We are well past the peak of fall migration and if you needed to describe this fall in one word, it would be SLOW! Our fall migration monitoring program will run until the end of September, however with peak migration behind us, this is shaping up to be a slower, more average year compared to… Read more »
Posts By: Patti Campsall
2026 Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) Summary
Background: MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) is a continent-wide program that monitors bird population changes to conserve these birds and their habitats. As one of the longest running avian monitoring programs undertaken by the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory; the LSLBO has contributed to the MAPS program since 1994 and operated four MAPS sites… Read more »
BOREAL EDUCATOR – full time position
Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory in partnership with the Lesser Slave Forest Education Society We are looking for a creative, experienced educator who can develop and deliver fun, interactive and hands-on programming about the boreal forest, birds and forestry for audiences of all ages. This position is responsible for assisting in the delivery of well-established… Read more »
Citizen Science in the Boreal Forest
Join us for our special plant walk series this summer! Visit four unique Boreal Forest ecosystems. Learn some tips on plant ID from our resident plant experts, learn to use iNaturalist and how to share your results with other through citizen science. Space is limited, so you need to pre-register via the on-line links below… Read more »
Spring Migration Monitoring Summary
Spring Migration Monitoring wrapped up on June 10th for our 33rd consecutive year at the LSLBO. Despite the late snow, the station operated daily from April 16 to June 10, 2026 for 56 days of spring monitoring effort this season. Despite the winter snow that remained well into May, green up seemed to happen quickly… Read more »
Contract Educator
Summary: the contract educator will deliver environmental education and interpretive programming to students and the general public for the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory and the Lesser Slave Forest Education Society. These programs are curriculum based, community group focused or special events for the general public. Program development is based on specific grant deliverables, and… Read more »
September 25 – October 1, 2025
With high winds and yellow leaves beginning to cover the ground, things have been quite quiet during Fall Migration Monitoring at the LSLBO this past week. The same cannot be said about our nightly owl banding program. On September 24th we banded a record-breaking 30 Northern Saw-whet Owls. Each year, there are over 125 different… Read more »
August 21 – 27, 2025
Despite the heat, this week has been phenomenal for songbird migration at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory. Each day was busier than the last as thousands of birds flew overhead during our seven hour monitoring period in the morning. In total, we counted nearly 17,000 birds from August 21 to 27. Most of these… Read more »
July 24 – 31, 2025
Fall songbird migration has certainly picked up at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory but remains relatively slow with just around a hundred birds traveling overhead daily. Busy days for fall migration are impossible to predict, but can bring a thousand songbirds or more overhead and a hundred plus into the mist-nets. So far, we… Read more »
July 10 -16, 2025
Fall migration has officially begun! While we are still wrapping up our MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) Breeding Bird program, the birds are already departing the boreal forest. Where the forest was once alive with beautiful bird songs, we now hear the sharp chips of foraging birds and the begging calls of juvenile birds… Read more »
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The LSLBO Board and Members took the opportunity to recognize some major staff milestones last week. We hope you will join us in thanking these three amazing women for everything they have brought to our LSLBO world and for being such an integral part of our success over the years. Patti Campsall – Executive Director is celebrating 20 years with the LSLBO. Her leadership and passion for environmental education have been instrumental in the growth of the LSLBO education programs that connect visitors of all ages to the world of boreal birds and why we need to care about them. Robyn Perkins – Bander in Charge and Manager of Field Research has been with the LSLBO for 10 years. Since starting as our field assistant in 2016, Robyn has brought incredible leadership and dedication to our avian monitoring and research programs. She is a skilled birder/bander, wonderful trainer, avid learner, and enthusiastic collaborator on any research opportunities that come our way. Thank you for everything that you do Robyn! Bronwyn Robinson – Assistant Bander: After a remarkable 8 field seasons with the LSLBO, Bronwyn will be spending her summers with her family in Ontario once again. Thank you Bronwyn for all of your commitment to the LSLBO over the years and good luck in all your future endeavours. Goodbye and we will miss you!
Thank you to Robyn and Bronwyn for sharing the incredible work that they do with these Portage College students.
UPDATE: Our Saturday Night Owl Night is now FULL, however we did have a few spots just open up for Friday night. To book a spot, visit our easy on-line booking site: www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/owl-nightIf you would like to be put on a waiting list in case there are any cancellations, contact us at 780-849-8240 or info@borealbirdcentre.ca. Please note that the owl banding is weather dependent, but there will be lots of owl fun planned for you and your family at the centre. A big thank you to our sponsors for this special event: Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory, Lesser Slave Forest Education Society, Alberta Parks and Municipal District of Lesser Slave River #124.