Pearl Lorentzen

Lakeside Leader

Locals and people from out of town came out for the 26th annual Songbird Festival at the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation on May 27 and 28.

Most of the events were on May 27 and following the early rising birds the fun started at 6:30 a.m. with a pancake breakfast. This kept up throughout the morning and morphed into a barbecue.

Bird-themed events included guided bird walks, tours of the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory’s banding station, nature workshops, bird feeder building, and more.

On Sunday, people came out to take part in the 17th annual bird run/walk (5K/10K) in the bush along the Freighter Lakeshore Trail, the Boreal Centre road, and the Songbird Loop. This event has served as a fundraiser for the migration monitoring program over the years. The banding program started in the mid-1990s.

Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory (LSLBO) bander-in-charge Robyn Perkins bands a Canada warbler and tells people on the tour about science being done at the station.
At the grill: Left to right, Terry Kristoff, John Errington, and Pat Potvin
At the banding station, Jamie Bennett (left) and Skylar Reason practice removing fake birds from a mist net. This is how the LSLBO catches robin-sized and smaller birds for its banding program.
Bird house and bird feeder building was popular. Left to right, Kate Owen, Quinn Owen, Callie Paulson, Braidi Locke, Tucker Kelham, and Kristine Kelham.