The Team
Denis Reale,
searcher
Denis Réale has been a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UQAM since 2003. He is interested in how wild animal populations respond to rapid changes in their environment. Denis Réale focuses on behaviors—the traits most rapidly altered by disturbances—as well as life history traits, which are directly linked to demography.
He has studied the responses of mammal and bird populations to climate change, environmental disturbances, and the effects of urbanization. The situation facing common loons aligns perfectly with his research interests and expertise.
Nathalie Léonard,
citizen researcher
Confined and limited in her activities, as everyone was in 2020, Nathalie Léonard took the opportunity to deepen her knowledge of birds. Starting with the physical characteristics of birds, she developed her ability to identify them by their songs. A retired teacher and member of the Hautes-Laurentides Ornithological Club, she recently decided to share her knowledge by leading groups, with whom she communicates her passion for the birdlife of the Laurentians and the surrounding area. This project on the common loon is another step in her journey as an ornithologist and now, as a citizen scientist.
Marc-André Villard,
biologist
Marc-André Villard is a biologist at Sépaq, where he serves as a scientific advisor and research coordinator. Previously, he was a professor and researcher in biology at the Université de Moncton and Mount Allison University. Like almost everyone else, he loves the call of the common loon and hopes we will continue to hear it for centuries to come.
Roxane Carrier,
biologist
A biology graduate of UQAM, Roxane has a particular interest in field ornithology and the study of avian reproduction and behavior. She has participated in several monitoring programs, notably on the Wood Thrush in Oka National Park, as well as on the Bicolor Swallow and the Eastern Bluebird for the McGill Bird Observatory. Her experience in scientific banding and nesting monitoring fuels her interest in the conservation of vulnerable species. As part of the common loon project, she helps coordinate activities and conduct field monitoring, working alongside the research team and volunteers. For her, the common loon is an iconic species whose conservation relies on close collaboration between researchers and the community.
Maxime Čapkun-Huot,
biologist
Maxime joined the QuébecOiseaux team as a biologist in January 2023, where he coordinates eBird Québec and several loon monitoring projects, including the Québec component of the Canadian Loon Survey. He is also responsible for the organization’s sand martin conservation projects. Before joining QuébecOiseaux, he worked in the federal public service on the monitoring and conservation of several species at risk, including the Chimney Swift, the Meadow Warbler, the Meadow Pipit, and the Little Bittern.
Laura Puch,
biologist
Laura Puch, a biologist, is a project manager at QuébecOiseaux, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the study, observation, and protection of Quebec’s birds. She leads various projects aimed at conserving vulnerable species—including the chimney swift and several farmland birds—and at protecting and enhancing their habitats.
Her work includes, among other things, outreach and knowledge-sharing initiatives with various stakeholders, as well as volunteer mobilization. She collaborates notably with BirdLife Canada to coordinate the Canadian Loon Survey, a citizen science program dedicated to the monitoring and conservation of this iconic species.