Bird Protection Quebec

08/25/2026

There has been a lot of talk (and good-natured grumbling 🙃) about everyone's favourite "confusing fall warblers" on recent BPQ field trips. These wonderful up-close examples with informative explanations of how they differ from their more easily identifiable spring plumages are a great start to sorting them out. Now, if our friends at Observatoire d'oiseaux de Tadoussac could just do the same for all the others! 😉

08/24/2026

BPQ 2026 Summer Series Field Trip #9 Report - Saturday, Aug. 22 - Ile-Bizard

25 birders spent 4.5 hours walking the trails and boardwalks of PN du Bois-de-l'Île-Bizard on an amazing morning with mild temperatures, with a light breeze and sunny skies, and the birds did not disappoint.
The morning began with lots of birds zipping around the parking lot, many of them fall warblers, or should I say "confusing" fall warblers coming through our region on their early fall migration to the south! We did manage to identify 8 species, but it really is a challenge at this time of the year.
The marsh at the first boardwalk was thick with water lilies, so much so that birds, frogs and turtles were easily able to walk across them. There was obviously a very successful breeding season for Wood Ducks in the marsh as atleast 50 of them were visible.
The marsh also produced some of the most exciting finds of the morning. We had incredible looks at both Virginia Rail and Sora, many Green Herons, a fly-by of two adult Bald Eagles, one juvenile and one Solitary Sandpiper. Belted Kingfishers put on some fishing displays for us as well.
Two Broad-winged Hawks at the second shorter boardwalk and marsh gave us an amazing aerial display.
When all the birds were totalled up, we ended the morning with an impressive total of 56 species!
An Ebird checklist for the trip is available at https://ebird.org/checklist/S385882634
Some amazing photos have been shared with us by Wayne Grubert, Darlene Harvey, Tom Long and Bill Thompson.
Thanks to everyone for participating. We have one more Summer Series to go next Saturday.

Sheldon Harvey
Bird Protection Quebec.

08/19/2026

We are excited to announce the launch of our brand-new website!

The site has been redesigned from the ground up, with a fresh new look and easier navigation. Along with a trove of information about BPQ, and a resource centre with links to helpful information and bird-related websites, details of our activities will now be posted directly to our website, as well as being posted here.

Head over to https://birdprotectionquebec.org and take a tour!

—BPQ Communications Committee

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Nous sommes ravis de vous annoncer le lancement de notre tout nouveau site web !

Le site a été entièrement repensé et offre une interface moderne et une navigation plus intuitive. Outre une mine d’informations sur POQ et un centre de ressources proposant des liens vers des informations utiles et des sites web consacrés aux oiseaux, les détails de nos activités seront désormais publiés directement sur notre site Web, en plus d'être publiés ici.

Rendez-vous sur https://birdprotectionquebec.org/fr/ et
découvrez-le !

—Comité des communications de POQ

08/18/2026

BPQ 2026 Summer Series Field Trip #8 Report- Saturday, August 15 - Halte de l'Oie des neiges, St-Étienne de Beauharnois, QC

13 people participated in a 6.5km walk to the marshes in St-Étienne-de-Beauharnois on a beautiful warm and breezy day. 37 species were observed, plus one Traill’s Flycatcher.
Some birds of note seen were Trumpeter Swans, Caspian Tern, American Bittern, Cape May Warblers and Northern Harrier.

Following the trip, 2 people decided to carry on to Parc de la Central in Beauharnois. 12 species were observed there, incluidng
Purple Martins, Bonaparte Gulls, Common and Caspian Terns.

Combining the two locations, an overall total of 47 species were seen for the day.

EBird checklists are available for both locations at:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S384431636 and
https://ebird.org/checklist/S384431644

We have a selection of photographs courtesy of Wayne Grubert, Pat O'Connell and Bill Thompson

Thanks to everyone for an enjoyable morning of birding.

Ron Rind
BPQ Field Trip Guide

08/15/2026

The notice of arrangements and obituary have now been published and are available at https://montrealgazette.remembering.ca/obituary/evelyn-elizabeth-marshall-nee-wright-1093965000

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We are so sad to share the news that BPQ past president Eve Marshall passed away on August 2, 2026. Although no longer active, during her time with BPQ she was a dedicated member who contributed to our mission in many different areas: in addition to her two years as president, Eve was a board member for 10 years, both 1st and 2nd vice-president, chair of the membership services committee, and conservation committee member. In between, she somehow found time to co-edit our Song Sparrow newsletter for a number of years.

Eve will be fondly remembered by all of her BPQ family; we offer our deepest condolences to her family and close friends.

Arrangements are not yet finalized. We will post the details here once they are available.

View Evelyn Elizabeth Marshall (née Wright)'s complete obituary, share memories, and explore 1 tribute posts from the community.

