A Tundra Bean-Goose photographed at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu 26–27 Nov contributed the fifth record for the province (Nathalie van acker et al.). Now a regular spring and fall vagrant, single Pink-footed Geese were seen in seven different localities. Single Barnacle Geese were recorded at Sainte-Martine 15–19 Oct (Camille Bélanger, Sylvie Huet), Saint-André-de-Kamouraska 17 Oct (Jean-François Giroux, Éveline Landa) and Île Perrot 26–27 Nov (Mathias and Sharon Mutzl). A Tufted Duck in eclipse plumage continued at Métabetchouan until at least 3 Oct (m. ob.). An adult male Common Scoter was seen and photographed at Île Siscoe (Val d’Or) 10–11 Oct representing the first record for Canada and the third only for North America (François Dubois et al., identified by Vincent Giroux).

A White-winged Dove was at Sainte-Sabine-de-Bellechasse 22–29 Nov + (Francois Chabot et al.). An Eastern Whip-poor-will at Notre-Dame-du-Portage 20 Oct tied the latest date known for the province 6 years ago (Jean-Francois Giroux, Éveline Landa). A male Rufous Hummingbird was photographed at Saint-Jules de Beauce 1 Aug (Suzie Vachon, ph.).

Four Purple Gallinules, an exceptional number of records for this rare vagrant, were reported: a juvenile at Grande Rivière 3–16 Oct (Linda Pit Langlois), a female at Neuville 29 Oct (Paul Popovich), a juvenile at Matane 31 Oct (Nathalie Collin), and a juvenile at New-Richmond 2 Nov (Micheline Perron). Single Marbled Godwits visited Barachois 30 Aug (David Soares) and Petit Pabos 8 Oct (Andrée Gagnon et al.). Single Purple Sandpipers at Coteau-du-Lac 21–25 Oct (Martine Parent, m.ob.) and at Carillon 6–10 Nov (Denis Corbeil) were rare for southwestern Québec. Still declining, Buff-breasted Sandpipers were reported in only six localities, but four birds at Kamouraska 11 Sep were worthy of note (Claude Auchu et al.). Long-billed Dowitchers were seen in five localities with a max of three birds at Montmagny 20 Sep–3 Oct (m. ob.). For the second consecutive year, a sizable number of Razorbills wandered upriver in Oct; birds were reported at about 15 places between Montréal and Trois-Rivières with a maximum of five at Sainte-Catherine 18 Oct (Josée Gagnon, Alain Sylvain). Further east, near Québec City, up to 30 birds were tallied at Sainte-Pétronile 18 Oct (Alexandre Lajeunesse). Atlantic Puffins were also seen in unusual number in the estuary, with 55 at Pointe-au-Père 16 Sep (Alex Plamondon) and 41 off Tadoussac 7 Oct (Jessé Roy-Drainville). One even reached Montréal and Laval 22–25 Oct (Marc-André Bouvier-Pelletier, Danielle Michaud), adding a third record for Montreal.                    

The arrival of a juvenile Sabine’s Gull at Beauharnois 5 Sep (Bob Barnhurst) was followed by many more, attaining six individuals on 15 Sep (Olivier Barden, Samuel Denault). Up to three Forster’s Terns were reported: one in the Lake St. Francis National Wildlife Area at Dundee 11 Sep (Daniel Alain Dagenais, ph.), one at Sainte-Catherine 21–22 Oct (Ismael Chavez, Cristina Araya, identified by Pierre Bannon), and one at Leclercville 28–30 Oct (Maxence Valade, m. ob.). A Pacific Loon was nicely photographed at Saint-Simon-sur-Mer 25 Oct (Madeleine Fortin, ph.). A maximum of 17 Sooty Shearwaters off Kegaska 9 Sep was worthy of note (Sylvie Robert, Pierre Fradette). A maximum of 31 Manx Shearwaters off Pointe des Monts 4 Sep was also remarkable (Alain Côté, Guy Lemelin). A juvenile Magnificent Frigatebird seen perched on a Coast Guard vessel near Percé 23 Sep (Andrew Darcy, ph.) plus another one (or the same) perched on a shrimp boat near Sept-Iles 28 Sep (Mathieu-Anthony Fortin, fide Mireille Poulin) generated the seventh and the eighth records for the province.

American White Pelicans persisted until 4 Aug at Chandler (Patsy Skene, Jean-Raymond Lepage), until 7 Aug at Victoriaville (Lise Bergeron) and until 9 Aug at Pointe-aux-Trembles (Montréal)(Yves Gauthier). A juvenile Least Bittern at Bridgeville 3 Sep was rather exceptional for the Gaspé Peninsula (Alexandre Éthier et al.). A Snowy Egret stopped at Montmagny 8 Aug (Jacques Lachance) while a juvenile Little Blue Heron was at Gaspé 7 Aug (Denis Talbot, Diane Bédard), plus an adult at Pabos 10 Aug (Michel Larivée et al.). With a total of about 50 birds seen in 20 different localities, the irruption of Cattle Egrets that took place between 18 Oct and 15 Nov was possibly the most extensive ever for the province. A maximum count of 16 individuals was tallied at Grande-Rivière 26 Oct (Lucette Lyons). Single Glossy Ibis were at Cacouna 1 Aug (Jean-Claude Pelletier), Trois-Pistoles 11–13 Aug (Élaine Bouchard, Jean-Claude Pelletier), Québec City 3 Sep (Simon Villeneuve et al.), Lac Vachon (Chandler) 3 Sep (Albini Couture, Yvette Cyr) and île Saint-Bernard (Châteauguay) 21 Oct (Sharon & Tom Long). A single White-faced Ibis appeared at Terrebonne 21–23 Aug (Marc Jolicoeur, Samuel Denault).

