For the second time this fall, the LSLBO has received word of one of our banded birds being recovered elsewhere. This time, a young Swainson’s Thrush captured on July 27 was reported in Humboldt, Saskatchewan on August 30. It was not easy for the finder to determine its species, however, because they recovered only a… Read more »
Posts By: Nicole Linfoot
August 26 – September 1, 2021
When a bird is banded, it receives a leg band that is stamped with a unique number allowing it to be identified as an individual. However, the odds that a given bird will be seen again are very small: think of how many birds there are in North America, and how few bird banders! A… Read more »
August 19 – 25, 2021
Fall migration has been looking rather different at the LSLBO this week. Instead of the Tennessee Warblers that have been so numerous for so long, recently we have seen an increase in Swainson’s Thrushes – another one of our most banded species. They are one of several different thrush species that we band here at… Read more »
August 12 – 18, 2021
Despite the often windy and sometimes raining weather hampering bird activity and frequently keeping our mist-nets closed, it has been an exciting week for the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory. Tennessee Warblers continue to migrate south in large flocks and with 1,160 banded so far, we are creeping closer to banding almost double the previous… Read more »
August 5 – 11, 2021
In North America, bird banding stations are typically much busier during the fall than they are in the spring, as fall migration monitoring runs for a longer duration and captures large numbers of young birds that hatched just a few months previously. For migratory birds especially, population numbers reach an annual peak around this time… Read more »
July 23 – 29, 2021
There is so much variety in the size and coloration of birds, that it comes as no surprise their beaks are no different. From the long, thin needle of a hummingbird, to the flat bill of a duck, every bird has a beak shaped conveniently for their preferred diets. Of the forty-three species we have… Read more »
July 8 – 14, 2021
With the recent heat warnings that have been in effect across Canada, birds and humans alike have been seeking ways to keep cool during this hot summer! When it comes to beating the heat birds have a slight advantage over us because their body temperature is naturally higher: 40º Celsius on average, compared to the… Read more »
June 24 – 30, 2021
In 2018, the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory was contracted by Vanderwell Contractors (1971) Ltd. to survey logged forests and to determine how breeding bird communities change alongside the forest as it regenerates. The boreal forest is a mosaic of different forest types and ages that are created by natural and human disturbances. When large… Read more »
June 3 – 10, 2021
On June 10, the LSLBO’s Spring Migration Monitoring program of 2021 was completed. With coverage every day since April 17, we have successfully documented the beginning, middle, and end of migration for most species that breed north of us or locally. In total, our field staff recorded 160 unique bird species during the monitoring period…. Read more »
May 27 – June 2, 2021
Our 8th most commonly banded species at the LSLBO is the Canada Warbler, a grey and yellow bird whose most distinctive feature is its necklace of black feathers. They are a long-distance migrant that breeds in the boreal forest. Because of habitat change on their wintering grounds, they are listed as threatened in Canada, while… Read more »