08/12/2026

It's that time of year again—if you see a Blue Jay looking like this fellow, don't panic! This is a normal late summer/early fall look for this species that loses all its head feathers at once instead of gradually when it molts. According to Project Feederwatch's Unusual Birds site: "Many of these strange-looking birds may be juveniles undergoing their first prebasic molt, which produces the first winter adult plumage." This same molt pattern also happens frequently enough in Northern Cardinals to be considered normal.

The bald look will only last for about a week, and then he'll return to his usual, beautiful self!

🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛

C'est à nouveau cette période de l'année : si vous apercevez un Geai bleu ressemblant à celui-ci, pas de panique ! Il s'agit d'un aspect tout à fait normal en fin d'été ou début d'automne pour cette espèce, qui perd toutes les plumes de sa tête d'un seul coup, plutôt que progressivement, lors de la mue. Selon le site « Oiseaux chauves » du projet Feederwatch : « On a cependant remarqué qu’il s’agissait souvent de juvéniles qui s’apprêtaient à revêtir leur premier plumage d’adulte pour l’hiver. » Ce même schéma de mue est également suffisamment fréquent chez les Cardinaux rouges pour être considéré comme normal.

Cet aspect « chauve » ne durera qu’une semaine environ, puis il retrouvera son magnifique plumage habituel !

08/11/2026

BPQ 2026 Summer Series Field Trip #7 Report - Saturday, August 8 - Sainte-Martine and Mercier, Quebec.

There were 18 participants, including one visitor from Ireland, on this week's Summer Series field trip on a partly cloudy, humid morning. We began the trip at Le Domaine-de-la-Pêche-au-Saumon, in Sainte-Martine, where 32 species were found. Wayne Grubert spotted the celebrity bird of the morning, a Stilt Sandpiper, hanging out with the Mallards and Yellowlegs. Other birds of note at the site included Chimney Swifts, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, and Black-crowned Night Heron.
Our next stop was the Mercier Sewage Lagoons. Here we were able to find 27 species. Surprisingly a second Stilt Sandpiper was found at this location! Other species of note here included Wood Ducks, Green-winged Teal, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Bald Eagle and Red-tailed Hawk.
Our final stop of the morning was the Gué de Mercier. This stretch of the Chateauguay River is located below Autoroute 30, so it can be a noisy spot, but it doesn't seem to bother the birds! We were able to find 20 speices here, includng Spotted Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Great Egrets, and Osprey.
Combining all three locations produced a trip report with a total of 43 species, a very respectable number for early August. The EBird trip report is available at https://ebird.org/tripreport/557890
Individual Ebird checklists are available at:
Sainte-Martine - https://ebird.org/checklist/S381273960
Mercier Sewage Lagoons - https://ebird.org/checklist/S381286697
Gué de Mercier - https://ebird.org/checklist/S381286818
We have a selection of photos courtesy Wayne Grubert, Darlene Harvey and Tom Long.
Thanks to all who participated in a productive morning of birding.

Sheldon Harvey
Bird Protection Quebec Field Trip Committee.

08/07/2026

News from Regroupement des organismes de conservation du Québec:

Île-Bizard Site (Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève, Montreal)

Around mid-July, combining their respective missions, the UPA-Fondaction Agricultural Trust and Nature Conservancy of Quebec officially jointly acquired the Île-Bizard Site, a 34-hectare farm located in the Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève borough of Montreal.

This joint acquisition model – the first of its kind in the province – will facilitate access to the land for the next generation of farmers who would otherwise be unable to afford it; and ensure the conservation of the land's natural habitats, thus maintaining the ecological services they provide.

“Indeed, the property’s wooded, wetland and open areas play a vital role in providing habitat for several species, including farmland birds and pollinators such as the Monarch butterfly, while supporting key ecological functions such as crop pollination, water regulation and ecosystem resilience to climate change.”
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Site Île-Bizard (Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève, Montréal)*
Vers la mi-juillet, conciliant leurs vocations respectives, la Fiducie agricole UPA-Fondaction et Conservation de la nature Québec ont officiellement acquis de concert le Site Île-Bizard, une terre agricole de 34 hectares située dans l’arrondissement L’Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève de la Ville de Montréal.

Ce modèle d'acquisition conjointe – inédit dans la province – permettra : d’y faciliter l’accès à des relèves agricoles qui n’auraient autrement pas les moyens de se l’offrir; d’assurer la conservation des milieux naturels du terrain, maintenant ainsi les services écologiques qu’ils procurent.

« En effet, les milieux boisés, humides et ouverts de la propriété jouent un rôle essentiel en offrant un habitat à plusieurs espèces, dont des oiseaux champêtres et des pollinisateurs comme le papillon Monarque, tout en soutenant des fonctions écologiques clés telles que la pollinisation des cultures, la régulation de l’eau et la résilience des écosystèmes face aux changements climatiques. »