COBM
The Club des ornithologues de Brome-Missisquoi Inc. (COBM) is a non-profit organization that brings together local people interested in ornithological activities.
COBM uses various means to raise public awareness about the importance of protecting winged fauna and works to protect its habitats.
COBM is a member of
Our mission
Promote the practice of birdwatching activities on the territory of Brome-Missisquoi
Welcome both beginners and experienced bird lovers
Bring people of all ages to take an interest in birds in a playful way, watch and listen to them
Promote the sharing of ornithological knowledge while learning to identify birds and observe their behavior
Work toward the protection of habitats and bird species of our territory and raise public awareness
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. It was therefore the ideal emblematic bird to represent the COBM.
The Cardinal frequents the edges of woods, parks, gardens and wooded areas of our cities. An assiduous visitor to feeders, it colours our winters with its presence and its flute-like song.
During the breeding season, as soon as it has defined its territory, the Northern Cardinal no longer tolerates others of its species. The female, with its buff-pink plumage, begins nesting at the end of April and lays 3 to 4 eggs per clutch (2 to 4 broods per year). Both parents feed the chicks with insects. The young leave the nest after about ten days. The male then takes responsibility for the young to allow 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 1860’s, but it is only a century later that the Northern Cardinal was recognized as having expanded its East American range into southern Quebec. The abandonment of farms and the proliferation of urban gardens created a favourable environment for it. The Northern Cardinal’s population increased in the 1970’s with the multiplication of feeders. The food being made more accessible allows it to survive our harsh winters. It is now well established in the St. Lawrence Lowlands and southern Appalachians, and its numbers have tripled since 1995.
Founded in 1988
It was in 1988 that a group of people interested in birdwatching 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) with the Northern Cardinal as its emblem and adopted a new communication tool, the journal L’Info-Oiseaux.
The Club des observateurs d’oiseaux de Brome-Missisquoi was founded in 1988. 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 club changed its name to Club des ornithologues de Brome-Missisquoi Inc. The COBM then became affiliated with the Association québécoise des groupes d’ornithologues (AQGO), which later became Regroupement QuébecOiseaux (RQO).
Over the years, the COBM has organized hundreds of field activities and some 50 conferences. It works to raise awareness in the region by writing in local papers, holding several exhibitions, offering workshops, etc. The COBM is also involved in species preservation. Since its foundation, it has collaborated in data collection through its participation in the Christmas Bird Count (RON), to the eBird database, and by monitoring threatened 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. Photo Lac Dvignon. Ville de Cowansville / Group outing to Tadoussac. COBM.
Our mission: Group outing to East Farnham. COBM.
Our bird emblem: Northern Cardinal. Alain Deschamps.
Founded in 1988: Northern Cardinal female. Alain Deschamps.