About Beaverhill Bird Observatory

Beaverhill Lake is found in an geomorphic area of "knob and kettle" topography approximately 60 km east of Edmonton, Alberta. The lake is 18 km long and about 10 km wide. The maximum depth is around 3 m but most is only a foot or so deep.

The lake was designated as a National Nature View Point by the Canadian Nature Federation in 1982. The south east corner of the lake, along with the Dekker Islands and Pelican Islands were designated as a Alberta Natural Area in 1987. As well in 1987, the lake was designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. The lake then became a Regional Reserve in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network in 1996. 

In 1997 Beaverhill Lake was identified as an Important Bird Area of Global Significance because of the large numbers of shorebirds and waterfowl that use the area as a stop-over site during migrations. (Click the map to enlarge and view driving directions)

Aerial Photo of Beaverhill LakeDuring a 1995 spring migration census, 32 species of shorebirds were counted around the lake with numbers reaching 50 000 birds at times. Highs included 10 000 of each Red-necked Phalaropes, Pectoral Sandpipers, Dowitchers; 7800 Black-bellied Plovers; 7200 Semi-palmated Sandpipers; and 1000 American Avocets. A census in 1996 found seven breeding sites of the endangered Piping Plover.

The reasons the lake is so important is because it is simply a very large slough. It has extensive mud flats which are perfect for the shorebirds and plenty of marsh area for waterfowl. In 1984, Ducks Unlimited built a weir to control water levels in Lister Lake and built islands to provide nesting habitat for waterfowl. For upland birds, the area contains a mature aspen forest and ungrazed grasslands.

Since 1984, the Beaverhill Bird Observatory (BBO) has been interested and active in the area to monitor bird migrations and populations. In 1987, the BBO was designated the stewards of the Beaverhill Lake Natural Area. A bird banding laboratory was built in 1986. Over the last 12 years the laboratory has been staffed by summer students who, along with a keen bunch of volunteers have been banding and counting birds in the natural area.

Blue Headed VireoBanding efforts have produced numbers around 2500 to 4500 birds banded a year. Mid-May to mid-June are the busiest times during the spring and August through September can be the busiest time of the year. In the spring and fall we band birds using the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network protocol. We use mist-nets to catch birds and then we place small aluminium bands on their legs. We also conduct bird counts to inventory the birds in the area on a daily basis. The objective is to monitor the birds' populations as they migrate from the tropics into the boreal forest and vice versa. Banding occurs on a daily basis from around 5:30 to 11:30 am.

During the summer we monitor the productivity of birds breeding in the area and those breeding farther north. Using banding and counting techniques, the objective is to monitor the size of the adult populations and subsequent juvenile populations of birds. The comparison of the number of juveniles to the number of adults provides an index of the number of offspring produced by the adult population during the summer. As this program is done year after year, we can get an idea of how long certain individuals of some species live, their survivorship.

Extracting Birds from the NetThe BBO is also involved in many other projects in the Beaverhill Lake Natural Area. We maintain and monitor Tree Swallow boxes along the south shore of the lake. The BBO is part of the Alberta Raptor Monitoring Program. We are also responsible for organizing the Nocturnal Owl Surveys in Alberta. Not only do we conduct bird research. We have branched out to study amphibians and insect populations in and around the natural area. We participate in RANA (Researching Amphibian Numbers in Alberta), and also take part in organized butterfly and dragonfly counts.

Overall it is a super place to visit to watch birds. Birders from Europe, America and eastern Canada usually make the lake part of their itinerary when travelling across Canada. The Natural Area protection allows for the public to get a good taste of a parkland, pothole lake ecosystem in its very natural form.