DUCKS THROUGH VULTURES

A group of seven Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks was reported at Rivière-Trois-Pistoles 5 Jun (Jean-Claude Pelletier), while two birds flew over Henryville 16 Jul (Tristan Jobin). A pair of Trumpeter Swans nested for the second consecutive year at Saint-Fulgence and produced seven offspring (m. ob.). Otherwise, three birds turned up at Thurso 6 Jun (Jean Laperrière, Johanne Marquis), three at Gatineau 14–30 Jun (Judith Allanson et al.) and two at Cacouna 21–31 Jul+ (Jean-Claude Pelletier, m. ob.). A Tufted Duck visited Métabetchouan 24–30 Jul+ (Louis-Philippe Berrouard, Nancy Lavoie). Single White-winged Doves were detected at Port-Cartier 10 Jun (Jacques Laflamme) and at Beauport 4–6 Jul (Esther Fortin). An Eastern Whip-poor-will stopped on a boat mid-way between Les Iles de la Madeleine (QC) and Cap Breton (NS) 21 Jun, the first record for Les Iles de la Madeleine (Andra Florea).

Two Black-necked Stilts at Baie-du-Febvre 6 Jun provided the third record in as many years for the province (Serge Lemieux, Suzanne Blackburn). Probably the same two birds appeared 7 Jun at La Pocatière, about 240 kilometers downriver (Roger Simard) and incredibly, returned to Baie-du-Febvre 11–27 Jun (m. ob.). A Marbled Godwit paused at Baie-du-Febvre 16 Jun–2 Jul (René Langlois, m. ob.). An adult Long-billed Dowitcher was noted at Contrecoeur 21–31 Jul+ (Denis Tétreault) while a Willet paused at Rivière Trois-Pistoles 21–22 Jul (Sébastien Rioux).

A total of 17 Razorbills at Sainte-Pétronille 2 Jul was unusual for the locality and for the date (Robin Besançon). A first summer Sabine’s Gull at Rimouski 18 Jul was very unusual for the season (Vincent Giroux). A high count of 1900 Bonaparte’s Gulls at La Malbaie 9 Jun was impressive (André Desrochers). After 5 years of absence, Roseate Terns made a remarkable comeback to Les Îles de la Madeleine this summer (Robin Gingras et al.). At least two nests were discovered but only one was confirmed successful (fide Robin Gingras). At this stage however, the possibility of Roseate Tern x Common Tern hybrids has not been ruled out. An adult Royal Tern photographed at Rivière-Ouelle 17 Jul represented the fourth record for the province of Québec (Claude Auchu, Claudette Girard). An adult Sandwich Tern, also the fourth reported in the province, was seen at Havre-aux-Maisons (Les Îles de la Madeleine) 7–11 Jun (Robin Gingras et al.) and rediscovered 21 Jul near Grande Entrée (Alain Richard). One Great Shearwater off Cap-Gaspé 25 Jul (Laetitia Desbordes) and up to seven on 26 Jul (Patsy Skene) was unusual for this locality.

As has been the case in recent years, vagrant American White Pelicans are detected more and more frequently as shown by the eight individuals reported in as many different localities. Single Snowy Egrets were found at Saint-Barthélemy 2–8 Jul (Frédéric Hareau) and at Pointe-à-la-Croix 30 Jul (Marty Finch, Joanne Morgan) while a Tricolored Heron was at Sept-Îles 6–11 Jun (Nathalie Vibert, Jean-François Laporte). An adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was discovered at Brigham 17–19 Jun (Charles-Alexandre Mercure), a juvenile at Sherbrooke 20–23 Jul (Chelsey Paquette), and possibly the same individual at Cabano 25–28 Jul (Raymond Morin). A juvenile Glossy Ibis graced the golf course at Île des Soeurs (Montréal) 16–21 Jul (François Grenon, Leah den Besten). A Glossy Ibis X White-faced Ibis hybrid was photographed at Rivière-au-Renard (Gaspésie) 24 Jun (Vanessa Cotton, Diane Jalbert). Two Black Vultures continued at Philipsburg until 11 Jun (Tristan Jobin) while singles were detected at Laval 15 Jul (Louise Courtemanche et al) and at Baie-Saint-Paul 29 Jul (Samuel Denault).

WOODPECKERS THROUGH DICKCISSEL

Despite being an increasingly rare breeder in the province, Red-headed Woodpecker was reported in five localities in Jun, including one at Pointe-aux-Loups (Les Îles de la Madeleine) 14–17 Jun (Dorina Déraspe et al.). A singing Willow Flycatcher in Forillon NP 3–16 Jun (Jessé Roy-Drainville) was recorded and was one of the very few documented records at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula. Two pairs of Fish Crow were observed this season, one at Magog for the whole period (m. ob.) while two individuals in Rosemont (Montreal) 25 Jun–9 Jul were observed carrying nesting material (Maxence Valade et al.); this species has been the latest addition to Quebec breeding birds since 2021.

The most unexpected bird of the summer was a male Rock Wren seen and heard singing by many at Pointe-au-Père 4–6 Jun (Geneviève Raboin, Patrice St-Pierre et al.), providing the second record for the province and the first to be photographed. Three Grasshopper Sparrows at Saint-Armand 11 Jun (David Turgeon) were noteworthy for this declining species. Two Field Sparrows at Val d’Or 16 Jul were the first ever in Abitibi during the breeding season (Raymond Ladurantaye, Réal Gauthier). Single Orchard Orioles were found at Sherbrooke 13 Jun (Jean Carpentier) and at Saint-Armand 14 Jun (Jean-Guy Papineau). A male Cerulean Warbler photographed in Parc Michel-Chartrand (Longueuil) 2 Jun (Mike Jones) was probably a late overshooting migrant. An adult male Lazuli Bunting, the eighth record for the province was found dead at Salluit (Kativik) 1 Jun (Elise Legault, fide Samuel Denault). Always rare and unexpected during the summer, a singing male Dickcissel brightened Dunham 6–14 Jun (Sheila Sherman, m. ob.).

Report processed by Andrew Keaveney, 28 Mar 2023.