Backyard birds in Alma, Quebec
Which birds visit Alma yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Alma's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 48.550°, -71.649°
- Population
- 29,526
- June 21 daylight
- 16 h 8 min
- December 21 daylight
- 8 h 18 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 5:58 AM / 4:43 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- roughly 10 days later than the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- Canada 0a–5b
Nesting timing in Alma
The state guides give nesting windows for Quebec as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 46.0°N). Alma is at 48.6°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts roughly 10 days later than the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Alma goes from 8 h 18 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 16 h 8 min in June, a 7 h 51 min swing.
- Northern Cardinal — state window May–August
- Eastern Bluebird — state window May–August; box hole 1 1/2 in round (1 9/16 in for Mountain/Western overlap)
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window May–July; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Downy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window August–September
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- House Wren — state window June–August; box hole 1 to 1 1/8 in round
- Blue Jay — state window May–July
- House Finch — state window May–August
Birds you can expect in Alma
Year-round residents (20)
Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatchs, Blue Jays, House Finchs, Purple Finchs, Mourning Doves, Dark-eyed Juncos, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Canada Jays
Summer breeders (28)
Eastern Bluebirds, American Goldfinchs, House Wrens, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, American Robins, White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Northern Flickers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Eastern Phoebes, Chimney Swifts, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Pine Warblers, Wood Thrushs, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows
Winter visitors (2)
Long, cold, snowy winters.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Alma
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Alma, sunrise is around 5:58 AM in mid-April, 4:43 AM at the June solstice and 7:35 AM in late December (local time, America/Toronto). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Alma yards
Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.
Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.
Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.
Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.
Red fruit heads hang on through winter.
Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.
Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.
Blue fruit on red stems in early fall.
Nearby cities in Quebec
- Jonquière — 21 mi away, nesting about the same time as Alma
- Saguenay — 28 mi away, nesting about the same time as Alma
- Rivière-du-Loup — 109 mi away, nesting roughly 3 days earlier than Alma
- La Haute-Saint-Charles — 115 mi away, nesting roughly 7 days earlier than Alma
- Québec — 122 mi away, nesting roughly 7 days earlier than Alma
- Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures — 125 mi away, nesting roughly 7 days earlier than Alma
Frequently asked
What birds live in Alma all year?
Year-round residents across Quebec include Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch. All of them visit backyard feeders in Alma.
When do birds start nesting in Alma?
Alma sits at a different latitude from Quebec's population centre, so nesting runs roughly 10 days later than the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Alma?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Alma, sunrise is around 5:58 AM in mid-April and 4:43 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Quebec
- Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada — Natural Resources Canada
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.