COBM
The Club des ornithologues de Brome-Missisquoi Inc. (COBM) is a non-profit organization that brings together local people interested in birdwatching.
COBM uses various means to raise public awareness about the importance of protecting birdlife and works to protect its habitats.
COBM is a member of
Our mission
Promote the practice of birdwatching in the Brome-Missisquoi region for beginners and experienced birdwatchers alike
Learn to identify birds and observe their behaviour; share ornithological knowledge
Work to protect habitats and contribute to efforts to restore habitats that have been destroyed or weakened
Work to protect our region’s bird species and rehabilitate species with special status
Raise awareness of the environmental, economic and social importance of avian wildlife for biodiversity, agriculture, tourism and human well-being
Our bird emblem
Who doesn’t know the male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) with his scarlet plumage, hoopoe and black mask? When the club was founded in 1988, the Northern Cardinal was well established in our region.
The Cardinal frequents the edges of woods, parks, gardens and wooded areas of our cities. A regular visitor to feeders, it adds colour to our winters with its presence and its flute-like song.
The female, with her buff-pink plumage, begins nesting at the end of April. The young leave the nest after about ten days. The male then takes charge of the young, allowing the female to nest again. With the last brood leaving the nest as late as the end of October, this long nesting season has contributed to the northward expansion of the Northern Cardinal’s range.
The first records in Quebec date back to the 1860s, but it was only a century later that we recognized that the Northern Cardinal had extended its East American range to southern Quebec. The abandonment of farms, the increase in the number of urban gardens and the proliferation of bird feeders have created a favorable environment for this species, enabling it to survive our harsh winters. It is now well established in the St. Lawrence Lowlands and southern Appalachians.
Founded in 1988
It was in 1988 that the Club des observateurs d’oiseaux de Brome-Missisquoi met for the first time under the initiative of Mr. Jacques Bonnette. In 1990, the new club took the name of Club des ornithologues de Brome-Missisquoi Inc. (COBM).
The first directors were Jacques Bonnette (Chair), Bertrand Hamel, Marcel Poulin, Denis Messier, Jean-Jacques Hamel, Miles Fortin Jr. and Rachel Fleury. In 1990, the COBM joined the Association québécoise des groupes d’ornithologues (AQGO), which later became Regroupement QuébecOiseaux (RQO).
COBM organizes hundreds of field activities. It informs and raises awareness about the avian world in the region through its own publication L’Info-Oiseaux, by publishing in local papers and on the web, by offering conferences and workshops, by installing information panels, etc. The COBM collaborates with various environmental organizations and works to preserve species by installing feeders and nesting boxes. The club is also involved in citizen science, taking part in various data collections and keeping a close watch on endangered species nesting in the region. To know more .
The COBM worked on the creation of Jacques-Bonnette Natural Park in Cowansville, named in honour of its founding president. The park, inaugurated in 2012, includes a one-kilometre trail favorable to birdwatching. At the park entrance, a poster designed by the Club informs visitors about the birdlife that can be observed on the trails.
Photo credits
COBM: Davignon Lake (City of Cowansville) and Group outing to Tadoussac (Hélène Bergeron)
Our mission: group outing to East Farnham (COBM)
Our bird enblem: Male Northern Cardinal (Alain Deschamps)
Founded in 1988: Female Northern Cardinal (Alain Deschamps)