Laval Island

Île Laval (48°44’59.0″N x 69°02’06.7″W) is one of the western-most Black-legged kittiwake colonies in the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence. It is a small, uninhabited island lying ~1 km offshore of Forestville, Québec, covered in dense forests, with cliffs and rocky outcrops and boulders. Île Laval is rich in seabird biodiversity, supporting the breeding of Double-crested cormorant (~20 pairs), gulls (Herring gull; ~95 pairs, Great black-backed gull; ~10 pairs), Razorbill (~300 pairs), Common guillemot (unknown numbers), Common eider (~1100 nests), and a colony historically supporting approximately 2000 breeding Black-legged kittiwake pairs.

Breeding censuses were conducted every five years by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Research projects on Île Laval started in 2022 by Environment and Climate Change Canada and McGill University with the deployment of SEATRACK GLS devices.