On April 27, Louise and Pierre Simard discovered an ABA Code-4 Garganey in flooded fields in Mirabel, Laurentides, Quebec. This is the second Garganey this spring in Quebec and the 18th record of the species for the province.
photo by Louise Simard, used with permision
Mirabel is just north of Montreal proper. The bird was seen on rang Ste-Marguerite then later on montée Guénette.
Garganey was formerly an ABA Code-3 species, but over the past few years the number of reports in the ABA Area has declined. This decrease is thought to be correlated to the decline in numbers from eastern Asia. Between the 1970s and 2003, the total estimated population of Garganey in eastern Asia fell from 90,000 birds to 22,000 (ABA Checklist, 7th Edition, Pranty et al).
Most reports of the species come from spring when its distinctive plumage allows for ease in identification. Fall reports come mostly from mid-September to early November. Birds have been reported south of the ABA Area in Sinaloa, Baja California Sur, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, and Barbados (ABA Checklist, 7th Edition, Pranty et al.).
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