(French is my first language, sorry if I do mistakes. Also it is a long review, so feel free to skip. 
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As promised, here’s my review of the reopening of the Biodôme de Montréal! Been there 4 hours and had time to visit each section 3 times. The zoo is fully indoor and offers a view into 5 American ecosystems: Tropical Rainforest ; Laurentian Maple Forest ; Gulf of St.Lawrence ; Sub-Antarctic Islands and Labrador Coast (in the same section). Each section tries to create an immersion, the illusion of walking in that ecosystem. As far as possible, barriers, walls and man-made structures are hidden. I took copious notes (and pictures). There were a number of changes in the collection and in the ecosystems. To make it easier, I am suggesting to do a brief summary of the section, a “bullet points” list of new, changed or removed, and a brief comment on my experience (starting with the order I visited them first). I can always answer specific questions if you have some.
BIODÔME IN GENERAL:
Today was the grand reopening. In the midst of the COVID pandemic, there are a number of restrictions, including the number of guests. If you plan to visit and you are not a member of the Friends of the Montréal Biodome (free access whenever it is open), I recommend booking before to be sure they let you in. You need to book at a specific time for the visit, but the allowed time for each group (1h30) is just an approximation. Nobody is kicking you out if you want to stay longer. The app is practical, but has some bugs when you moved from an ecosystem to another. Some species featured in it aren’t there yet, others that are in the ecosystems aren’t on the app, but it was to be expected. The collection is not complete and I got 3 good reasons for it :
- (1) COVID-related issues (including crossing the borders, etc.) ;
- (2) according to one keeper, the Biodôme is not accredited by the AZA at the moment. The reason for this being they were asked to make changes to their exhibits just before they close. Since they were supposed to do them and more anyway, they decided to wait after closing to ask to be a member again. They are waiting for the AZA review. But in the meantime, they cannot get all the species they want, cause it is harder to get some when you are not a member of the AZA. No clue what species they meant (forgot to ask).
- They just opened, so not all the animals already there are fully settled in yet.
Highlights :
- Very friendly and helpful staff ;
- New access to an overview of the Tropical Rainforest, Laurentian Maple Forest and Gulf of St.Lawrence sections. It is located on the Mezzanine and you can also see the architecture of the building (which was built for the bike competition of the 76s Olympics ;
- Updated education sections on the “roof,” called the Bio-Machine.
Issues :
- Not really an issue, but it is a bit confusing going around when you are used to the older layout, but I will get around.
Overall, it was a very nice and enjoyable visit, less crowded than it used to be.
SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS & LABRADOR COAST:
I will treat them together since they are both in the same large room. For those who have never visited the Biodôme, they are the smallest of the ecosystems featured. The Subantarctic islands section exhibits penguins behind a glass exhibit, while the Labrador coast shows Alcidae. Both have rocky features, water areas and snow. Even if both ecosystems are enclosed, it is cold in the room, bring a sweater. Fun thing: the corridor that leads to these sections is covered in ice, like a badly kept freezer.
Subantarctic islands :
- 4 species of penguins : Royal, Macaroni, Gentoo and Northern Rockhopper ;
- One keeper told me they were supposed to have a group of Chinstrap Penguin, but they are stuck at the border because of COVID regulations. It is unclear if they are to have them eventually or the plans were cancelled.
- The exhibit was outdated before the closure. It is now bigger and I think deeper than it used to be. The roof is also higher.
Labrador coast :
- Exhibits : Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill, Common murre.
- Gone : King eider.
- This section used to have two exhibits connected by an underwater tunnel, just under the path. The birds could swim from one side to the other. The smallest exhibit is gone. The collection is also smaller, but it might just be because the zoo just reopened.
I did not spend a lot of time there, mainly because there were many kids every time I went (even with the reduced number allowed in the Biodôme). I plan to go back and spend more time there, hopefully when it is a little bit quieter. I like what they did with the Penguins exhibit, but I am kinda sad about the Alcidaes section. It looks good, but it is smaller and one species less. I remember that back when they were about to close, they could not find a place to keep their Alcidae, so they might have decided to cut down their collection and the section because of it?
