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Last Mountain Lake/Long Lake

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Grebe Survey Summary

  • Max Adults: 510
  • Year: 1991-2011
  • Most Recent Adults: 10
  • Year: 2017
  • Survey Type: Shore; Boat; Air
  • Most Common Threats Reported: water level too low; water level too high; lack of/poor nesting habitat; egg predation; human/development/boat disturbance
Lake name:
Last Mountain Lake/Long Lake
Location:
Saskatchewan
HydroLAKE ID:
657
Latitude:
51.308319
Longitude:
-105.259151
Surface area (km2):
233
Basin type:
non-reservoir
Primary vegetation for nesting:
Scirpus
Management agency:
Province of Saskatchewan; Regional Parks of Saskatchewan; Environment and Climate Change Canada
Region associations:
Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area; Last Mountain Lake Regional Park; Last Mountain Bird Sanctuary
Designations:
Ramsar Site; National Wildlife Area; Regional Park; Bird Sanctuary
Comments:
This very long prairie lake had grebes breeding in the north and south ends. Coordinates are for the north end. Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary is the oldest bird sanctuary in North America. It is a significant bird area, a designated Ramsar site, and has a diversity of wetland and upland habitat.

Surveys (5)

Survey Citation:
COSEWIC. 2014. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the western grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 55 pp. www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/default_e.cfm

  • Type
    shore; boat; air
  • Time period
    1991, 2011
  • Source
    Report
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 501 to 1000 510 1991-2011
Most Recent Adults 501 to 1000 510 1991-2011
Max Nests N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Nests N/A N/A N/A
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

From Table A.3, maximum counts of breeding Western grebes from surveys conducted during nesting season from 1991 to 2011 (sourced from Wilson, A. and Smith, P.A. 2013. Distribution and population status of Western Grebes in Canada. Unpublished report for the Canadian Wildlife Service). No break out of data per year or other details. High water levels here and at other lakes (not named except for this one) in 2009 is attributed to colony abandonment (Calvert 2009).

Survey Citation:
Somers, C. M., L. M. Heisler, J. L. Doucette, V. A. Kjoss, and R. M. Brigham. 2015. Lake Use by Three Avian Piscivores and Humans: Implications for Angler Perception and Conservation. The Open Ornithology Journal 8:10–21.

  • Type
    shore
  • Time period
    4 May 2005, 21 August 2007
  • Source
    Peer-reviewed
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 501 to 1000 809 +/- 511 2006
Most Recent Adults 501 to 1000 597 +/- 399 2007
Max Nests N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Nests N/A N/A N/A
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

This is a study on angler perception of piscivorous birds. Between 26 to 31 point counts from 2005 to 2007 were conducted at 20 point count stations from the shore of this lake. Grebes with young were observed in all three years of the surveys, confirming breeding. There was a positive correlation between grebes and boat presence. Count numbers are entered as mean +/- SD from Table 1. No formal sutveys have been done on this lake so colony characteristics are unknown. In 2005 and 2007, a colony of more than 1000 pairs of grebes were established in the wetlands in the south part of this lake area (K. Hecker, pers. comm.).

Survey Citation:
Jurick, D.R. 1985. The effects of human disturbance on colonial nesting waterbirds with recommendations for their management at Last Mountain Lake. Can. Wildl. Serv. Tech. Rep. No. WNR 85-4.

  • Time period
    1984
  • Source
    Report
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Adults N/A N/A N/A
Max Nests 101 to 500 384 1984
Most Recent Nests 101 to 500 384 1984
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

Literature review but does not cite where these nest numbers come from . Low water levels that resulted in reduced nesting habitat (P. Taylor pers. comm.). Commercial fishing takes place on this lake. Pesticides are a potential threat but just speculation.

Survey Citation:
Konter, A. (2009). Occurrence of Clark’s Grebes and their hybrids with Western Grebes in Prairie Canada. Blue Jay 67, 26-33.

  • Type
    shore
  • Time period
    26 May 2008, 28 May 2008
  • Source
    Notes
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    Y
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 101 to 500 113 2008
Most Recent Adults 101 to 500 113 2008
Max Nests N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Nests N/A N/A N/A
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

This article is on the occurrence of Clark's grebes and hybrids with Western grebes (intermediates) in prairie Canada. This study shows that Clark's grebe presence in Canada could be 1% or less of total grebes.

Survey Citation:
Environment and Climate Change Canada. 2021. Management Plan for the western grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) in Canada [Proposed]. Species at Risk Act Management Plan Series. Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa. 5 iv + 52 pp.

  • Time period
    2008, 2017
  • Source
    Management plan
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 101 to 500 400 2008
Most Recent Adults 1 to 100 10 2017
Max Nests N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Nests N/A N/A N/A
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

From Appendix C, data columns are historical high count, high count since 2000, and most recent count. Since minimum count was not stated, I entered the minimum from these columns though it might not be the actual minimum across the span of years reported. Also, there is no detail on years that were excluded from surveying so range of survey years may be inaccurate. Footnote for this lake is that breeding was confirmed. Sources are McKellar et al. 2019 and McKellar et al., in press.

Sources of Information

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