Alberta · 55.28°N

Birds of Slave Lake

What has actually been seen around Slave Lake: 211 species, the most recorded backyard birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record: 211 within 6 mi
Observation records: 7,559 since 2010
Most recorded bird: Black-billed Magpie
Busiest month: May
Elevation: 1,913 ft
Daylight, June / December: 17.4 h / 7.1 h

What the records say about Slave Lake

211 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of Slave Lake (Alberta) since 2010, across 7,559 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Black-billed Magpie, Black-capped Chickadee and American Crow.

Slave Lake is backyard-bird country: 67% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and yard trees. Black-billed Magpie, Black-capped Chickadee, American Crow and Common Raven make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

16 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Bald Eagle and Merlin.

Records peak in May and are lowest in January — about 14.6 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and breeding arrivals), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.

Swan Hills, 46 mi to the south-west, has fewer species on record (75 against 211). Birds logged far more often around Slave Lake than there include Bald Eagle, Ring-billed Gull, Common Redpoll and Common Goldeneye.

At about 1,913 ft above sea level, Slave Lake sits higher than most places in Alberta. Spring arrives a little later with height, and feeders matter more in cold snaps — keep a supply of high-fat food going through late winter and early spring.

Daylight runs from 17 h 27 min at midsummer to 7 h 7 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:37 AM in mid-April and 4:57 AM in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Slave Lake

#	Bird	Records
1	Black-billed MagpiePica hudsonia	370
2	Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus	362
3	American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos	310
4	Common RavenCorvus corax	307
5	Blue JayCyanocitta cristata	238
6	White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis	169
7	MallardAnas platyrhynchos	167
8	Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus	164
9	Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis	162
10	Common RedpollAcanthis flammea	143
11	American RobinTurdus migratorius	135
12	Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus	132
13	Canada GooseBranta canadensis	128
14	Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula	124
15	House SparrowPasser domesticus	124
16	BuffleheadBucephala albeola	111
17	Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus	108
18	Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis	100
19	Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus	95
20	Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina	91

Records by month

What to put out in Slave Lake

Foods for the most recorded backyard birds here, from our species notes.

Black-billed Magpie
Suet · Peanuts · Cracked corn
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-oil sunflower · Suet · Shelled peanuts
American Crow
Cracked corn · Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps
Common Raven
Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps
Blue Jay
Peanuts in the shell · Black-oil sunflower · Suet
White-throated Sparrow
Millet · Hulled sunflower · Cracked corn

Seasonal bird notes for Alberta

What's arriving, what to feed and when to clean feeders, written for Canadian backyards. One email a month at most.

Nearby places

Frequently asked

What birds visit backyards in Slave Lake?

The most recorded backyard birds within 6 mi of Slave Lake are Black-billed Magpie, Black-capped Chickadee, American Crow, Common Raven and Blue Jay, based on 7,559 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Slave Lake?

211 species have at least one record within 6 mi of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Slave Lake?

Observation records peak in May and are lowest in January. Sunrise in late June is around 4:57 AM.

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.