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Last Mountain bird Observatory is located in Last Mountain Regional Park on the northeast shore of Last Mountain Lake, near the town of Govan. The site is the home to the oldest bird sanctuary in North America.
Last Mountain Lake is 80 km long and drains southeast into the Qu'Appelle Valley. The south end is deep with a steeply sloping shoreline, but the lake becomes shallower toward the north, and the slope of the shoreline more gradual. The north end is extremely shallow with numerous islands and several deep bays known locally as "fingers." Last Mountain Lake lies within the "Aspen Parkland" ecological zone, which is characterized by scattered groves of trembling aspen. The area around the north end of the lake and along a corridor extending northeast to the Quill Lakes is, however, treeless grassland, a vegetation type that is otherwise found in the southwest of the province. It is the presence of this prairie expanse and Last Mountain Lake, which concentrates forest dwelling migrants into the few treed areas around the lake.
LMBO began in the fall of 1989 with a modest banding program, and since 1990, has undertaken intensive landbird migration monitoring. On average, 3400 birds of 76 species are banded annually. The total number of birds moving through the area is much higher since banding occurs in only a small section. The five most abundant species banded are: Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow, Alder Flycatcher, and Least Flycatcher. The majority of the migrating songbirds are neotropical migrants.
The migration monitoring station runs in spring and fall and operates under the auspices of the Saskatchewan Natural History Society (Nature Saskatchewan) and the Canadian Wildlife Service. LMBO has comfortable on-site facilities for volunteers.
For more information about the Observatory, membership and volunteer opportunities, or the Saskatchewan Nocturnal Owl Survey (coordinated by LMBO), please contact:
Al Smith
Canadian Wildlife Service - Prairie & Northern Region
115 Perimeter Rd.
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Canada S7N 0X4
Tel: 306_975_4091 (W)
Fax: 306_975_4089
Email: Alan.Smith@ec.gc.ca
Web: www.naturesask.com/lmbo.html
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