Lesser Slave Lake

Lesser Slave Lake is one of the largest lakes in Alberta and sits where the boreal forest narrows between the lake and the Marten Mountains, funnelling migrating songbirds through a corridor a few kilometres wide. The Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory works that funnel: mist nets catch and band tens of thousands of birds a year, with over two hundred and thirty species recorded, and visitors can watch banding in season. The lake's northern shore has long sand beaches, unusual this far north. The town of Slave Lake was largely destroyed by wildfire in 2011 and rebuilt.

What you actually see

• The bird observatory - banding operations open to visitors in migration season.
• The migration funnel - a corridor concentrating songbirds between lake and hills.
• The sand beaches - long boreal beaches on the northern shore.
• The boreal forest - spruce and aspen with a well-marked trail network.

When to go

May and early June for spring migration, August and September for autumn; banding runs on those schedules. Summer suits the beaches. Winter is severe and the observatory closes.

Honest expectations

Banding operations run only in migration windows and depend on weather. The lake is shallow and gets rough quickly in wind. Services outside Slave Lake town are sparse.

Nearby

Edmonton lies south; the Peace Country is northwest.