After being delayed by high winds and rain late last week which brought a few small trees down over our nets and trails, the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory finally completed our breeding-focused Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program on May 28, 2024. In general, MAPS went smoothly with a few delays caused by… Read more »
Posts Tagged: MAPS
July 18 – 24, 2024
While the intention was to summarize the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory’s 2024 Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program, high winds followed by rain caused several delays and we could not complete our MAPS efforts. Yet, in what we have finished of our last period of MAPS was a first for our station: banding… Read more »
July 4 – 10, 2024
Here at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory (LSLBO) we are over half-way through our MAPS program, which focuses on breeding birds. So far in MAPS 44% of our captures were recaptures – that’s a bird that is already banded. Recapturing banded birds is the only way for us to accurately know the age of… Read more »
June 27 – July 3, 2024
The Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory is still monitoring locally breeding songbirds, but a few birds have already left their summer homes. This dispersal netted us a young Varied Thrush – our first captured during MAPS and only the ninth we have ever banded. While range maps will tell you this species cannot be found… Read more »
May 30 – June 5, 2024
As June 10 brings closer the last day of the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory’s Spring Migration Monitoring program, the forest is full of love, but few migrants. Despite the seemingly persistent high winds and rain which kept the nets shut, we continued to count birds daily. While most migrants were large flocks of Cedar… Read more »
July 27 – August 2, 2023
On July 30, 2023, the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory concluded the second of our four core monitoring projects: Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS), which focuses on breeding birds. With Spring Migration Monitoring a distant memory, all that is left is to continue our Fall Migration Monitoring until October, and to wait for Northern… Read more »
July 6 to 12, 2023
Things are getting busy at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory with the start up of the Fall Migration Monitoring Program on July 12th. While some birds are already showing signs of migratory behaviour, many birds around the station are still actively raising their families as we finish up our MAPS program (Monitoring Avian Productivity… Read more »
June 29 – July 5, 2023
The Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory contains breeding territory of five species of woodpeckers: Hairy, Downy, Pileated, American Three-toed, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. While we see plenty of them during their migrations (yes, some woodpeckers migrate like songbirds), Yellow-shafted Flickers rarely set up breeding territories near our sites. Indeed, prior to this year, we had never… Read more »
June 15 – 21, 2023
After completing Spring Migration Monitoring on June 10, the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory is now well underway with the next of our core monitoring programs: Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS). MAPS studies locally breeding songbirds by capturing them at four sites in the Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park. Currently we are banding adults… Read more »
August 4 – 10, 2022
The unusual and exciting captures of our Fall Migration Monitoring program continued for the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory with our tenth ever Red-winged Blackbird, despite periods of poor weather and often subdued bird activity. Thanks to this lull we are able to summarize our Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program, which completed on… Read more »
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The 30th Annual Slave Lake Christmas Bird Count will be taking place on Sunday, December 15th this year. This one-day census of the wintering birds in the Slave Lake Area is always a highlight for local residents. Join one of our birding groups to search for birds in town or local forest routes. Or you can help us out by recording the number and type of birds visiting your feeder that day. New participants are always welcome for this fun event. ![]()
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Feeling a little rusty on your bird ID? We will be holding a special Winter Bird ID Crash Course on Thursday, Dec 12th at the local Library for anyone wanting to brush up on their winter bird ID before the Christmas Bird Count. ![]()
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For more information or to sign up for the Christmas Bird Count or the Winter Bird ID presentation, just call 780-849-8240 or email info@borealbirdcentre.ca
Today, the Lesser Slave Forest Education Society and Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory said goodbye to Danika Wack; our wonderful Boreal Educator. After spending 2 and a half years with us delivering school fieldtrips, bird observatory tours, and community outreach programs, Danika is heading off on some well deserved travel adventures. Thank you for everything you have done for our education programs, your kind and generous spirit, and for being such an integral part of our team. Movie nights won't be the same without you, but we wish you well on your exciting adventures to come! ![]()
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(L to R) Patti - LSLBO Executive Director, Danika, Cori - LSFES Executive Director. And if it looks like we are trying to keep her from leaving, we were!
Last night was our Assistant Bander Bronwyn's last shift on our Fall Owl Monitoring Program as she gets ready to head home after a long season. Staff came out to enjoy the evening with her and we were very lucky to have a Northern Saw-whet Owl and a very feisty Boreal Owl stop by as well! Wishing safe travels to Bronwyn as well as the owls!