Bird Protection Quebec "Field Trip Report" - Saturday, Sept. 12

10 birders participated in yesterday's field trip to Baie-du-Febvre on a day that felt much more like fall than summer. Cool temperatures, mostly overcast and finally few showers just as we were wrapping things up. Baie-du-Febvre is one of our usual spots to visit each year but usually during the spring in the midst of the Snow Goose migration. It's quite a different spot to see in September with crops in the majority of the fields that in the spring are usually filled with water and waterfowl! However, there were some surprising finds on the trip. A couple of the highlights included the largest number of Black-crowned Night Herons that any of us could remember seeing at one time. Also the first major flock of Snow Geese of the fall migration season was seen from one of the Highway 132 observation points. We also ran into one wave of warblers on the path between the ponds and the marsh. We came away with a total of 45 species. Here is the list. As usual, the numbers, in some cases, are estimated.

Thank you to everyone for coming out on the trip and helping out with some tricky identifications. - Sheldon Harvey

Snow Goose 500+, Wood Duck 2, Gadwall 15, Mallard 30, Blue-winged Teal 1, Northern Shoveler 8, Green-winged Teal 12, Ring-necked Duck 4, Pied-billed Grebe 2, Double-crested Cormorant 4, American Bittern 1, Great Blue Heron 6, Black-crowned Night Heron 50+, Osprey 2, Bald Eagle 1 (note a second eagle was seen but at a great distance), Northern Harrier 8, Cooper's Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Merlin 2, Common Moorhen 2, Wilson's Snipe 1, Ring-billed Gull 6, Mourning Dove 6, Northern Flicker 2, Eastern Wood-Pewee 1, Eastern Kingbird 1, Blue Jay 4, American Crow 8, Common Raven 2, Tree Swallow 2, Barn Swallow 1, White-breasted Nuthatch 1, American Robin 1, Magnolia Warbler 1, Cape May Warbler 2, Yellow-rumped Warbler 3, Palm Warbler 1, Blackpoll Warbler 1, Northern Waterthrush 1, Common Yellowthroat 1, Song Sparrow 4, Swamp Sparrow 3, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1, Red-winged Blackbird 500+, American Goldfinch 10

Oie des neiges 500+, Canard branchu 2, Canard chipeau 15, Canard colvert 30, Sarcelle à ailes bleues 1, Canard souchet 8, Sarcelle d'hiver 12, Fuligule à collier 4, Grèbe à bec bigarré 2, Cormoran à aigrettes 4, Butor d'Amérique 1, Grand Héron 6, Bihoreau gris 50+, Balbuzard pêcheur 2, Pygargue à tête blanche 1 (une deuxième aigle a été vu, mais à une grande distance), Busard Saint-Martin 8, Épervier de Cooper 1, Buse à queue rousse 2, Faucon émerillon 2, Gallinule poule-d'eau 2, Bécassine de Wilson 1, Goéland à bec cerclé 6, Tourterelle triste 6, Pic flamboyant 2, Pioui de l'Est 1, Tyran de l'Est 1, Geai bleu 4, Corneille d'Amérique 8, Grand Corbeau 2, Hirondelle bicolore 2 , Hirondelle rustique 1, Sittelle à poitrine blanche 1, Merle d'Amérique 1, Paruline à tête cendrée 1, Paruline tigrée 2, Paruline à croupion jaune 3, Paruline à couronne rousse 1, Paruline rayée 1, Paruline des ruisseaux 1, Paruline masquée 1, Bruant chanteur 4, Bruant des marais 3, Cardinal à poitrine rose 1, Carouge à épaulettes 500+, Chardonneret jaune 10