Annual cycle

With its diverse habitats, our site is a vital refuge for birds on the Island of Montreal.

Whether serving as a stopover for migrating species refueling after long journeys, a secure breeding site, or a reliable food source and shelter during harsh winter days, our site hosts over 160 bird species annually, and we have documented 225 in total since 2005.

We take the opportunity to study the birds on site year-round, gaining valuable insights into their behaviors and conservation needs.

Banding total: over 96,000 since 2005

Current Monitoring Projects

Our primary research focuses on standardized Spring and Fall Migration Monitoring Programs, as well as the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program during summer. Additionally, we run a Northern Saw-whet Owl Monitoring Program in the fall, track reproductive success in our nest boxes, and monitor feeder activity throughout the winter.

Migration Monitoring

During the spring and fall seasons, boreal species stop over at MBO to refuel, seek shelter, and some even molt their flight feathers.

Every day, we are here to monitor their migration.

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Saw-whet Owl Monitoring

At night, for six weeks in the fall, we have the privilege of banding the smallest owl in Eastern North America.

We partner with Project Owlnet to better understand this fascinating species.

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Monitoring Avian Productivity

In summer, we follow the MAPS protocol from the Institute for Bird Populations to monitor our breeding birds.

We also monitor our nest boxes to study breeding success of Tree Swallows and sometimes others.

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Winter Bird Monitoring

During the cold months, we monitor our resident birds at our site and feeders.

On warmer days, we even have the opportunity to band them.

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Other projects and partnerships

The expertise of our team has led us to participate in various projects and partnerships over the past few years, complementing our monitoring program.

Here some of them :

  • Summer Monitoring at Montée Biggar – Bird Protection Quebec’s Sanctuary
  • Banding Peregrin Falcon Nestling – Université de Montréal
  • Banding Rehabilitated Bird – Le Nichoir
  • Banding American Kestrel Nestling – Association des Fauconniers et Autoursiers du Québec
  • Snow Buntings Monitoring – Snow Bunting Network
  • Feather and Parasites sampling – see section Research
  • La nuit des chercheuses et chercheurs – Espace pour la vie