Weekly Reports

Last week I opened by saying it felt as though migration was taking its time getting going. Well this week, at least for half of it, migration was on. May 4 marked the beginning of the migratory rush we had been waiting for. Over 3300 American robin passed over the observatory and they were joined… Read more »

Over this past week we have been seeing more species every day, but it still feels as though migration is taking its time getting started. Canada and white-fronted goose have been seen on most mornings moving over in large flocks, and on a couple days there was decent migration of sandhill crane as well. Raptor… Read more »

After the last couple years of balmy Aprils, spring seemed slow to arrive in Slave Lake this year, but arrive it has. April may have greeted us with a very cold start and a mid-month dump of snow but the weather has springed up during this past week! Clear skies, calm air and lots of… Read more »

As I write this article it seems as though winter is here for good. There is snow and there is cold. I closed up the owl nets and put them away for the season mid-week knowing that the last half of the week was going to be unsuitable weather for owling anyways. With the owl… Read more »

Another week of northern saw-whet migration monitoring and once again very few owls to show for it. Generally when things are going slowly for us I have a ready hypothesis as to why, this year I have been scratching my head to come up with any reason as to why this October has been so… Read more »

Last week I chose not to write an article because I had nothing really to write as far as an update went. Migration monitoring was over and although owl monitoring was still ongoing, it wasn’t producing much results. From October 5-11 I had captured a paltry four northern saw-whet owls. Well shows me for trying… Read more »

Fall migration monitoring season at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory came to an end this week. We rolled up our nets, stored away our poles and ropes and brought all our gear from the lab back to the Boreal Centre for another winter. It is always hard saying goodbye to the birds; it seems… Read more »

It has been a very ‘sparrowey’ week at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory! Lots of sparrows of many species. Early in the week we experienced a couple days of rain that prevented us from opening the nets. Although we couldn’t band we were out as usual counting migrating birds. What we saw were thousands… Read more »

We are half way through September and it is looking like this is going to be one of the slowest fall banding seasons on record. I highly doubt we’ll set the record for the slowest (we are at around 1150 birds banded, needing only a dozen more birds to beat the worst year), but unless… Read more »

So far it is feeling like an average September, there is a steady trickle of migration on the non-windy days and banding is steady but not terribly busy. Myrtle warbler are still the most abundant migrant by a wide margin. Orange-crowned warblers are peaking as well as white-crowned sparrow and the slate-coloured junco and American… Read more »