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 »
Station reports
Birdathon 2026
Yesterday, May 20, was a rather miserable day for our Great Canadian Birdathon fundraiser where we try to see as many species as we can in a single day. The winds off the lake was chilling and kept the waterfowl away while intermittent rain interfered with out mist-netting. But we scoured the forest, the shore,… Read more »
October 2 – 8, 2025
On October 3, the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory concluded our Fall Songbird Migration Monitoring program for 2025; our 31st year of standardized efforts. Although the trees still bear their yellowed leaves, very few migratory bird species remain in our forests as the stillness of winter tightens its grip. For the third year in a… 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 »
September 18 – 24, 2025
The Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory’s songbird migration monitoring program continues to wind down without any late season surges. Most of the songbird species still moving through the area are short-distance migrants which only go to Calgary at the closest or as far as the southern U.S. or northern Mexico. Some years we see a… Read more »
September 11 – 17, 2025
As the owls begin to migrate through the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory, most of our songbirds have departed. We’ve entered a lull in fall migration since few warblers remain, but the sparrows are trickling south and will not arrive in large numbers until temperatures drop. Soon Central and South American nations will celebrate Migratory… Read more »
September 4 – 10, 2025
The start of September has seen a trickle of birds in our songbird migration nets, and a modest seventeen Northern Saw-whet Owls for our owl monitoring program. With the summer vacation season having ended and everyone returning to school and work, we look back fondly on the many tours we ran at the Lesser Slave… Read more »
August 28 – September 3, 2025
As the leaves begin turning gold, the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory has also started our owl migration monitoring. The first night, September 1, delivered us three Northern Saw-whet Owls to kick off the season. From September until the end of October, LSLBO staff set up audio lures an hour after sunset. These lures are… 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 »
August 14 – 20, 2025
Fall songbird migration is already winding down at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory. Big waves of most of our warbler species have come and gone. Yet the true vanguards of fall, such as Snow Goose, American Pipit, or White-crowned Sparrow have yet to arrive. Oddly, there were three very late-season families at the station… Read more »
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Hard to believe, but Fall Migration Monitoring has already begun in the boreal forest. Experience the special world of bird banding at our PUBLIC BIRD OBSERVATORY TOURS taking place every WEDNESDAY and SATURDAY morning until the end of August. Drop-in at the station anytime between 9 to 11 am and join us for this fun family-friendly education program. For more information, call 780-849-8240 or email info@borealbirdcentre.ca
This elusive Swainson's Thrush was the number one bird banded at the LSLBO during our spring migration monitoring program. For a recap of spring at the station, check out this update.![]()
www.lslbo.org/station-reports/spring-migration-monitoring-summary/![]()
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Summer is over quick for these incredible migratory birds. Our Fall Migration Monitoring program at the LSLBO will be starting up on July 12th!![]()
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All birds are handled by professionals and released unharmed as permitted by federal and provincial authorities.