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In honour of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we would like to thank all of the amazing women who have worked at our station, and inspired so many young girls (and boys) to pursue a love of science through their love of birds! Here are just a few of these special people. Thank you from everyone at the LSLBO!
A recent study measured mercury in feathers collected at 15 Canadian Migration Monitoring Network stations, including the LSLBO. When mercury accumulates in songbirds, it can change singing behaviour and harm their ability to have young and to migrate. The study found that concentrations in songbirds are highest in Eastern Canada, where mercury contaminants are more common. Mercury contaminates songbirds in a process known as bioaccumulation. Concentrations of mercury increase at each stage of the food chain so concentrations were found to be highest in songbirds whose diets consist mostly of insects (for example, Brown Creepers, Northern Waterthrush, and Black-and-white Warblers).![]()
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Although Canada’s mercury emissions have decreased by 90% since the 1970s, it persists in the environment and the consequences of lax regulations of the past may continue to be felt for years to come. Since even remote Canadian landscapes are impacted by global mercury emissions because of hemispheric mixing, Canada and 115 other governments have ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury (www.mercuryconvention.org/).![]()
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Want to learn more about scientific findings using our data? Visit:![]()
www.lslbo.org/monitoring-and-research/research-library/
Join the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory on Feb 11th for this special Frost Fest program all about Winter Birds in the Boreal Forest! We will introduce you to some of our favourite winter residents, share some ID tips, plus how you can encourage them to visit your backyard feeder this winter. This is a family-friendly interactive program that designed for nature lovers of all ages. ![]()
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To register and receive the partipant link, email us at info@lslbo.org or call 780-849-8240.