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 »
Posts Tagged: Northern Saw-whet Owl
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 »
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 »
September 19 – 25, 2024
August 29 – September 4, 2024
We have just begun owl migration monitoring at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory with nine Northern Saw-Whet Owls banded so far. Since the program’s inception in 2004, 2,248 of these pop can-sized owls have been banded. In 2016, our second target species, the slightly larger Boreal Owl, was added to the roster with fifteen… Read more »
September 28 – October 3, 2023
On October 3, Fall Migration Monitoring at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory ended after 84 days. We normally end on September 30, and this is the first time since 2008 that we pushed into October due to the unseasonably warm weather, which may have delayed movements of some short-distance migrants. It remains unclear if… Read more »
September 21 – 27, 2023
Fall migration continues to be unusually slow. The nights have been warm and the owls sparse, but there are other things of interest in the dark hours from the odd deer, flying squirrel, or bear to spectacular northern lights and migrating geese. It may come as a surprise that most migration occurs at night when… Read more »
September 7 – 13, 2023
We have finished our second week of owl migration monitoring at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory. There are two species that we target here. The first is the Northern Saw-Whet Owl, one of the smallest owls in Canada (second only to the Northern Pygmy-Owl) and our most frequent flier. Since the program began in… Read more »
May 25 – 31, 2023
It has been a slow week at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory as we pass the peak in songbird migration. Only a handful of species are still moving, including Cedar Waxwings, Mourning Warblers, Alder Flycatchers, and Red-eyed Vireos. While most of our time is spent watching the skies and forests to document movements, the… Read more »
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The 2025 ANNUAL REPORT is a wrap, so check out all the highlights from last season. Thank you to our dedicated staff, volunteers, members, program partners, and sponsors that enable the LSLBO to deliver such great programs each year! If you are missing our world, just a reminder that spring migration monitoring is only 3 months away! ![]()
www.lslbo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Annual-Report-2025.pdf
SUMMER INTERPRETER JOB POSTING![]()
The Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory and our education partner, the Lesser Slave Forest Education Society are seeking an adventurous, fun and creative individual to join our team this summer! Our summer interpreter will be responsible for leading groups of students on educational fieldtrips, creating new education programs, delivering summer camp programs, leading tours of the LSLBO as well as providing summer interpretive programs at the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation. For the full job posting please visit:![]()
www.lslbo.org/job-opportunities/summer-interpreter/