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Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area
Since 2015, the Tadoussac Bird Observatory (TBO) has set up a migration monitoring station at the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area. This project is supported by Environment and Climate Change Canada. In 2025, we are pleased to also rely on the financial support of the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation to continue our environmental education work.
Quebec’s most diverse ornithological site
The Cap Tourmente NWA is one of the most significant migratory stopovers in Quebec. Indeed, it is renowned to be the province’s “best birding site”, with a list of over 300 bird species. This richness stems from the reserve’s strategic location, at the convergence of the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield (Laurentian Mountains), and at the confluence of the Fluvial and Maritime estuaries. The national reserve offers a wide variety of habitats, from intertidal to coastal marshes, from agricultural plains to lowland Laurentian forests, and up to mountain boreal forests. This variety of habitats, combined with the reserve’s position along the north shore of the St. Lawrence, which is the most important autumn migration corridor in the province, creates an exceptional concentration of birds during migration.
The NWA is also a very popular destination for thousands of nature lovers annually and is an ideal site for migratory bird interpretation through banding demonstration activities.
Junco ardoisé - Alexandre Terrigeol
Junco ardoisé - Alexandre Terrigeol
A banding station to monitor migration
Developped around autumn migration monitoring, the project has evolved to include monitoring of bird populations year-round. Today, spring migration monitoring takes place from April 23 to June 4, and from August 1 to October 24 in the fall.
An array of mist nets located near the Léon-Provancher pavilion, capture a sample of migrating birds. Each bird is carefully identified, banded, measured, weighed and released. Combined with visual surveys carried out on the site, banding data allows to understand population trends over time.
Robert Morin
Bringing Canadians closer to nature
In addition to the research activities, outreach and interpretation activities are offered to the public. Attended by several thousand people and school groups each year, this project raises public awareness regarding the phenomenon of migration, as well as bird monitoring and conservation of our natural ecosystems.
It is best to attend the interpretation session in the morning and in good weather, in order to observe the research work.
Robert Morin
Recaptures
Although these research activities focus primarily on standardized banding data (age, sex, weight, body measurements), recaptures provide us with important information on the migratory routes used by individual birds. If you spot a banded bird, you can contribute to the program by reporting it online at reportband.gov.
Specific projects
Other projects are carried out at the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area to gain a comprehensive view of all the birds which frequent the area during the breeding season.
Aerial insectivore nesting monitoring
Starting in 2023, this project aims to assess reproductive success and phenology of aerial insectivores, mainly Tree Swallows.
The monitoring focuses on a network of nesting boxes scattered throughout the national reserve. Inspected regularly by an experienced ornithologist, the project has already demonstrated its importance, notably by highlighting the predation pressure.
Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS)
The MAPS program is a continent-wide collaborative effort led by The Institute for bird populations to aid the conservation of birds and their habitats through bird banding.
We collect data used to estimate key demographic parameters – also known as vital rates – such as productivity, recruitment and survival of individual bird species. This information allows us to assess limitation factors faced by bird populations.
Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, an exceptional site for birdwatchers
Want to help out? Become a volunteer!
Since its creation, the pursuit of various bird banding programs has been made possible thanks to the involvement of a large number of volunteers.