This site report was written by Mark Dennis ©

DIRECTIONS : Just off the west island a major stopping point for migrating species. From the Autoroute 40, after you cross the Ile aux Tourtes Bridge leaving Montreal island, take Highway 540 towards Toronto, and then exit 3 (highway 340). After the exit, at the first traffic light, turn left on highway 340. After several kilometers and a flashing yellow light and traffic light, the highway reverts to 90 km/hour. Continue a kilometre or so, and then turn right onto Rang Lotbiniere (actually, the 340 bears left, and Rang Lotbiniere, a smaller road, goes straight). At the end of the Rang, turn left on Montée St-Robert, and then right immediately. This is the gravel road going to Base de Plein Air Les Forestiers. The sandpit entrance is immediately on your right, on this corner.

Overview
St-Lazare Sand Pits attract around 150 species of bird annually. They have the pre-requisites many species require, food, water and shelter. Their accessibility in terms of location and compact nature make them the ideal place for a short visit. Barring the depths of winter, birding came be interesting in all seasons. Most of the species seen are easy to observe making the site ideal for beginners. The potential for local rarities also makes the site of interest to more experienced observers.

Site description
St-Lazare Sand Pits are comprised of both old and active sand quarry workings. They are surrounded by woodland, residential and agricultural land and are adjacent to the highest point in the area, Rigaud Mountain. They sit in the last high area of land before the USA border. The older section of the pits has the main area of interest to birders and is a patchwork of micro habitats attractive to birds. To the north (road) end, water predominates, with the area adjacent to Chemin St Robert holding the largest single permanent body. Progressing west, there are some smaller, deeper pools of limited ornithological value. The many smaller pools have active ecosystems of their own and contain good populations of several odonata species (see 'Other wildlife'). Vegetated marshland of a seasonal nature is also present, mainly from the time of autumn rains to around late July depending on summer precipitation. To continue further west, a stream feeds an area of phragmites reed bed and creates a small mature marshland. Further on the land becomes drier and slightly raised with scattered birch scrub. The 'old pits' section terminates at a raised bank at the western end. From here there are other blocks of habitat including a small wet area, some scrub and stands of broad-leaved and coniferous trees.

Access
No formal access seems to exist, however, the sand extraction company do not seem to mind general public access at any time. All visitors should be aware that it is an active quarry and should keep away from trucks and equipment. In the summer of 2003 the local paper actually advertised the pits as "St-Lazare's hidden beach" and it gets used as such accordingly.

To enter the pits, park at the entrance gates and walk through the open gaps, don't block the gates with your car. Tracks criss-cross the area, some get boggy, some require you to ford a shallow stream. Access can also be gained by parking in the Pleinair des Les Cedres at the end on Lobtiniere, this will cost $7.00 a day. You can also access the Pinade de St-Lazare from here.

It is worth noting that 'No Parking' signs abound on all roads in the area but it seems to be the Canadian way to ignore them. I am not aware of anyone being moved by the SQ or St-Lazare/Les Cedres authorities.

Viewing strategy:
It is best to view the north end of the pits directly from St Robert first. Park on the broad verge and scan. Follow this up by entering the pits complex and hunting around in the small stands of Birch which grow in abundance on the banks and in clumps within the pits. Seek out the scrubby areas for breeding and migrant passerines. The marshier areas are also good for similar species but also the regular Quebec marshland species. The drier raised areas are fairly birdless except during migration.

Shorebird migration.
Summer evaporation causes the water levels to drop steadily and the area visible from the road becomes the ideal shorebird habitat, fortunately this coincides nicely with through passage of shorebirds. Low water levels in the seasonal marshy areas also pulls in the birds. In 2003, sixteen species of shorebird were observed here including Baird's, Stilt and White-rumped Sandpipers.

