thursday’s, birding for beginners: "field trip report"

Thursday’s beginner field trip took place this morning at the Morgan Arboretum and considering the weather, +1C with snow flurries, it was not surprising that only one person turned up. Our one participant who traveled by bus from downtown Montreal arrived in Canada from Singapore last October. The question of the morning was “when do you put away your winter clothes?” I assured her that our summers are hot.

Yellow-bellied sapsuckers were everywhere and we were fortunate to see phoebe and a male wood duck. Everything was new to our participant which made for a pleasant walk. Barbara MacDuff

Thanks to David Mulholland for his help.

Here is our complete list: Canada goose 10, Wood duck 1, Mallard 2, Red-tailed hawk 1. Turkey vulture 1, Ring-billed gull 3, Yellow-bellied sapsucker 6, Pileated woodpecker 2 heard, Eastern phoebe 3, American crow 4, Black-capped chickadee 8, Red-breasted nuthatch 1, White-breasted nuthatch 1, Ruby-crowned kinglet 1. Song sparrow 2, Junco 8, Northern cardinal 1, Common grackle 3

Bernache du Canada 10, Canard branchu 1, Canard colvert 2, Buse à queue rousse 1. Urubu à tête rouge 1, Goéland à bec cerclé 3, Pic maculé 6, Grand pic 2 (entendu), Moucherolle phébi 3, Corneille d'Amérique 4, 8 Mésange à tête noire , Sittelle à poitrine rousse 1, Sittelle à poitrine blanche 1, Roitelet à couronne rubis 1. Bruant chanteur 2, Junco ardoisé 8, Cardinal rouge 1, Quiscale bronzé 3

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip"

Saturday, 25 April – samedi 25 avril
Montréal, Parc-nature de la Pointe-aux-prairies

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

Guide: Joël Coutu 438-930-5092  e-mail

8:00 a.m. Take Highway 40 East to the exit for Boul. Gouin (Exit 92).
Turn left (west) on Gouin Blvd. and follow it for 1,9 km, looking for the blue signs indicating “Parc-nature de la Pointe-aux-Prairies.” The parking lot is located at the Pavillon des Marais section of the park, at 12,300 Gouin Blvd. East. Parking: $9.00. Half day.

8 h 00. À partir de l’autoroute 40 est, prendre la sortie pour le boulevard Gouin (sortie 92). Tourner à gauche, direction ouest, sur le boulevard Gouin. Continuer sur Gouin sur une distance de 1,9 km jusqu’au panneau bleu indiquant l’entrée du Parc-nature de la Pointe-aux-Prairies. Le stationnement est situé au Pavillon des marais, 12 300 boulevard Gouin Est. Frais de stationnement : 9,00 $. Demi-journée.

Birding for Beginners – Sorties ornithologiques pour les débutants

Morgan Arboretum

Thursday, April 23 and 30 – jeudi le 23 et 30 avril

Come learn the basics of bird identification in the field and observe some early migrants.

Venez découvrir les bases de l’identification des oiseaux sur le terrain et observer quelques espèces migratrices

http://goo.gl/maps/etLSX

http://www.morganarboretum.org/

Guide: Barbara MacDuff 514-457-2222  e-mail 

9:00 – 11:00 a.m. From Montreal take Highway 40 west. Take exit 44 (Morgan Blvd.). Turn left on Chemin Ste-Marie. Drive 1.4 km to second stop sign (at Arboretum road). Turn right. Drive 1 km to main parking on left. $5.00 admission charge for non-Arboretum members. Half day.

9 h 00 – 11 h 00. De Montréal, prendre l’autoroute 40 ouest, sortie 44 (boul. Morgan). Tourner à gauche sur le chemin Ste-Marie et continuer sur une distance de 1,4 km jusqu’au second arrêt (rue Arboretum). Tourner à droite et rouler sur une distance de 1 km jusqu’au stationnement principal, situé à gauche. Frais d’entrée: 5,00 $ pour les non-membres. Demi-journée.

