Sponsor Team Le Nichoir and le Grand Défi May 9-10 Team Le NichoirLast year, Team Le Nichoir participated for the first time in le Grand Défi and despite a cold wet day, was able to observe 46 species and ranked 8th overall for the total amount of money raised to support bird conservation. Can we break our record? We believe we can! But, we need your help. The Grand Défi Quebec Oiseaux is a friendly competition and fundraiser for bird conservation involving birders from across the province. The rule: observe as many bird species as possible from a fixed location over a 24-hour period from 6 p.m. May 9 to 6 p.m. May 10. Our goal this year is to raise $1000 and observe 50 species. Sponsoring our team is easy. You can pledge an amount per species observed by our team over the 24-hour period or, a fixed amount to support our participation. Québec Oiseaux has made it easy to show your support. Make your pledge via the following link and you will be billed by email after the event.

Sponsor Team Le Nichoir
Or if you prefer, call us directly at 450 458 2809.
While the geese are honking their salutations to the newly freed lakes and the robins sing the opening of the breeding season, Team Le Nichoir volunteers are looking at their field guides honing their identification skills for the province wide competition. Braving the rain, last year our team stayed onsite until 9 p.m., in the hopes of adding some owls to our list. We were back at daybreak, 5:30 a.m., the following day to observe the birds at their most active time of the day. Upon our arrival, we were welcomed by the winnow of the Wilson’s Snipe claiming its territory on the marsh: an encouraging first observation of the day as this species had never been seen before by many of our team members. The goal of the Grand Défi is to raise awareness and money to support the conservation of wild birds. Part of the money raised will go to conservation projects to stop the decline of insectivorous and grassland bird populations, such as the Tree Swallow or the Eastern Meadowlark. Another portion of the funds will go to help injured and orphaned birds being treated at Le Nichoir this summer. Please consider supporting Team Le Nichoir with your pledge.

The Grand Défi finished last week. Spared by the rain but tossed by the winds, team Le Nichoir managed to observe a total of 49 bird species, 3 more than last year. The Wilson’s snipe and the American bittern welcomed us again this year and the marsh wren, the wild turkey and the American woodcock added themselves to our list. In the end, our team scored 8th in fundraising with $1,103.Thank you for your support!