Southward songbird migration is well underway at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory. Though the sky is relatively quiet, the nets are getting busier such that July 27 captured 141 birds to become the busiest day of captures so far this fall monitoring period. Since migration began, the nets have been busier than average overall,… Read more »
Weekly Reports
July 14 – 20, 2022
Believe it or not, the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory began tracking southward bird migration on July 12. The first week of Fall Migration Monitoring was slow with captures and observations of baby birds and their parents many, but observations of clear migration few. Already a shift has begun. More and more we are seeing… Read more »
July 7 – 13, 2022
Around this time every summer the world outside our windows is bursting with life. Vibrant green vegetation with splashes of colourful wildflowers and soon-to-be ripe fruit has thoroughly replaced the long lingering whites of winter and browns of early spring. Insects are abundant with ants, butterflies, bees, and pesky mosquitoes easily found. Alongside these summer… Read more »
June 30 – July 6, 2022
The Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory field staff were busy this week with the MAPS program that monitors the breeding status of the diverse bird species that nest in Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park as well as completing vegetation surveys to monitor habitat changes in our study areas. This week, the banders are starting to… Read more »
June 23 – 29, 2022
The LSLBO has finished our second round of MAPS banding focusing on our breeding birds. With 61 birds banded in the last period, our MAPS banding total now stands at 173 birds banded from 21 species. Although there were no captures that stood out in the last round, we are expecting this round to be… Read more »
June 16 – 22, 2022
As we finish our second period of MAPS, shifts in breeding conditions are plentiful. These changes give hints to each bird’s nesting activity without us having to find the nest. The most detailed clues come from female songbirds who are often solely responsible for incubating a pair’s eggs. To efficiently warm these eggs, females drop… Read more »
June 9 – 15, 2022
As June 10 concluded, so too did the 2022 Spring Migration Monitoring program at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory. With daily coverage since April 18, arrivals and migration peaks have been documented for 160 bird species. Although bird movements began slow-steady with a few sparrow rushes early in the monitoring period, there was a… Read more »
June 2 – 8, 2022
This week has been surprisingly busy for the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory’s spring migration monitoring program with 318 birds banded between June 2 and 8. Although we are capturing expected numbers of late season migrants, such as Canada Warblers, Alder Flycatchers, and even a rare Connecticut Warbler, our nets have also seen unusually high… Read more »
May 26 – June 1, 2022
Though the air is filled with birdsong as Tennessee Warblers and White-Throated Sparrows compete for loudest voice in the boreal forest, migration has continued to slow this week at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory (LSLBO). While slow, the trickle of birds in the mist nets has brought our organization to a milestone on May… Read more »
May 19 – 25, 2022
On May 18 Team Tanager went out for their big day to see as many species as possible for the Great Canadian Birdathon. Teammates Wayne Bowles, Robyn Perkins, Bronwyn Robinson, and first-timer Nola Sheets spent the morning at the migration monitoring station before heading out to tour a few hotspots around town. In total, they… Read more »
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Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory Society![]()
SPECIAL MEETING![]()
Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023![]()
Time: 4 pm![]()
Place: Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation or ZOOM![]()
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A Special Meeting of the members has been called to approve new Bylaws for the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory Society. ![]()
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Please RSVP for the Special Meeting by emailing info@lslbo.org or phoning 780-849-8240. A copy of the proposed bylaws as well as the ZOOM link for the meeting will be provided with your RSVP.
Last summer, the LSLBO completed our 29th year of avian population monitoring at Lesser Slave Lake. It is always incredible how much our team at the station accomplishes each year, so check out all the highlights in our 2022 ANNUAL REPORT. ![]()
www.lslbo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Annual-Report-2022.pdf![]()
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Thank you to Robyn Perkins, Bronwyn Robinson, and Nola Sheets for all their hard work last season. And of course, thank you to all of our amazing supporters who help make all of this possible: Alberta Conservation Association, West Fraser, Vanderwell, Tolko Industries Ltd., Alberta Parks, Environment and Climate Change, TC Energy, Canada Summer Jobs, and all of our LSLBO members, staff and volunteers.
Have you ever wondered what our LSLBO Bander in Charge does in the winter season? There is always a lot of program planning and paperwork, but sometimes Robyn gets to do some pretty cool things like helping to collect data for an owl research project. Awesome field day!