Memories of Lesser Slave Lake

2022-05-30 Late May At Lesser Slave Lake

Bay-Breasted Warbler - Setophaga castanea — *Prior to this visit to Boreal Center for Bird Conservation at the edge of Lesser Slave Lake, my only meeting with a Bay-Breasted Warbler was in south Texas during the spring migration of 2021.*

Common Tern - Sterna hirundo — One of my missions for my visit to Lesser Slave Lake was to meet Common Terns. I succeeded during my stop at ‘North Shore Beach’ at Lesser Slave Lake, which is actually at the eastern edge of the lake.

Ovenbird - Seiurus aurocapilla — *I paid a morning visit to the Boreal Center for Bird Conservation and met a community of birds that eluded me the previous afternoon.*

It took two days to drive from Jasper to Slave Lake, a town at the southeastern end of Lesser Slave Lake that I first visited in June-2005 while headed to Alaska. When I arrived at my desired destination, I booked a two-night stay north of town at the Marten River Campground at Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park for Friday and Saturday nights. I wanted to chase birds, but my body told me to take a break. So I executed a “do nothing” plan for Saturday to rest up for my next birding adventure. There was lots to see nearby.

Sunday night, I camped at the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation (with permission) after spending a few cold and cloudy hours with the birds there in the afternoon. Monday morning, under clear and sunny skies, I took another tour of their “Songbird Trail” that loops through the forest of Balsam Fir and Balsam Poplar trees, and met several species who hid well from me on my previous visit. When I ended my tour with the birds there, I felt it was time once again for traveling. I first got some groceries for the road ahead and had breakfast and gas at the Sawridge Travel Centre in Slave Lake.

While I did not photograph every species in the eastern woods of the lake, I was delighted to observe the American Redstart, Black-Capped Chickadee, Least Flycatcher, Magnolia Warbler, Northern Flicker, Ovenbird, Red-Eyed Vireo, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Swainson’s Thrush, Western Tanager, White-Throated Sparrow, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, and Yellow Warbler.

2022-07-06 Revisiting Lesser Slave Lake

I spent Tuesday night at the Slave Lake Walmart, and I broke my morning fast at the Sawridge Travel Center, where I had enjoyed dining on my earlier visits. I explored the southeastern shoreline Tuesday after arriving here from a visit to Lake Kimiwan.

I had been on a mission to meet Common Terns before leaving Canada. The terns I had been finding looked like Forster’s Terns to me, but after reviewing some images on the Cornell “All About Birds” website, I started to entertain the idea that these birds may be Common Terns. It was possible that both species might be here, and that complicated any conclusion I might have drawn. After I studied further the Common Tern identification criteria, it turned out that the birds I had been assuming were Forster’s, were actually the Common Terns I had been looking for. I had not realized how closely they resembled each other. The key for sorting out the difference was a subtle one. The color of the top side of the primary wing feathers of the Forster’s Tern’s are bright white, while the Common Tern’s are slightly gray. Here at Lesser Slave Lake, I was told the Forster’s are unlikely. Between the images I collected at Lake Wimiwan and those I got here at North Beach, I satisfied myself that I had gathered enough images of the Common Tern for this expedition.

I spent Wednesday at the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation. I walked the path through the woods they call the “Songbird Trail” and enjoyed meeting birds there again. The Canada Warbler continued its frustrating dance through the thick woods, evading my attempts to get a picture. I mostly focused on a location where someone reported a Winter Wren. I heard the bird during my vigil, but I never got eyes on it. This would be a tough bird for me to get on my search here in Canada while on my exit route.

The bird that I most enjoyed meeting this day was the Bay-Breasted Warbler. And they were generous with me. Both the male and the female gave me reasonable views. My only other meeting with this species was on South Padre Island, when I briefly met a female bird in the Black Mangroves during Spring Migration. Another bird that I enjoyed on this day’s trek was the Philadelphia Vireo. When I met this bird before (again on SPI), there was confusion distinguishing it from the Warbling Vireo. But the birds I met Wednesday had enough yellow on their throats and bellies, leaving no doubt who they were. I understand the Warbling Vireo is uncommon here, so it is hard to go wrong to call the ID for this bird.

All the MacGyvering I have done on the RV continues to provide enough curiosity from the local folks, especially those in their “Golden Years”, like myself! I enjoyed a conversation this morning at breakfast with a 75-year-old patron of the restaurant, who told me his name was John. I invited him to sit at my table while we talked. Our chat covered a wide range of subjects. It was the work on the RV that I had done that captured his attention and piqued his curiosity. These sort of encounters are such an enriching experience for me, adding color and texture to my time on the road.

This town (Slave Lake) and its nearby locations were a joy to explore, but alas, it was time to continue my journey. After I finished my breakfast, I headed east. With still sufficient miles to the border with Saskatchewan, I doubted I’d make it there this day. I had charted some locations where I might find the Winter Wren, and I planned to stop to look for these elusive birds as I traveled. Further south, I would include Upland Sandpipers in my search. Grasslands National Park promised to provide opportunities for this species.