Wood Warbler Walks at Summit Woods – Sorties ornithologiques au Boisé Sommet

Tuesday, April 21 and 28 and May 5, 12, 19 and 26 at 7:00 a.m.

Mardi le 21 et 28 avril et tous les mardis de mai

Guide: Jane Cormack 514 578-8249  e-mail 

Meet us at the Summit Circle Lookout. We are an informal group of BPQ members. All are welcome. It’s a perfect start to a spring day.

To reach Summit Circle, head north on Côte-des-Neiges. Turn left onto The Boulevard. Proceed to Ch. Belvedere and turn right. Drive up the steep hill on Ch. Belvedere to Summit Circle.

Vous êtes invités à vous joindre à l’une ou toutes des marches printanières avec un groupe amical des membres du POQ. C’est une belle façon de commencer une journée du printemps. Pour vous rendre au Summit Circle, dirigez vous vers le nord sur Côte-des-Neiges. Tourner à gauche sur le Boulevard. Poursuivre jusqu’au Ch. Belvédère et tourner à droite. Monter la côte abrupte sur le Ch. Belvédère jusqu’à Summit Circle.

These walks are dedicated to Jim Houghton. – Ces sorties sont dédiées à Jim Houghton.

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip Report" April 18

Yesterday was our annual field trip to Baie du Febvre and this time we had wonderful weather a bit on the cool side, between 3C and 6C. A group of 20 people showed up and the observation began right there at the beginning of rue Janelle with the star attraction two Eurasian Wigeon in bright plumage, second star two Ross's Goose swimming in the flooded field between Snow Geese.

We would like to welcome two very recent immigrants to Quebec, less than three months, Agata and Quentin Turbanska, very nice people with all lifers, isn't that great.

We proceeded along rue Janelle, the two ponds along the road were ice free but containing only a few ducks. Further north a flock of Snow Buntings and Horned Larks. We addes a few species present on the river. We then proceeded to the other observation sites where we added a few more species ending with 53 species.- Clémence and Jean

160,000 Snow Geese, 2 Ross's Geese, 5,000 Canada Geese, 3 Wood Ducks, 30 Gadwall, 2 Eurasian Wigeon, 30 American Wigeon, 20 American Black Duck, 50 Mallard, 2 Blue-winged Teal, 200 Northern Shoveler, 50 Northern Pintail, 150 Green-winged Teal, 6 Redhead, 200 Ring-necked Duck, 1 Greater Scaup, 4 Buffledhead, 24 Common Goldeneye, 6 Hooded Merganser, 10 Common Merganser, 4 Pied-bill Grebe, 3 Double-crested Cormorant, 5 Turkey Vulture, 4 Northern Harrier, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 3 Red-tailed Hawk, 4 Rough-legged Hawk, 1 American Kestrel, 9 Killdeer, 3 Wilson Snipe, 100 Ring-billed Gull, 3 Great Black-backed Gull, 8 Mourning Dove, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Blue Jay, 12 American Crow, 200 Horned Lark, 75 Tree Swallow, 1 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 12 American Robin, 12 European Starling, 36 American Tree Sparrow, 1 Chipping Sparrow, 15 Dark-eyed Junco, 35 Song Sparrow, 4 Swamp Sparrow, 70 Snow Bunting, 500 Red-winged Blackbird, 150 Common Grackle, 16 Brown-headed Cowbird