LAURENTIAN MAPLE FOREST:
Nice ecosystem, with subtle changes. It exhibits animals typically from the area I grew in and where I am still located. Do not hope for Moose and Black bear, it is an indoor zoo. The biggest animal is the Canada Lynx. The forest follows the cycle of the seasons, so you will see different plants according to when you visit and some trees will shed their leaves.
- Very well planted, except the left wall, which has always been kinda bare. It is especially beautiful to see the ecosystem from the Mezzanine.
- The Trout exhibit at the entrance is gone.
- The Otter was a no-show. According to the keeper, it is stressed out by the reopening. The second otter is stuck at the border because of COVID regulations.
- No turtles at the moment, they encountered some issues having them for the reopening. However they are running a program for Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta), where they collect eggs and babies in the wild, bring them to the Biodôme to give them a chance and release them when they are big enough to fend for themselves. So Wood turtle should be back n the ecosystem eventually, probably alongside the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta).
- It is not easier to see the passerines in the ecosystem, though the Gray Catbird and the Black-capped Chickadees were giving a show at one point. I also saw the Song Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole and the Red Cardinal (not on the list of the app for the ecosystem). You can go on the website or the app to see the other species there.
- They still have the Red-necked Grebe in the beaver’s Pond area, very cool species to have and rare in zoos. The Hooded merganser pair is gone, but they still have a pair of Wood duck. The male beaver was surprisingly chill, going out of the water a lot and showing his swimming skills.
- The beaver pond does not hold any fish at the moment, they have an algae issue.
- The Porcupine can only be seen from the Mezzanine, except when it climbs the dead tree in its exhibit. It is very old one and it need calm.
- Slight changes to the raccoon exhibit, but the Canada Lynx exhibit got a new window fence and more vertical space. You can also see it from the beaver’s pond, which was not possible before.
A very nice section that will challenge all North American birdwatchers. It was a very nice experience to see an overview from it. I think it will be fully ready by next spring, with the spring flowers, more species added and the pond issues resolved.
GULF OF THE ST.LAWRENCE
Basically, in has 3 levels: the deeper water which are in a “basement,” the rocky shores and an overview from the Mezzanine leading to a stair into the exhibit. It houses sea and shorebirds, lot of invertebrates and both smaller coastal fish and bigger deep-water ones.
- Overall, it seems like it is pretty much the same as it used to be, except for the accessible overview from the Mezzanine, the stairs in the section and the higher roof. Most of the layout is the same, though, which is not a bad thing.
- The Deep Bay exhibit is missing some species, including Atlantic cod, Salmon and Saithe, but Salmon is for sure a future addition. They are done to their last shark (I believe a Spiny dogfish - Squalus acanthias) and will not replace it after it’s gone. The Atlantic sturgeons make quite a display and the Striped bass and American shad shoals too.
- The Rocky bottom is a tubular tank, replicating an underwater cliff and the bottom of the seabed. It exhibits a lot of invertebrates and technically fish, but I could not see any of the later. It is kinda barren at the moment compared to before, with only the bottom 5th of the exhibit really inhabited. I guess it will be stocked in the future and also colonized by the inhabitants already in it.
- I am glad they kept the Tidal marsh and Rocky shores exhibits, since they both used to look very well and still do. The first currently exhibits Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone and Black-bellied plover (though they are allowed to fly wherever they want to). The second exhibits invertebrates, including sea cucumbers, and fish (though I did not see them).
- The Black-legged kittiwakes and Common terns (only a pair as far as I could see) were way quieter than they used to be, but I guess it will be livelier when they settle it and get used to guests.
- Have not seen the Harlequin Duck on the Gulf bassin, but the Long-tailed duck, Common eider, Barrow’s goldeneye, Surf scoter and I believe a Bufflehead (they used to have it, but it does not appear on the app). The Black guillemot colony seems to do pretty fine, but I could not find the Black-crowned night-heron.
- They only have 1 remaining Junco, but there is at least one other New World sparrow in the exhibit. I could not identify it with certainty, but I think it is a White-throated sparrow (also found in the Laurentian maple forest).
