Welcome to
Last Mountain
Bird Observatory

A banded Blackpoll Warbler, in its "confusing" fall plumage, is one of the most common migrants at Last Mountain Lake. Photo: Al Smith

LMBO began in the fall of 1989 with a modest banding program. Today, it is a "full-fledged" observatory operating under a strict protocol which includes systematic mist netting along with a daily census and collection of incidental observations. Since its establishment, almost 26,000 birds of 99 species have been banded. Most of this information has been computerized, creating several large databases. One of these includes information on repeat and return rates for each species. Another large database summarizes seasonal migration phenology for each species and includes early arrival, late departure and peak migration dates.

These results have shed much light on the nature of songbird migration through this area of the central Canadian Prairies. Our program has added 12 new species to the already impressive list of 282 species for the north end of Last Mountain Lake. This includes the first confirmed record of the Townsend's Warbler for Saskatchewan. Other interesting species include Rock Wren, MacGillivray's Warbler, Lazuli Bunting and Brewer's Sparrow. Several species previously considered to be rare have now been found to be fairly common.

Only two birds captured at LMBO have turned up as long-distance recoveries. A Yellow Warbler, banded at Beaverhill Lake, Alberta in spring 1993, was recaptured at LMBO in the fall of the same year. A Dark-eyed Junco, banded at LMBO in the fall of 1994, was recaptured later that fall at Cedar Grove, Wisconsin. Return data have, however, been much more plentiful. One hundred and fifty-two birds of 15 species have returned to LMBO one or more years following banding. Among the more interesting returns was an adult American Robin banded in fall 1989 and recaptured in spring 1997, and a male Yellow Warbler which has been recaptured every year since it was banded in 1991.

Day-to-day repeat data on migrant species can also be of great interest. In the fall, we have recaptured 902 birds of 41 migrant species on one or more days subsequent to banding. Comparisons between closely related species provide some interesting results. For example, 291 Ovenbirds have been banded in the fall at LMBO compared to 290 Northern Waterthrushes. Thirty-seven Ovenbirds were recaptured and stayed for an average of 3.5 days, while only 15 waterthrushes stayed an average of 1.5 days. Thus, while very similar numbers of these two species occur at LMBO, the Ovenbirds spent over 421 bird days at LMBO compared to 313 for the waterthrushes. This suggests great differences in the migration strategies of the species using the site.

As a member of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, LMBO's chief goal is to track trends in numbers of birds migrating through the area. Although LMBO has been fully functional for six years, trend analyses of observatory data by Dr. Charles Francis of Bird Studies Canada has already begun. Some preliminary results of these analysis are presented below.

While the north end of Last Mountain Lake has only recently been recognised as an important area for songbirds, its value for other birds has been known for over a century. In 1887, its abundance of waterbirds led to the designation of most of the shoreline and islands as Canada's first migratory bird sanctuary. Exactly 100 years later a much larger area (15,502 hectares) was officially designated as a National Wildlife Area. The international importance of its wetlands led to its designation as a Ramsar Site in 1982. It has also been proposed as a Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve and nominated as an Important Bird Area.

The islands at Last Mountain Lake are important for several species of colonial waterbirds. This includes one of the few colonies of American White Pelicans in the province, and large colonies of Double-crested Cormorants, Ring-billed Gulls and California Gulls. Caspian Terns have occasionally nested here. The extensive reed beds host large numbers of colonial marsh birds including Black-crowned Night-Herons, and Forster's and Black terns. Cattle Egrets now also probably nest here. Other marsh denizens include the American Bittern, Virginia Rail and Marsh Wren. The area may have the unique distinction of being the breeding grounds of all six species of Canadian grebe, including the rare Clark's Grebe. In the sedge meadows farther back from the lake, there is a great variety of wet-meadow birds, including Yellow Rails, Sedge Wrens, and Le Conte's and Nelson's Sharp-tailed sparrows.

The saline ponds and rocky shorelines of the lake offer habitat for several species of nesting shorebirds: numerous breeding pairs of American Avocet, Willet, Marbled Godwit and Wilson's Phalarope, and a few pairs of the endangered Piping Plover. Upland areas harbour many grassland species including several designated as "at risk" in Canada. These include healthy populations of the vulnerable Short-eared Owl and threatened Loggerhead Shrike, and a few pairs of the vulnerable Ferruginous Hawk. The endangered Burrowing Owl formerly nested here as well. Other grassland specialities like Swainson's Hawk, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Upland Sandpiper, Sprague's Pipit and Baird's Sparrow are abundant.

As well as an important nesting area, Last Mountain Lake is a key staging area for many species of waterbird. Snow and White-fronted geese are abundant, especially in the fall. Estimates for the numbers of Snow Geese using the area range as high as 300,000 per year, those for the White-fronts as high as 25,000. As many as 40,000 Sandhill Cranes are regularly reported during the height of fall migration. The area is also one of the few in Saskatchewan to regularly host migrating Whooping Cranes. When water levels are low, numerous migrating shorebirds use the mudflats and rocky shorelines. Of particular interest are large numbers of Red Knots and Ruddy Turnstones that are sometimes observed in spring.

Last Mountain Bird Observatory is located in the southeast corner of Last Mountain Regional Park, 5 km north and 15 km west of the town of Govan. The Observatory is open to the public in spring from 10-31 May, and in fall from 1 August-30 September. Daily hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. LMBO is operated jointly by Nature Saskatchewan, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and Last Mountain Regional Park. The Observatory has received financial support from the Saskatchewan Sports Trust, Canada Trust, Mountain Equipment Co-op and the James L. Baillie Memorial Fund. As the Observatory depends to a large extent on volunteers to assist in various station activities, we are always looking for prospective assistants. Those wishing to volunteer or learn more about LMBO can contact me at (306) 974-4091 or Last Mountain Regional Park at (306) 484-4483.

— Al Smith