Weekly Reports

Fall Migration Monitoring at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory has ended. We normally wrap-up September 30, but ran through October 3 this year since overnight temperatures were still relatively warm, potentially delaying movements of short-distance migrants. These three extra days were not enough, however, to find those missing migrants as counts fizzled into mostly species who reside here year-round.

One such resident species, a Downy Woodpecker, became our last bird banded. Keep an eye on your feeders this winter for these cuties. With no red on her head we can tell this bird was a female. Over cold winter nights they will roost in holes dug into dead and dying trees, so keeping those unsightly trees around whenever safe to do so can help these birds (and others) survive the winter and breed in the summer.

From July 12 to October 3, we encountered nearly 57,000 birds of 148 species. Notable observational highlights included the fall’s fourth Northern Rough-winged Swallow, first Caspian Tern since 2016, first Baird’s Sandpiper since 2012, first and second Gyrfalcons since 2000, and the first ever fall Purple Martin.

There were notable absences this season as well. The sparrows, blackbirds, pipits, and robins who often migrate in big numbers late September either have not yet arrived or will not make an appearance this year. Indeed, Slate-coloured Junco tied with 2013 for their all-time low with only five banded. Even in town I saw these absences reflected when the hundreds of Common Grackles that usually spend a week emptying my feeder each August were represented by just a small flock of 20. Normally this is where I would give an optimistic “one year does not a trend make, and we may see a rebound next year”, but many of these same species were also missing during Spring Migration Monitoring and our breeding-focused MAPS monitoring.

As for our captures, with 2,374 birds banded, we were hardly above the average of 2,347 birds banded per fall, ranking at the fourteenth highest total since 1995. Despite the average capture rate, diversity was at an all time high. With a whopping 69 species banded, we surpassed our previous record of 66 species banded in 2021, and were well above the average of 59 species per fall.

Within these captures were the sixth fall Brown-headed Cowbird, fourth Blackburnian Warbler, and third Gray Catbird. With 23 banded, American Robins beat their previous record of 18 banded in 2015 despite little overhead migration observed. Two Northern Saw-whet Owls also became the second and third banded ever during this program.

The top five species accounted for half of all bands: American Redstart (304 banded), Tennessee Warbler (295 bands), Swainson’s Thrush (270), Myrtle Warbler (185), and Yellow Warbler (154). The Myrtle Warbler total is the lowest we’ve seen since 2009 and well below our average of 472 banded per fall, but they did migrate overhead in good numbers.

All that remains is to enter, proof, and report this season’s data and to finish up Owl Migration Monitoring that runs until the end of October. A record-smashing eight Boreal Owls have been captured alongside 106 Northern Saw-whets in this program thus far. Already we have had two Saw-whet Owls banded in previous years turn up at similar stations at the Beaverhill Bird Observatory near Tofield, Alberta and near White Star, Saskatchewan.

By Robyn Perkins, LSLBO Bander-in-Charge

Preliminary band totals for Fall Migration Monitoring 2024: