Bird Conservation

Important Bird Areas

Sandhill Cranes

Beaverhill Lake, Alberta

Beaverhill Lake Important Bird Area is a world-renowned wildlife sanctuary and a temporary home in the spring and fall to hundreds of thousands of migratory shorebirds, waterfowl, songbirds and raptors. Located southeast of Edmonton near the town of Tofield, the lake provides habitat for more than 270 species of birds - 59% of bird species in Canada - including the threatened Peregrine Falcon and endangered Piping Plover.

On the southeast shore of the lake sits Beaverhill Bird Observatory's main research station, where researchers have been monitoring landbird migration at the lake since 1984. With support from grants provided through Nature Canada's Important Bird Areas program, the Bird Observatory has monitored spring and autumn songbird and owl migration, attended to over 300 songbird and owl nestboxes, held bird banding demonstrations, conducted research on endangered bird species and introduced thousands of children to the world of birds through their educational programs.

Nature Canada and Bird Studies Canada are Canadian co-partners delivering BirdLife International’s Important Bird Areas program in Canada. We aim to identify, monitor and protect a global network of IBAs for the conservation of the world’s birds and other biodiversity.