Bird-arrival Dates and Climate Change, Sherbrooke, Quebec

Norman K. Jones^1,* and Gary A.F. McCormick²

¹Bishop’s University, Department of Environment and Geography, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 1Z7, Canada. ²Bishop’s University, Library Learning Commons, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 1Z7, Canada. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 28, Issue 3 (2021): 371–382

Abstract
Evidence for earlier spring arrival times of migratory breeding birds is often linked to changing climatic conditions, especially increasing temperatures. Using data collected and recorded in a research diary, this article documents changes in bird-arrival dates within the city of Sherbrooke, QC, Canada. Spring arrival dates of 31 bird species were observed and recorded over a 26-year period, from 1994 to 2019, during a series of 1376 walks along a regular 6.5–7.5-km route. Temperature data for this period were collected from the regional Environment Canada climate station. Arrival dates displayed a strong correlation to changing climate conditions; 28 species had a trend toward arrival dates when correlated to mean temperatures, and this effect was significant in 12 species. Climate change, as indicated by increasing spring temperatures, seems to be having a major influence on the advancement in bird-arrival dates in the spring at this locality.

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