Raptors are cool, and I am not talking about the prehistoric ones made famous by Jurassic Park (although they are plenty cool), but rather the modern day ones – the birds of prey. September is a great month for raptors in many ways: it is the start of saw-whet owl banding, it is the peak of sharp-shinned hawk and northern harrier migration and the start of buteo (the soaring hawks) migration. Most of the year we don’t see buteos, but in the second half of fall migration we are treated to red-tailed hawks, rough-legged hawks, and broad-winged hawks passing overhead. The diversity of raptor species is probably one of the things I appreciate most about them. They vary greatly in size, hunting techniques, colouration and what time of day they are active. From the falcons that rely on pure speed to out-fly their prey in the open sky to the northern goshawk and sharp-shinned hawk that use their long tails and short wings to out-maneuver songbirds in thick forest. The red-tailed hawk uses extreme telescopic vision to see mice from high in the sky whereas northern harrier and most owl species rely almost entirely on sound to track down prey. There is the osprey that hovers over the lake to dive-bomb fish and the kestrel that hovers over ditches looking for grasshoppers and mice. The bald eagle has a wingspan of 2 metres compared to the northern pygmy owl’s scant 30 cm. To be able to do what they do so well, raptors have some really neat adaptations. It would take me the entire newspaper to discuss all the various features that make each species of raptor special so I will just talk about the sharp-shinned hawk. Aside from the northern saw-whet owl which we have a dedicated monitoring program for, the sharp-shinned hawk is the only raptor we catch regularly. We catch a few in the spring, but fall is when they consistently hit the nets; we band 20-30 of them during late August and early September. Sharp-shinned hawks are highly migratory and if you have a bird feeder you have likely seen one lurking around it at some point during the spring or fall. The young individuals are streaky brown with a yellow eye and the adults are streaky on the breast and slate blue on the back with deep red eyes. Sharpies, as we affectionately call them, are the masters of hunting songbirds. They will perch in the forest and watch for other birds moving through the trees; their short wings allow for rapid acceleration and their long tail acts like a rudder helping them to weave through the branches. Their long legs give them incredible reach and their long toes are tipped in deadly recurved talons that lock into their victims. Sharpies have another adaptation that helps to further increase their maneuverability – they have a pronounced alula. The alula is a tiny bone that is essential a bird’s thumb, it has three feathers attached to it. For most birds the alula is barely noticeable on the leading edge of their wing, but for sharpies it is long and protrudes out. When it is flared it actually resembles an extra little wing. And what is not cool about a bird that practically has four wings?
Weekly Banding Reports
- September 26 – October 3, 2024
- September 19 – 25, 2024
- September 12 – 18, 2024
- September 5 – 11, 2024
- August 29 – September 4, 2024
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1 week ago
The 2024 LSLBO ANNUAL REPORT is ready with all the highlights from last season including:
- Over 136,000 birds recorded during migration monitoring
- 3896 birds banded in 2024 from 76 species
- 2 new species added to our station checklist: #242 Willet and #243 Western Kingbird
- New species diversity record set during fall migration with 69 species banded![]()
For a complete wrap-up of the 2024 season, check out the 2024 LSLBO Annual Report on our website.
www.lslbo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Annual-Report-2024.pdf![]()
And of course we want to especially recognize and thank all of our funders, in-kind supporters, members, volunteers, staff, and program partners for all of your support for our programs including:
Alberta Conservation Association, Vanderwell, TC Energy, Forest Improvement Association of Alberta, West Fraser Timber, Tolko Industries, Canada Summer Jobs Program, Environment and Climate Change, Northwestern Alberta Foundation, Atco, Millar Western, Town of Slave Lake FCSS, MD of Lesser Slave River, Lesser Slave Watershed Council, Lesser Slave Forest Education Society, and Alberta Parks
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Reminder to our members!
LESSER SLAVE LAKE BIRD OBSERVATORY SOCIETY
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
4:00 pm. January 28, 2025
Location: Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation.
Members of the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory Society have been invited to attend our upcoming Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, January 28th, 2025 at the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation. Members will also be able to attend the AGM virtually via ZOOM if they have pre-registered for the meeting. ![]()
PLEASE RSVP to Patti Campsall, LSLBO Executive Director via email at executive.director@borealbirdcentre.ca or you can also phone 780-849-8240. ![]()
Interested in becoming more involved in the LSLBO or joining our Board of Directors? Please contact Patti Campsall to find out all the ways you can help support our programs!
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