Suggested Itinerary September 2015 (1 Viewer)

Grateful for suggestions about a proposed trip in September 2015. Husband is not a birdwatcher, so we wouldn't be birdwatching every day. We are from the UK.

This could be a combined Quebec/New York State trip. Planning to visit Quebec and/or Montreal. Possibly the eastern side of New York State - we have been to Niagara before and don't really need to go there again. We would like a trip on the St Lawrence River, maybe for a few days, but not a standard cruise. I believe there are whale-watching cruises but would want something that takes in a lot of birding as well.

September is our preferred month but possibly early October. Suggestions for good itineraries?

Thanks

Pat

Is a cruise primarily what you're looking for? The whale watching cruises in Tadoussac are popular and also good for birds. It's about a 4 hour drive north of Quebec. The cruises are geared mostly for whale watching but some tours focus on birding as well. The Tadoussac Bird Observatory is close by and open to the public. You could go on a tourboat down the Saguenay Fjord; very scenic and definitely a “do not miss” if you’re in the area.

Closer to Quebec there's Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area; lots of snow geese and other waterfowl stop by in the fall.

In Montreal, the Lachine Rapids are a good spot for ducks, gulls and shorebirds. Mont Royal has many migrating songbirds. These places are just a short walk or subway ride from downtown.

In New York there are several state parks and wildlife reserves along Lake Champlain that would still have a lot of waterbirds in September. There’s also some historical sites in the area, like Fort Ticonderoga.

The fall foliage becomes spectacular that time of year, especially from the last week of September through the second week of October. I’d suggest visiting the Charlevoix Region near Quebec , Mont Tremblant north of Montreal or the Adirondack Mountains in Northern New York to see this brilliant display and to have a chance at seeing some boreal birds. If you and you’re husband are into hiking these areas have many opportunities.

Thank you for those really helpful suggestions. We are looking at day trips by boat, as you mention, and have pretty much decided against a longer cruise. Saguenay is definitely on our itinerary and we were thinking about the Gaspe peninsula.

ok, yes I think Saguenay would an excellent choice. I haven't been there myself but some people I know (including a fellow birder) said it was a really nice area.

The Gaspe would also be a really great option; again pretty scenic with lots of sea birds, especially if you take a boat ride to Bonaventure Island. That boat trip would only take a few hours and you would see thousands of nesting Northern Gannets, Black-legged Kittiwakes, among others. I think the boat tours run until the first week of October.

The Gaspe Peninsula is a more lengthy car trip from Quebec City though, more like 9 hours to get to the far end.