Since the start of the Covid restrictions far away in early 2020, Bird Protection Quebec have had to replace the regular weekly, guided field trips at weekends with a series of innovative and interesting “virtual” field trips. This weekend past participant birders were invited to do a Big Sit.

In a Big Sit the challenge is to find a birdy location, put up a chair and just sit there for as long as you like (some people do a full 24 hours) and see what birds come to you instead of you having to go and find them.

We opted to do our Big Sit in the garden where we knew the seats were comfortable and the coffee supply assured. This was a serendipitous choice as Saturday proved to be perhaps the best birding day of the yet to be completed fall migration season.

We ticked off the following 23 species altogether, seen in or in the case of the Canada geese, flying over the garden. Just a day in September … anyone saying they don’t see birds in their gardens is perhaps not trying very hard. A most satisfying Big Sit indeed with some real gems such as six warbler species including Northern Parula and Blackburnian Warbler.

Birds seen in the garden – in taxonomic sequence

  • Canada Goose
  • Mourning Dove
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Warbling Vireo
  • Blue Jay
  • American Crow
  • Black-capped Chickadee
  • White-breasted Nuthatch
  • House Finch
  • American Goldfinch
  • White-throated Sparrow
  • Song Sparrow
  • Ovenbird
  • Nashville Warbler
  • American Redstart
  • Northern Parula
  • Magnolia Warbler
  • Blackburnian Warbler
  • Northern Cardinal