Visible migration
Autumn movements over the area tend to be south or south-west in direction. The best vantage point is at the entrance to the Les Cedres Pleinair Centre. The first three hours of daylight are most productive and some days common birds just stream over. Autumn hawk movements also take place with 50 Broad-winged Hawks per hour recorded in early September 2003. Other raptors such as Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks pass through along with Merlin, Sharp-shinned Hawk and American Kestrel. Later in the season Rough-legged Hawks and Northern Goshawks appear. For more details on the migration for autumn 2003 refer to 'The Annual Report on the Birds of St-Lazare Sand Pits, 2003' by Mark Dennis. Copies from markdennis@progession.net it should be available from March 2004 onwards.

Geese
St-Lazare Sand Pit is a major staging ground for southward bound Canada Geese. In 2003 the numbers peaked around 7,000 during late October-late November. These birds could be easily observed from the road in the early morning before they left the roost to be shot in local fields. Subspecific identification of Canada Goose races is not always easy but Giant, Lesser, Todd's, Taverner's and Richardson's were recorded in 2003. Occasionally other species such as Greater White-fronted or Brant find their way into the flock.

Wildfowl
The waters of the pits do not make for great duck concentrations. Mallard are ubiquitous, Black duck and Green-winged Teal fairly common. Blue-winged Teal and Ring-necked Duck are occasional. Wood Duck and all other species are probably annual but not common. The sawbills also gather in the autumn with small groups of Common Merganser and a few Red-breasted Merganser around. Hooded Mergansers are uncommon but do occur.

Hirundines
Good numbers of hirundines gather in the late summer and many pass through on migration. Bank Swallows breed, Tree, Barn and Cliff Swallows feed there and Northern Rough-winged Swallows are not uncommon. Purple Martin is uncommon but recorded on a few passage dates. Although not a hirundine, Chimney Swifts are covered here and can be considered uncommon passage migrants.

Warblers
The site hosts several breeding species including Ovenbird, Veery, Hermit Thrush and Black & White Warbler. Passage species move through in small numbers with Orange-crowned, Palm, Pine, Blackpoll, Cape May, Yellow, Nashville, Black-throated Green and Tennessee Warbler all seen in 2003. Yellow-rumped Warbler passes through in big numbers and often lingers a few days in autumn. Ruby-crowned Kinglets also become common in late autumn before moving on.

Sparrows
Because of the scrub available on site, there is a good variety of sparrow species. The late summer and autumn of 2003 produced Fox, Chipping, Swamp, Field, Vesper, White-throated, White-crowned, American Tree, Savannah, Clay-coloured and Song Sparrows along with numerous Dark-eyed Juncos. Baiting with seed attracts many of the species to one place affording excellent views.

Other Wildlife
In 2003 several species of dragonfly (Odonata) and butterflies were recorded. Amongst the commonest dragonflies present are the beautiful Twelve-spot Chaser, also evident were Eastern and White-faced Pondhawks. Butterflies are well represented with the Monarch mimic, the Viceroy found throughout the site. The Monarch is also common and can be watched on migration in September and early October. More work will be done on both groups of insects in 2004 and a checklist of the birds, butterflies and dragonflies will be available towards the end of 2004.

Disturbance
During fine weather the shorebird area is used as a recreational resource. Dog walkers are attracted to the pits in variable numbers, most dogs are well behaved but the odd one will chase the birds without restraint from the owner. Quadbike riders seem to think the area is part of the huge range of off-road trails despite the signs and horse riders occasionally appear. A recent problem has been a group of people flying gliders from the road, this naturally drives everything off the main water area.

In Conclusion
St-Lazare Sand Pits are an easy to visit bird watching location with the potential to produce interesting birds. There appear to be no restriction regarding access and they can be covered in one to two hours. If you visit please make a note of what you see and post your details on the PQSPB sightings page

For more information, contact - Mark Dennis, 2475 Harness Ridge, St-Lazare, QC J7T 2E3
450 458 5095 - markdennis@progression.net