The trees are turning colours, the breeze is getting nippy, and the air has that amazing smell that can only mean one thing… Autumn is here. Fall migration monitoring may have started over a month ago, but it has only really started to feel like fall this past week. Plants and weather aside, there have been other signs of the changing of seasons at the observatory. For starters, our species diversity is shrinking rapidly; most of our warbler species as well as many sparrow species and the vireos, tanagers, blackbirds, and many others are gone save the last few straggling individuals. This is a bittersweet time – I love autumn. I love the warm but not hot weather, the lack of biting insects and the colours and smells, but hate saying goodbye to the beautiful songbirds that filled my summer days. I am taking time to appreciate every bird that gets caught because I know it could very well be the last one of that species that I will see until May. It isn’t all downhill though, that is the other sign of the arrival of fall: the diversity may be dropping, but it is starting to be slightly offset by the arrival of some of the far northern breeders. There are over a dozen species that we only see in early spring and then again in late fall as they travel to and from the tundra and high-arctic. This week we have encountered a few of these quintessential fall species. We banded both a slate-coloured junco and a golden-crowned sparrow and have seen several Lapland longspurs flying overhead as well as a golden-crowned kinglet foraging. The junco is the least impressive of the bunch, they can be found anywhere north of here that has thick coniferous forests, the longspur, though, spent their summer breeding up on the tundra right on the edge of the Arctic Ocean. The kinglet is a neat little northern breeder – they aren’t just passing through, they are actually arriving here – this is where they will spend their winter. Another species of bird that is synonymous with fall in the birding world will also arrive soon. Northern saw-whet owls breed all over northern Canada, including here is the Lesser Slave Lake region. Although they are present all summer, they are spread out in large breeding territories deep in coniferous forests; only in the fall do they become abundant and common in all forest types as they migrate south (to northern United States) for the winter. This year, like every year since 2004, we will be conducting saw-whet owl monitoring. Starting September 1 I will be out every night playing the owl’s breeding call near an array of nets in the hopes of catching saw-whets and banding them. Owl banding is one of the best things about fall. Last year we had the lowest capture rate on record, and most of the other stations across Canada reported similar results. Here’s hoping this year makes up for it.
Weekly Banding Reports
- September 28 – October 3, 2023
- September 21 – 27, 2023
- September 14 – 20, 2023
- September 7 – 13, 2023
- August 31 – September 6, 2023
Archives
Follow us on Facebook
1 month ago
Friday (Feb 16) is the LAST DAY to apply for our MIGRATION FIELD ASSISTANT position at the LSLBO!If you have good birding skills and want to gain more hands-on field experience in the world of avian migration monitoring, visit our job board for more information on this rewarding position: www.lslbo.org/job-opportunities/migration-field-assistant/
... See MoreSee Less
1 month ago
The LSLBO has wrapped up our 30th year of bird population monitoring in the boreal forest and it was another busy season. Check out our 2023 ANNUAL REPORT for all the highlights!www.lslbo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Annual-Report-2023.pdfWe would like to thank our amazing field crew for all their hard work and dedication this summer. And a special thank you to all of our supporters that help us deliver our programs each year: Alberta Conservation Association, Vanderwell, West Fraser, TC Energy, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Alberta Parks, Tolko Industries Ltd., Forest Improvement Association of Alberta, donors, members and all of our wonderful volunteers!
... See MoreSee Less
2 months ago
The LSLBO 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 to children and youth as well as leading tours of the LSLBO. Additional responsibilities include summer interpretive programs at the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation. For the full job posting please visit our job opportunities page. www.lslbo.org/job-opportunities/summer-interpreter-2/
... See MoreSee Less