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By Madelyn Miller

When was the last time you saw a Eurasian Wigeon, a Great Egret, a Bald Eagle and wild turkeys within the city limits?
 
You can do that everyday in Montreal, Canada.
 
Within sight of Montr�al's downtown skyline, you can be admiring great blue herons and other aquatic bird species in a marshland near the Sainte Catherine locks. Or spying on falcons, hawks, owls, in a boreal forest on �le Bizard or Pointe-aux-Prairies.  And then learning all about these birds of prey at the Saint-Lawrence Valley Ecomuseum.  In this wildlife interpretation and aviary in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue on the western tip of the island, you can observe several species of ducks and geese, great blue herons and raptors like golden and bald eagles, hawks and owls with guides on hand to answer questions.
 
Qu�bec is a birder's paradise, with over 350 of the world's 9,000 species of land and aquatic birds. A surprising number and variety of these species -- 294 -- frequent habitats in the Greater Montr�al area.
 
Some of the best bird watching spots are in the 37-acre Bird and Flower Sanctuary known as Parc Summit, the highest point on the Island of Montr�al and places along the Saint-Lawrence shoreline.
 
Montr�al is prime birdwatching territory,with a large community of passionate birders.

Every May, local birders turn out for a "Big Day" to see how many species they can spot in Montr�al in a 24-hour period.  In 1996, 212 species were recorded in 24 hours. Known as "24 hours in May,"

Montr�al's Big Day was started in 1991 by Pierre Bannon, author of Birdfinding in the Montr�al Area and contributor to the new Atlas of Qu�bec Birds. Pierre also organizes the February Waterfowl Count of all birds seen on open water around Montr�al Island.
 
Some prime birdwatching points on the island are the woodlands and marshlands of the Parc regional de la Pointe-aux-Prairies (at 12300, Boulevard Gouin East / 280-6767) and the �le-de-la-Visitation Nature Park beside the Rivi�re-des-Prairies (at 2425, boulevard Gouin East /280-6733), where visitors can tour an historic press house (la Maison du Pressoir / 280-6783) and an old miller's house (the Maison du Meunier /872-5913).
 
Another magnificent birding site is the Bois-de-Liesse Nature Park (at 9432 boulevard Gouin West / 280-6678 and 280-8706).  This rambling nature park has a hardwood forest, acres of wild flowers and a peninsula from which to observe the aquatic flora and fauna.
 
For information on birding around Montr�al, contact:
Qu�bec Rare Bird Alert
989-5076
Denis Dumouchel
E-mail: dd@mic.qc.ca
 
RealBirds@greatblue.com

Jane Atkinson, of the Province of Qu�bec Society for the Protection of Birds
Saint-Lawrence Valley EcoMuseum
21 125, Chemin Sainte-Marie in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
457-9449
Web site: http://www.agrenv.mcgill.ca/EXTENSION/ECOMUSE/ECOMUSE.HTM
 
The Birds of Qu�bec links page lists links to other sites related to Montr�al birding:
http://www.ntic.qc.ca/~nellus/quebangl.html#1q
 
For information on falcons
http://www.deev.com/falcons/
 
TIP: DO NOT FORGET YOUR BINNOCULARS

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