114th CBC Québec Regional Summary

 By Marcel Darveau

The 113th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) went very well in Quebec. A total of 119 species was observed on count day, of which 40 were aquatic species (34 % of all species), 19 were raptors (hawks and owls: 16 %), and 60 were land birds (grouse, woodpecker, and passerine: 50 %).

Thirty-seven counts, including the Ottawa-Gatineau count (half in Quebec and half in Ontario), were completed between December 14, 2013 and January 5, 2014. A new count added this year: Lac-Megantic. One count inactive last year was restarted but two active last year were not done or did not submit data this year. Compilers are encouraged to find a secondary compiler who can help to data entry. The most popular count day was December 14 with 13 counts, followed by December 21 with six counts. In total, there were 1124 participants, of which 910 in the field and 214 at feeders. Ottawa-Gatineau had the most observers (142), followed by Quebec City (111).

A total of 224,146 birds was reported, a decrease of 28 % relatively to last year, probably as a result of cold weather. St-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu ranked first with 81,152 birds, thanks to the presence of 71,077 American Crows and 5350 Canada Geese. Granby counters tallied 19,803 birds. Across the province, Ottawa ranked first in number of species (67) trailed by Quebec City (61).

Three species were reported in all counts: the Blue Jay, Common Raven, and Black-capped Chickadee. Only four species had a total of over 10,000 individual across the province: American Crow (96,567), Black-capped Chickadee (15,235), European Starling (11,402), and Rock Pigeon (10,099).

If we look at threatened species, one Harlequin Duck (Longueuil) is a very low number whereas 1976 Barrow’s Goldeneyes (1769 in Tadoussac alone) is outstanding. The Bald Eagle totaled 106 individuals on 26 counts. The Golden Eagle (9 birds of which 7 in Ste-Anne-du-Lac) and Peregrine Falcon (21) were reported in three and none counts, respectively. Seven Short-eared Owls (3 in Otterburn Park, 2 in Perce, 1 in Hudson, and 1 in Sorel-Tracy) and 14 Rusty Blackbirds (12 in Baie-Missisquoi and 2 in Hudson) were also seen.

Regarding Quebec’s rare bird highlights, the following species were observed in one count area only: three Wood Ducks (Laval-Ahuntsic), two American Wigeon (Montreal), one Green-winged Teal (Beauce-Sud), two Ring-necked- Ducks (Lennoxville), one Pied-billed Grebe (Lennoxville), one Northern Gannet (Perce), one Double-crested Cormorant (Forillon), one Northern Harrier (Laval-Ahuntsic), 222 Purple Sandpipers (Tadoussac), one Wilson’s Snipe (Quebec), one Lesser Black-backed Gull (Longueuil), one Eurasian Collared-Dove (Brome-Lake) two Belted Kingfishers (Lascelles), and one Fox Sparrow (Longueuil).

Two species warrant special attention this year: the Peregrine Falcon and Gyrfalcon. Most birders have noticed that the populations of the Peregrine are recovering since the banning of DDT in the 1970’s. CBC results in Quebec illustrate that very well: after an average one bird seen in Quebec counts per 1000 party-hours in the 1980s and 1990s, the number of birds raised steadily to reach five birds per 1000 party-hours in the early 2000s and eight birds in the 2010s. In contrast, the Gyrfalcon oscillated around two birds/1000 party-hours from the 1980s to the late 2000s, but suddenly fell below one bird five years ago. It is not clear if the Gyrfalcon’s decline in Quebec CBCs reflects a decline in populations or in birder’s success to detect it in the field.