160000 Oie des neiges, 2 Oie de Ross, 5000 Bernache du Canada, 3 Canards branchus, 30 Canard chipeau, 2 Canard siffleur, 30 Canard d'Amérique, 20 Canard noir, 50 Canard colvert, 2 Sarcelle à ailes bleues, 200 Canard souchet, 50 Canard pilet, 150 Sarcelle d'hiver, 6 Fuligule à tête rouge, 200 Canard à collier, Fuligule milouinan, 24 Petit Garrot, 24 Common Garrot, 6 Harle couronné, 10 Grand Harle, 4 Grèbe à bec bigarré, 3 Cormoran à aigrettes, 5 Urubu à tête rouge, 4 Busard Saint-Martin, 1 Épervier brun, 3 Buse à queue rousse, 4 Buse pattue, 1 Crécerelle d'Amérique, 9 Pluvier kildir, 3 Bécassine de Wilson , 100 Goéland à bec cerclé, 3 Goéland marin, 8 Tourterelle triste, 1 Pic mineur, 1 Geai bleu, 12 Corneille d'Amérique, 200 Alouette hausse-col, 75 Hirondelle bicolore, 1 Mésange à tête noire, 1 Roitelet à couronne dorée, 12 Merle d'Amérique, 12 Étourneau sansonnet, 36 Bruant Hudsonien, 1 Bruant familier, 15 Junco ardoisé, 35 Bruant chanteur, 4 Bruant des marais, 70 Bruant des neiges, 500 Carouge à épaulettes, 150 Quiscale bronzé, 16 Vacher à tête brune

Sightings for Thursday April 16

Montréal,Mount Royal Cemetery: I saw a Varied Thrush near the large conifers at the north side entrance, she went back and forth between the trees and the large shrub furthest to the left.

She was quite shy and spent most of the time hiding in conifers.

Photo at the following link: http://www.pbase.com/jsmayer/image/159760554

cimetière Mont-Royal à Montréal, j'ai observé une Grive à collier près des grands conifères du côté de l'entrée Nord, elle faisait l'aller retour entre les arbres et le gros bosquet plus à gauche.
Elle était passablement farouche et passait la plupart de son temps caché dans les conifères.

Photo au lien suivant: http://www.pbase.com/jsmayer/image/159760554 - Jean-Sébastien Mayer

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip"

Saturday, 18 April – samedi 18 avril
Baie-du-Febvre

MAP / CARTE https://goo.gl/maps/VTO2X

Latest eBird hotspot sightings
http://ebird.org/ebird/qc/hotspot/L2764781?yr=all&m=&rank=mrec

Guides: Jean Demers and Clémence Soulard e-mail  514-694-8240
8:30 a.m. Meet at the Route Janelle lookout at Baie du Febvre. Two possible driving routes. First route: Take Hwy 30 east to Sorel and then Hwy 132 east to Baie du Febvre. Look for Route Janelle on your left. Alternate route: Take Hwy 20 east to Exit 185 past Drummondville and then Rte 255 north to Hwy 132. Turn left and look for Rue Janelle almost immediately on your right. Allow 90 minutes driving time from Montreal. Looking for waterfowl, hawks, early spring migrants and thousands of migrating Snow Geese. All day.

8 h 30. Rassemblement au poste d’observation (cache) situé le long de la route Janelle, à Baie-du-Febvre. On propose deux trajets. Premier trajet : Prendre l’autoroute 30 en direction est jusqu’à Sorel puis prendre la route 132 en direction est jusqu’à Baie-du-Febvre. Tourner à gauche sur la route Janelle, juste après l’intersection avec la rue principale. Deuxième trajet : Prendre l’autoroute 20 en direction est jusqu’à la sortie 185 située après Drummondville. A partir de cette sortie, prendre la route 255 en direction nord jusqu’à l’intersection avec la route 132. Tourner à gauche sur celle-ci. Immédiatement après, tourner à droite sur la route Janelle. Durée du trajet : 1h30. À la recherche de milliers d’Oies des neiges, d’oiseaux aquatiques, de rapaces et d’autres migrateurs. Toute la journée.

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip Report" April 11

20 birders joined for today’s trip to Plaisance National Park.

 

The weather was pretty chilly and windy, but became warmer as we moved through the day. Around midday, in protected areas,  there was even a very nice feeling of warmth and spring. It was at times only…

 

The day started with quite some action over the Outaouais river, as we were gathering for the start of the trip in Grenville.  Several species of waterfowl as well as a Bald Eagle and a Northern Harrier were seen.

 

We then headed to Thurso (western end of Plaisance Park) for a couple of hours, before visiting the Main Presqu’Ile area for end of the morning – late lunch.

