The Unique Behaviours of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Have you ever noticed rows of shallow holes in the bark of a tree in your neighbourhood? If so, there’s a good chance they were created by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker! As their name suggests, these woodpeckers largely rely on sap as their main food source. Just like humans… Read more »
Weekly Reports
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 17 – 24, 2021
Breeding birds and brood patches at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory Breeding season is well underway and this week our researchers are observing many signs that birds are right in the middle of their nesting season. While conducting breeding bird surveys in the field as part of a research project for Vanderwell Contractors Ltd.,… Read more »
June 10 – 17, 2021
School programs wrapping up for the season June is a month of transition at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory for both the birds and our staff. Spring migration has tapered off as the last of our migrant birds have arrived in the boreal forest, settled into their territories, and found mates for the summer…. 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 »
May 20 – 26, 2021
As promised, results are in for the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory’s annual fundraiser: the Great Canadian Birdathon. If you feel out of the loop, during the Birdathon teams across Canada do a marathon of birding, trying to find as many bird species as possible within 24 hours to collect donations for their favourite local… Read more »
May 13 – 19, 2021
With many season firsts, the LSLBO had a high diversity of bird species this week with 98 unique bird species recorded. Birdsong is filling the forest and sounds like the trees are more Myrtle Warblers and Black-and-White Warblers than leaves. The forest is not yet lush, but grows greener by the day to soon provide… Read more »
May 6 – 12, 2021
After the rush of about 44,000 geese last period from April 29 to May 5, migration monitoring has become dominated by songbirds at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory. Although the windy and rainy periods around the weekend put a damper on migration activity, since birds spent more time foraging rather than darting directly overhead,… Read more »
April 29 – May 5, 2021
Birds were counted in the droves at the LSLBO this week. Between recording 26 544 Greater White-fronted Geese, 12 972 Lesser Snow Geese, and 4 339 American Robins, there were also a handful of blackbirds, Tree Swallows, Orange-crowned Warblers, and several sparrow species made a first appearance for the year. Despite so much overhead migration,… Read more »