Two Black Vultures were photographed near La Baie 24 Aug (Monique Boudreault, Serg Tremblay). More unexpected, a Swallow-tailed Kite was photographed at Cap Tourmente 3 Sep providing the seventh record for the province (Lise Paquette, Robert Faucher). Four Swainson’s Hawks were reported: a juvenile light-morph was at Tadoussac 15 Sep (Stéphane Blais, Jessé Roy-Drainville), a juvenile dark-morph at Portneuf-sur-Mer 15 Sep (Robin Gingras, Jocelyne Forgues), an adult light-morph at Pointe Lebel 11 Oct (Jean-Pierre Barry) followed by a juvenile light-morph in the same municipality 27 Oct (Daniel St-Laurent).

Single Red-headed Woodpeckers were seen in four different localities. A pair of adult Red-bellied Woodpeckers accompanying a juvenile 6 Aug at Saint-Ignace confirmed a third breeding locality around Lake Saint-Pierre (Jean Lemoyne). On the other hand, there was an extensive dispersal of Red-bellied Woodpeckers northward and eastward in the province in Oct–Nov. Single birds were actually found in at least 25 localities east of Lake Saint-Pierre where is situated the limit of its breeding range. This is in comparison to only one bird found last year for the same period and for the same territory, as revealed by e-Bird maps.

An Ash-throated Flycatcher at Sept-Îles 6–9 Nov provided the third record only for the province (Jean-Francois Laporte et al.). A vagrant Western Kingbird was more expected at Chandler 17–23 Oct (Albini Couture). Single Gray Kingbirds at Forillon National Park 22 Oct (Glenda Jean) and at Pointe-aux-Outardes 2 Nov (Emmanuel Hains et al.) furnished the fourth and the fifth records for the province. Single White-eyed Vireos were found at Ville Saint-Laurent (Montréal) 25 Sep (Doris Potter) and at Cap Tourmente 20 Oct (Alexandre Terrigeol et al). A Fish Crow was heard and seen in the district of Côte des Neiges (Montréal) 25 Aug  (Étienne Artigau) and 26 Oct  (Maxence Valade). A female Mountain Bluebird at Cap Tourmente 25–26 Nov was the thirteenth recorded in the province (Daniel Campeau). A Townsend’s Solitaire stopped at Verdun 25 Nov (Rebecca De Palma-Black). A Wood Thrush in the Mount-Royal cemeteries 31 Oct–1 Dec + established a record late date for the province (George Levtchouk, m. ob.). A Fieldfare at Sainte-Pétronille (Ile d’Orléans) 21–23 Nov represented the tenth record for the province (Pierre Otis et al.). Single Northern Wheatears were at Pabos 5 Sep (Jean-Raymond Lepage et al.), at L’Isle Verte 18–25 Sep (Francine Cadieux-Roy et al.) and at Québec City 5–16 Oct (Nicole Gauthier, m. ob.).

Single Grasshopper Sparrows at Baie-Comeau 17 Oct (Francois-Xavier Grandmont, Jessé Roy-Drainville) and at Mirabel 23 Oct (Pierre Martin) were unusual for the dates and for the localities. Now a regular vagrant in the fall, Lark Sparrow was reported in five localities during the period. Single Nelson’s Sparrows were discovered at Ile aux Noix 1 Oct (Olivier Barden) and at Laval 16 Oct (Marc Boisvert, Nicolas Éthier), two new localities for the species. A Green-tailed Towhee was found at La Croche (La Tuque) 16–20 Nov providing the third record for the province (Monika Olschinski, ph.) Single Yellow-breasted Chats were at Barachois (Gaspésie) 28 Sep (Daniel Ouellette), at Forillon National Park 22 Oct (Arnaud Valade), and at Saint-Jacques-de-Montcalm 22–25 Nov (Bernard Dugas, Richard Prévost). Reported over 21 of the last 24 years, this species can be designated as a regular vagrant in the province. A female Yellow-headed Blackbird visited Macamic 24 Sep (Maryse Lessard).

Notable warblers involved a Blue-winged Warbler at Cap Tourmente 23 Sep (Thomas Gianoli, Mathieu Landry), a female Prothonotary Warbler nicely photographed at Laval 22 Aug (Louise Courtemanche), a female Hooded Warbler at Ile aux Basques 3 Oct (Bruno Drolet, Andrew Coughland) and single Yellow-throated Warblers at Baie-Comeau 16–17 Oct (Thierry Grandmont), at Saint-Georges de Beauce 25 Oct (Claude Boucher) and at Val-Brillant 13 Nov (David Lavallée et al.). Four Prairie Warblers were reported, all in eastern Québec. Representing the fourth record for the province, a male Townsend’s Warbler was enjoyed by dozens of observers at Sainte-Catherine 30 Sep–1 Oct (Marcel Gagnon, Tristan Jobin). A Summer Tanager visited Rouyn-Noranda 12–13 Nov (Michel Marsan, Édith van de Walle) while an adult male Western Tanager was a prized find at Lavaltrie 20–30 Nov+ (Nicole Jolicoeur et al.).

Report processed by Andrew Keaveney, 26 Jul 2023.