 

In Plaisance’s Park, birding was not always easy because of the wind and because most areas, except a few patches on the  Outaouais, were still frozen. Today’s motto became « you can’t imagine how it will be like here in a week… it will be filled with ducks! But now, it is a bit frozen… »

 

That being said, if waterfowl (except Canada geese) were not in huge number, we managed to see 12 species of them, including Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck. Bufflehead and Hooded Merganser.

 

Raptors were also very present today with 9 species observed : Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel and Merlin. Plus Turkey Vulture.

 

Songbirds were not too active today given the cold weather and wind, and singers were rare except for a few courageous Song Sparrows that were claiming their territory.

 

Other noticeable birds observed during the day included a pair of Sandhill Cranes, a Ruffed Grouse and a lonely Red-breasted Nuthatch in a residential area as well a flock of 30+ Snow Bunting flying over the river.

 

Interestingly no Snow Goose was observed DURING the trip today. BUT a pair of birders within the group, tried their best to add the specie to the count given that they saw several hundreds of them before the start of the trip in Southern Ontario … after taking the wrong road after missing the exit to Hawsbury. Unfortunately, the rest of the group took the right exit and missed the geese so we were not able to count those - BPQ rules! :-)

 

Overall 46 species were observed. Birds of the day for the group: Sandhill Cranes as well as Turkey Vultures for their amazing low soaring movements seen at close distance.

 

Details of birds observed can be found in the ebird lists below.

 

Thanks to all who came for this trip. It was fun to bird together!

 

And don’t forget that next week is THE week, and it will take place in Baie-du-Febvre. - 
Frederic Hareau

1800 Canada Goose, 26 American Black Duck, 42 Mallard, 26 Northern Pintail, 14 Ring-necked Duck, 2 Green-winged Teal, 11 Bufflehead, 10 Common Goldeneye, 32 Hooded Merganser, 20 Common Merganser, 1 Ruffed grouse, 3 Great Blue Heron, 22 Turkey Vulture, 5 Northern Harrier, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2 Cooper's Hawk, 2 Bald Eagle, 3 Red-shouldered Hawk, 6 Red-tailed Hawk, 4 Rough-legged Hawk, 4 Sandhill Crane, 2 Killdeer, 16 Ring-billed Gull, 26 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon), 4 Downy Woodpecker, 2 Hairy Woodpecker, 5 American Kestrel, 4 Merlin, 1 Eastern phoebe, 6 Blue Jay, 44 American Crow, 2 Common raven, 2 Black-capped Chickadee, 1 Red-breasted nuthatch, 2 White-breasted Nuthatch, 14 American Robin, 16 European Starling, 60 Snow Bunting, 3 American tree sparrow, 11 Song Sparrow, 1 Dark-eyed junco, 36 Red-winged Blackbird, 26 Common Grackle, 1 Brown-headed cowbird, 4 American goldfinch, 3 House sparrow

1800 Bernache du Canada, 26 Canard noir, 42 Canard colvert, 26 Canard pilet, Canard 14 Fuligule à collier, 2 Sarcelle d'hiver, 11 Petit Garrot, 10 Garrot à oeil d'or, 32 Harle couronné, 20 Grand Harle, 1 Gélinotte huppée, 3 Grand héron, 22 Urubu à tête rouge, 5 Busard Saint-Martin, 1 Épervier brun, 2 Épervier de Cooper, 2 Pygargue à tête blanche, 3 Buse à épaulettes, 6 Buse à queue rousse, 4 Buse pattue, 4 Grue du Canada, 2 Pluvier kildir, 16 Goéland à bec cerclé, 26 Pigeon biset, 4 Pic mineur, 2 Pic chevelu, 5 Crécerelle d'Amérique, 4 Faucon émerillon, 1 Moucherolle phébi, 6 Geai bleu, 44 Corneille d'Amérique, 2 Grand corbeau, 2 Mésange à tête noire, 1 sittelle à poitrine rousse, 2 Sittelle à poitrine blanche, 14 Merle d'Amérique, 16 Étourneau sansonnet, 60 Bruant des neiges, 3 Bruant hudsonien, 11 Bruant chanteur, 1 Junco ardoisé, 36 carouge à épaulettes, 26 Quiscale bronzé, 1 Vacher à tête brune, 4 Chardonneret jaune, 3 Moineau domestique

