Saskatchewan Birding , Nature & Scenery

New Blog...

2008-01-04T22:41:00.000-08:00

I have decided to finally change the format of this blog
The old blog will still be 'open' for all to view but won't get updated . All new photos will now go to the new address below :

http://www.saskbirder.com

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments and support since I started keeping a Blog.
I hope you can all join me at the new one !

Cheers

Nick

More Christmas Bird Counts...

2008-01-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some new photos taken on various Christmas bird counts . The most recent count was at Squaw Rapids , approx 4hrs North of Saskatoon . I only have one more count to go after completing 6 this winter. The 7th will be at Pike Lake.

These were taken on the Harris Count

American Tree Sparrow

Mule Deer Buck

Great Horned Owls , one of which was very well camoflaged.

3 Townsend's Solitaires seen on Boxing Day for the Saskatoon count :

Black-backed Woodpecker at Squaw Rapids

Sharp-tailed Grouse taken yesterday at Pike Lake

Christmas Bird Counts

2007-12-29T07:14:00.000-08:00

So far this Winter , I have done counts at Gardiner Dam, The Qu'Apelle Valley/Elbow , Clarke's Crossing , Harris and most recently Saskatoon with another 2 to go until the last one that takes place on January 5th .

Here are a few highlights I managed to see on these counts :

Gyrfalcon - lifer
Eurasian Collared Dove - lifer
Glaucous Gull
American White Pelican
Greater Scaup
Prairie Falcon
Townsend's Solitaire
Hoary Redpoll
Brown Creeper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Snowy Owl
Pine Grosbeak

Here are a few photos - with more to come later :

These 2 Pelicans were still at Gardiner Dam when they should have been long gone

Bohemian Waxwings

Common Redpoll - here you can see 2 variations in plumage

One of 5 Eurasian Collared Doves residing in the town of Elbow :

Old Farmhouse near Elbow

Glaucous Gull eating huge fish at Gardiner Dam

Jack Rabbit at Couteau Beach - our last stop on the Gardiner Dam count

Cottontail Rabbits taken during the Qu'Appelle count

Northern Hawk Owl at Aberdeen, