Québec
Pierre Bannon, Oliver Barden, Normand David, and Samuel Denault, Regional Report Compilers
At 1,542,056 km2, Québec is the largest province in Canada and spans more than ten vegetation zones. Its bioregions range from Arctic tundra in the north to sugar-maple–bitternut-hickory forest in the south. Between is the boreal forest, which has been called North America’s bird nursery.
Of 462 species of birds recorded in the province, 282 have been documented breeding, 24 occur only during migration, 152 are of casual occurrence, and 4 are extinct. Birding in the province is mostly focused along the St. Lawrence River corridor. In spring, one of the most popular spots is Tadoussac, located on the north shore. More than half a million landbirds, mostly warblers, engaging in reverse migration have been observed there during a single day in late May. During fall, seawatching trips out of Tadoussac and hawkwatching on the nearby sand dunes are popular activities. The Portneuf sandbar, also on the north shore, is host to thousands of shorebirds.
In 1981, a few local bird clubs decided to create a provincial organization called “Regroupement QuébecOiseaux”, which now includes 32 bird clubs, including century-old “Bird Protection Québec”. With the help of volunteers from these clubs, two breeding bird atlases have been published for the province (1984–89, 2010–2014). eBird’s creators were inspired by EPOQ (Study of Bird Populations in Québec), a database created in 1975 by the visionary ornithologist Jacques Larivée. Managed by the Regroupement QuébecOiseaux, EPOQ aimed to compile bird sightings in digital format. Since 2014, over ten million EPOQ data have been uploaded to eBird.
The ABA gratefully acknowledges the contributions of Québec Regional Report Compilers Pierre Bannon, Oliver Barden, Normand David, and Samuel Denault to promoting knowledge and understanding about the birdlife of the continent.
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