Chronicles

While the shimmering colors of the males enchant us in spring, they are much more challenging in fall. Indeed, at this time of year, some of the birds emerging from the boreal forest are yellowish or greenish in color, whether male or female, much to the dismay of many birders.

As we begin fall migration, with the first migrants already moving into the southern part of the province, we’re going to try and offer you a forecast of this year’s conditions.

We’ve just experienced a major heat wave, surprisingly early in the year, breaking several records in the province. This heat wave is also occurring at the height of birds’ breeding season, when many young birds are still in the nest. Should we therefore expect an increase in mortality?

The first week of June marked the end of spring monitoring projects at three sites: the Cap-Tourmente National Wildlife Area in Saint-Joachim, the Maison de la Mer in Les Bergeronnes, and the Dunes de Tadoussac. Here is a brief summary of these projects.

But what if it’s just our imagination? Or a combination of environmental factors?

The Tadoussac Bird Observatory could not continue all these research projects without the invaluable help of thousands of volunteers. We would like to thank them warmly for their time and all the moments spent with them.