Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory - Business Information

Membership Organizations · Canada · 42 Employees

Our mission is to gain knowledge, understanding and appreciation of boreal birds by monitoring their populations and participating in research; to produce scientifically defensible data; to deliver education programs that foster appreciation of birds and their habitat needs; and to generate awareness/support of the LSLBO within the Lesser Slave Lake region and throughout Canada. The Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory is located along the eastern shore of Lesser Slave Lake about 20 km north of the town of Slave Lake within the Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park. It is approximately a 2 hour drive from northwest of the city of Edmonton. What is special about this location? Lesser Slave Lake is the second largest lake in Alberta at over 107 km long. The size of the lake acts as a natural barrier for migrating birds, causing them to veer around the lake instead of attempting to cross over the water. Very near to the eastern shore of the lake is Marten Mountain which has an elevation of 1,020 metres above sea level. The mountain serves as another natural barrier that funnels birds directly through the LSLBO monitoring site. This funnelling effect has been coined the Point Pelee effect by researchers. On any given spring or fall day, hundreds to thousands of songbirds can be observed migrating through the site. Another reason this location is special is that Lesser Slave Lake was designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) in the spring of 2000. It received the IBA designation for two reasons; firstly, Tundra Swans concentrate in significant numbers on the lake, with flocks of up to 3500 reported during both spring and fall migrations. And secondly, Western Grebes, which are a species of special concern in Alberta, nest on and around Lesser Slave Lake. For more information please visit http://www.ibacanada.ca/ Who are we and how did we come to be? In 1993 three enthusiastic volunteers conducted a pilot study in the Lesser Slave Lake area to determine if an observatory at Lesser Slave Lake was viable. Results were ...Read More

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