Grenville

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S22802421

 

Plaisance Park – Thurso

http://ebird.org/ebird/qc/hotspot/L1439990

 

Plaisance Park – Presqu’ile

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S22802535

Bird Protection Quebec "Monthly Lecture, Meeting"

Ten years of migration monitoring – highlights of MBO’s first decade

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

McGill Bird Observatory (MBO) was launched as a pilot project in August 2004 by a small team of graduate students from McGill’s Natural Resource Sciences program, assisted by a few BPQ members. Little did anyone realize at the time how successful the program would become. Spring and fall migration monitoring programs have been standardized since 2005, and along the way summer and winter research projects were added and the capacity of the Northern Saw-whet Owl migration program was expanded. Despite open water being limited to small ponds, the site checklist has grown to 209 species; perhaps more impressively, 115 of these have been banded. MBO’s 50,000th bird was banded in October 2014, and the annual average of over 5,000 individuals banded ranks among the top handful of migration monitoring locations in Canada. Along the way, MBO banders have trained hundreds of volunteers, learned new details about countless species, and generated ever more questions to keep us busy well into the future! This presentation will highlight key results from MBO’s new ten-year report, and provide a sneak peek of what lies ahead.

Marcel Gahbauer is one of the co-founders of MBO, and served as the primary bander-in-charge for the first three years (while procrastinating on completion of his PhD at McGill). He has since scaled back on-site activities, but remains heavily involved with data analysis and program guidance as executive director of the Migration Research Foundation (which operates MBO). Outside MBO and MRF, Marcel serves as co-chair of COSEWIC’s Birds Specialist Subcommittee, and is a senior wildlife biologist with Stantec, based in Ottawa.

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip"

Saturday, April 11 – Samedi 11 avril
Parc National de Plaisance

https://goo.gl/maps/rHPlP (Meeting Place in Grenville)

https://goo.gl/maps/Zy4W1 (Parc National de Plaisance)

Guide: Frédéric Hareau  e-mail  514-805-8491 (cell phone on the day of the trip only – cellulaire pour le jour de la sortie seulement)

7:30 a.m. Meeting in Grenville. From Montreal take Highway 40 to the Ontario border. Continue on Highway 417 and take Exit 9 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 kms at the T Junction, turn left on Main Street . After another 1.8 kms, 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 the various habitats of the Park, including the Outaouais river, the marsh, as well as deciduous and mixed forests. At the time of the year, we should encounter a good diversity of waterfowl, raptors as well as early migrants and resident birds. Always some nice surprises! Bring your lunch. Full day.

7 h 30. Rendez-vous à Grenville. 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 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.

Nous parcourrons les habitats diversifiés du Parc, et en particulier la rivière des Outaouais, les marais et les forêts mixtes à la recherche de la sauvagine, des rapaces, des espèces migratrices, et des espèces. Toute la journée.

Sightings for Monday April 6

Bob and I were at Baie du Febvre this morning, around 10 am. There were about 1,000 Snow Geese (Oie des neiges) on the ground, and while we were there for about 45 minutes, another 1,000 probably arrived, in groups of 5 to 200 birds. The few Canada geese (Bernache du Canada) groups flew right past the snow geese on the ground. But all of the snow geese took to the air when a Bald Eagle (Pygargue à tête blanche) flew over them. Quite the sight. - Anne Tittler

Ross's Goose, Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Harriers, an American Kestrel (female), some Horned Larks
Oie de Ross, Buses pattues, quelques Busards Saint-Martin, une Crécerelle d'Amérique (femelle), quelques Alouettes hausse-col - Michel Bertrand
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Further to Anne and Bob's report of Snow Geese (Oie des neiges) at Baie du Febvre it would seem that most of the snow geese are still in the southwest section of the province. On a quick trip around the St Clet, St Polycarpe, Ste Marthe area this afternoon there were very large groups out in the fields. At one point a distant massive group all lifted off at once and whirled around for several minutes before settling back down. I would guess in the tens of thousands. I did not see what disturbed them but whatever it was it also disturbed a few snowy owls that flew around for while. When all had gone quiet again I did a slow scan around and picked up no less than 13 Snowy Owls (Harfang des neiges) sitting in the fields and on fence posts. All viewed from the same location but all quite distant. Many of them seemed to be sitting around the perimeter of the geese. Add in a flock of 200 or so Snow buntings (Bruants des neiges) and it was indeed a very "snowy" afternoon. Oh, and then it actually started to snow.

There were also two Rough-legged Hawks (Buse pattue) and a Common Raven (Grand corbeau) in view at the same time.

Not that they will be there tomorrow but here is where I stopped and looked south.

https://goo.gl/maps/ZNGVr

Wayne Grubert

Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip Report" April 4

Well, we are officially three weeks into our spring trips and can't seem to escape winter conditions. We have to catch a break sometime.

Ten birders showed up at Cap St Jacques Nature Park hoping for some spring birding but were met with sideways blowing snow out of the north. At least the temperatures were tolerable at -3C. Then at about 10:30am the snow stopped, the skies cleared and we enjoyed a winter wonderland of snow covered trees and brilliant blue skies. A beautiful February landscape. The 5.5+ km hike was good exercise.

With a few exceptions the birds seen were more suitable to winter than spring. The highlight of the day was a flock of 100+ Bohemian Waxwings which were very cooperative as they fed on buckthorn berries and flew about in the trees over our heads. The weather by that point had turned and the colourful birds with their constant twittering and a blue sky background were magical. A single Cedar Waxing was deftly spotted by Matt in the group.
Three Hooded Mergansers close to shore and two Pied-Billed Grebes out on the water were nice to see but were the only birds viewed in the limited ice-free areas. A Great Blue Heron, four Killdeer and a single Red-winged Blackbird made flyovers. These along with a pair of Song Sparrows were our only real harbingers of spring. A Merlin made an appearance while we were tallying up the day's sightings and was joined by a second individual soon after most of our party had departed. (Thanks to Louie, Rejeanne and Lise for their persistence in tracking these two down.) A group of 30 Snow Buntings also made flyover shortly after most participants had left. These have been included in the totals.

Thanks to everyone who came out to brave the early conditions and were rewarded with some beautiful if not quite seasonable landscapes. - Wayne Grubert

Our complete list of 22 species included: Canada Goose - 20, Mallard - 2, Hooded Merganser - 3, Pied -billed Grebe - 2, Great Blue Heron - 1, Merlin - 2, Killdeer - 3, Ring-billed Gull - 12, Mourning Dove - 2, Downy Woodpecker - 4, Hairy Woodpecker - 2, Pileated Woodpecker - 1 (heard only), Blue Jay - 2 (heard only), American Crow - 20, Black-capped Chickadees - 10, White-breasted Nuthatches - 6, American Robin - 2, Bohemian Waxwing - 100+, Cedar Waxwing - 1, Song Sparrow - 2, Snow Buntings - 30, Northern Cardinal - 6, Red-winged Blackbird - 1

Bernachedu Canada- 20, Canard colvert - 2, Harle couronné - 3, Grèbe à bec bigarré- 2, Grand Héron - 1, Faucon émerillon - 2, Pluvier kildir - 3, Goéland à bec cerclé - 12, Tourterelle triste - 2, Pic mineur - 4, Pic chevelu - 2, Grand pic - 1 (entendu seulement), Geai bleu - 2 (entendu seulement), Corneille d'Amérique - 20, Mésanges à tête noire - 10, Sittelles à poitrine blanche - 6, Merle d'Amérique - 2, Jaseur boréal - 100+, Jaseur d'Amérique - 1, Bruant chanteur - 2, Bruants des neiges - 30, Cardinal rouge - 6, Carouge à épaulettes - 1