Backyard birds in Baie-Comeau, Quebec
Which birds visit Baie-Comeau yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Baie-Comeau's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 49.217°, -68.149°
- Population
- 21,536
- June 21 daylight
- 16 h 14 min
- December 21 daylight
- 8 h 12 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 5:42 AM / 4:26 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- roughly 13 days later than the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- Canada 0a–5b
Nesting timing in Baie-Comeau
The state guides give nesting windows for Quebec as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 46.0°N). Baie-Comeau is at 49.2°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts roughly 13 days later than the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Baie-Comeau goes from 8 h 12 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 16 h 14 min in June, a 8 h 3 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 Baie-Comeau
Year-round residents (36)
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, American Crows, Common Ravens, Red-tailed Hawks, Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Pine Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, Hooded Mergansers
Summer breeders (37)
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, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Scarlet Tanagers, Eastern Meadowlarks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Winter Wrens, Gray Catbirds, Lark Sparrows
Winter visitors (2)
Long, cold, snowy winters.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Baie-Comeau
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Baie-Comeau, sunrise is around 5:42 AM in mid-April, 4:26 AM at the June solstice and 7:24 AM in late December (local time, America/Toronto). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Baie-Comeau 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
- Rimouski — 56 mi away, nesting roughly 3 days earlier than Baie-Comeau
- Sept-Îles — 104 mi away, nesting roughly 4 days later than Baie-Comeau
- Rivière-du-Loup — 115 mi away, nesting roughly 6 days earlier than Baie-Comeau
- Saguenay — 144 mi away, nesting roughly 3 days earlier than Baie-Comeau
- Jonquière — 151 mi away, nesting roughly 3 days earlier than Baie-Comeau
- Alma — 165 mi away, nesting roughly 3 days earlier than Baie-Comeau
Frequently asked
What birds live in Baie-Comeau 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 Baie-Comeau.
When do birds start nesting in Baie-Comeau?
Baie-Comeau sits at a different latitude from Quebec's population centre, so nesting runs roughly 13 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 Baie-Comeau?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Baie-Comeau, sunrise is around 5:42 AM in mid-April and 4:26 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.