I feel like this exhibit will need some time to reach its full potential. It used to be full of flying terns, gulls and guillemots, making it a very lively display. It was a bit dull today. Same for the Deep bay exhibit. However, the concept of the 3 “floors” of exhibits and the structure is really worth it. Having an overview of the exhibit was a highlight and very impressive and I bet it will be even more when the animals get more confident. Also, I am speaking as a person who has been many times to the Biodôme before. If you have no point of comparison, it is a stunning section.
TROPICAL RAINFOREST
The “gem” of the Biodôme, it is an indoor South American rainforest, serving both as a zoo and tropical greenhouse. A serpentine pathway guides you through different parts of a tropical rainforest (ex. Flooded forest, canopy, wetlands, caves, etc.) I believe it has the higher roof in all the different sections. Again, do no hope for big mammals. The biggest one is the Capybara.
- They moved the entrance, transforming this area in a macaw exhibit (4 Scarlet and 2 Blue-and-gold). The Hyacinth macaw pair that used to be at the end of this section are gone, their exhibit was replaced by the staircase.
- I do not now if I was in luck or it is easier now, but I was able to see the sloths high in the canopy at the entrance.
- They have a new species of Caiman, a pair of Broad-snouted. They used to have a pair of Yacare. They have moved into the old Capybara exhibit close to the entrance and vice versa. I am glad of that change, since the Capys were in a very small exhibit there. They now have a group of 4 (including one missing its left hind leg) in a large exhibit with a beach, shallow water and deeper pool, mud flat, etc. They are sharing the ground with Red-footed Tortoises and the water with Redtail catfish, Tambaqui, Tiger catfish and Sickle-band brycon, that can all be seen from an overview (Adonis pleco was not
). The Sunbittern was also a no-show.
- Close to the entrance, on the left, near the feeding stations located there, is the favourite spot (so far) for their only Spangled cotinga (a male). Very easy to see if you take the time. According to the keepers, other easier to see passerines include Turquoise and Opal-rumped tanager. I saw the Banaquit, but could not locate the Saffron finch or Rufous-collared sparrow.
- They got rid of the Central American cichlids in the Flooded forest, but have a nice group of fish there now. This section receives regular rainfall during the day, making it quite a display. However, the Common marmoset pair in this section hate it according to a keeper and were no-show. The staff is trying to get them ok with this feature.
- On the other side of the path, the Golden lion-tamarin could not be bothered with the guests and were on-show most of the day. Same for the Goeldi’s monkeys on the right, after the cave. The Goeldis share with a Turkey vulture, probably the same one from before the closing. I do not remember exactly how and why, but it cannot fly anymore, but hop around. According to the keepers, the Motmot also seems to affectionate this area (and indeed, I have seen it there).
- After you go in the cave, which has 5 exhibits : (1) the Eroded shores, a long tank exhibiting Angel Fish, Discus, corys and tetras, Uaru cichlid, etc. ; (2) the Poison Frog terrarium, a large terrarium that only has Panamanian Golden Frog right now, but will have other poison frogs and also Emerald boa ; (3) the Anaconda and Piranhas exhibit (pretty forward name), no piranha at the moment ; (4-5) the Bat cave, an exhibit on each side. The last two have not got a population of bats in them for long (practically no guano stained rock in them). The bats were very quiet, so like other animals, they might get more active when they are used to guests. It also seems like the population is low at the moment.
- The Wetlands exhibit has a White-faced whistling-duck pair, a Southern screamer and a group of Yellow-spotted river turtle. Roseate spoonbill and Scarlet ibis visit too, but seems to prefer the canopy.
- Finally, a huge stair brings you to the canopy, where some birds and the sloths are easier to view, but the view in itself is stunning! After that, you can either go back down and exit there or exit on the Mezzanine.
Very impressive section, the most immersive of all I believe. The vegetation is stunning, with real, high trees all around you and flower aplenty. I cannot wait to see how it will evolve in the future.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable day. I am glad the Biodôme is open again. I hope it will thrive even in the current climate and that it will get its AZA accreditation soon, hopefully bringing new species (or more of the current ones) in the midst of it.
Sorry it was so long!
Pictures will follow in the next days.
