Properties owned by BPQ
There are a number of properties in Quebec that are either owned by the society or else to which we have contributed funds or expertise to assist in aquisition as wildlife reserves. Amongst these are the following:
George H. Montgomery Bird Sanctuary
The sanctuary in south eatern Quebec, was acquired in 1955 and 1989, and is the society's pride and joy. It consists of roughly 175 acres on the shore of Missisquoi Bay, at a point where the foothills of the Green Mountains meet the plain of the St. Lawrence Valley. The sanctuary was officially inaugurated on June 6, 1992.
Most species of birds occurring in southern Quebec and northern New England have been seen here. Among species generally uncommon in Quebec but regularly breeding here are the Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Yellow-throated Vireo, Rufous-sided Towhee and Field Sparrow. Over the years, cleaning the Wood Duck boxes in the sanctuary has been an annual winter event.
Beavers are responsible for the extensive marsh and pond system, which supports Wood Ducks, Least Bitterns, Sora and Virginia Rails. The sanctuary is a birder's delight. Golden-winged Warblers have nested in the sanctuary, and Cerulean Warblers have been found regularly. Red-headed Woodpeckers and Tufted Titmouse are also present. Societyfield trips to the sanctuary in the spring and fall have been a high point on the birder's calendar for many decades.
Alderbrooke Marsh
The sanctuary, in two parcels near to Sutton, was acquired in 1995 and subsequently leased at a nominal fee to the Alderbrooke Marsh Land Trust, which manages the property as part of a much more extensive ecosystem they are working hard to protect. It consists of marshland created by beavers along a brook at the bottom of a valley.
Piedmont Sanctuary
Bequeathed to Bird Protection Quebec by the estate of Alfred W. B. Kelly, the sanctuary contains several different habitats, including typical Laurentian forest. The cliff habitat supports nesting Common Ravens and there is a large Eastern Bluebird population.
Île aux Perroquets
Located at the northern tip of Quebec's Lower North Shore, this island off Blanc Sablon is the society's oldest sanctuary and was acquired in June of 1937.
The island is named after the sizable Atlantic Puffin colony found there. Perroquet means parrot, and the puffins which to some look like colorful little parrots gave the island its name. Atlantic Puffins nest in burrows dug into the sod. Lower North Shore seabird colonies such as this one have been traditionally threatened by poaching, which is on the decrease due to educational efforts.
The site is administered under:
- Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 (1994, c.22; SOR/96-458 to 464 and SI/96-90 to 92, 30 October 1996).
- Canada Wildlife Act (R.S. (1985) c. W-9, sect. 1; 1994, c. 23, sect. 2(F); SOR/94-684, 7 November 1994; SI/95-42, 5 April 1995)
- Migratory Bird Sanctuary Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1036)
Surface area: 538,0 ha ( Terrestrial: 78,0 ha and Aquatic: 460,0 ha) Location: 51.23.00 N 57.12.00.W; near the municipality of Blanc-Sablon
Vegetation : More than half of the Sanctuary's surface area is covered by sand banks, rocky outcrops and water. Shrubs and herbaceous vegetation occupy the remainder. The rocky surface of nearby Greenly Island (owned by Ministère des Ressources naturelles du Québec) has a thin cover of herbaceous vegetation, while Perroquet Island features sparse herbaceous vegetation and low shrubs.
Birds : Breeding - More than a dozen species of seabirds flock to Îles Greenly and Aux Perroquets during the breeding season. They include the Leach's Storm-Petrel, the Great Cormorant, the Common Murre and the Razorbill, all of which are fairly restricted in their Southern Québec breeding grounds. Some familiar species include the Ring-billed Gull, the Herring Gull and the Great Black-backed Gull, as well as the more distinctive Red-Breasted Merganser, the Common Eider, tern species, the Black Guillemot and the Atlantic Puffin. The puffin population, which numbered 62 000 in 1935, has declined sharply in recent decades, although in 1993 more than 23 500 were counted on Îles Greenly and Aux Perroquets. Interestingly, in 1983 the Sanctuary accounted for 44% of the entire population of puffins on the North Shore.
Mont St-Grégoire property
This small property is jointly owned by Bird Protection Quebec and the Centre d'interprétation du Milieu Écologique, which manages it.
Driscoll-Naylor Bird Sanctuary
This is a small, three-acre property forming a sanctuary of marsh and woodland nestled in a residential part of Hudson to the west of Montreal. The society maintains Wood Duck boxes and bird feeders there.
Île aux Canards
This island was acquired by Bird Protection Quebec in 1984. Part of a series of islands in the St. Lawrence River off Varennes, it contains a mixture of marshland, meadows and woodland. The island provides crucial staging habitat for migrating waterfowl.
Îlet Vert
This island, near Île aux Canards, was also acquired by Bird Protection Quebec in 1984.
Properties BPQ has played a role in saving
Covey Hill
The property consists of a gorge and adjoining marsh, which straddle the US-Canada border. The society manages this property, which is owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). This sanctuary not only has an intriguing topography and bird life, but harbors several species of rare salamanders.
Marlington Bog
The peat bog, owned by the NCC, contains several species of rare plants.
Île Beauregard
Owned by the NCC. Island off Verchères Gennings Property Property near Temiscamingue owned by the NCC. Home to American Woodcock, white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, timber wolves and other wildlife.
Île aux Lièvres
Island off Rivière du Loup owned by Duvetnor with financing from Bird Protection Quebec, NCC and other agencies. Has large breeding population of Common Eider.
Clarke Sydenham Nature Reserve
A small property in Hudson owned by the NCC.
Île aux Moutons and Île aux Asperges
Islands off Varennes owned by the NCC.
Île du Moine
This is a large island at the western end of Lake St. Pierre that is owned by the NCC. The island provides crucial habitat for breeding waterfowl and migrating shorebirds. Wilson's Phalaropes, Sharp-tailed Sparrows and Sedge Wrens have bred here.
Properties on islands at the mouth of Lake St. Pierre owned by the NCC:
- Île de la Traverse
- Grande Île
- Île à la Perche
- Île au Citron
- Île Lapierre
- Île Cavale
- Île de Grace
- Île aux Cochons
- Baie de la Vallière
- Île St-Jean
- Île à la Pierre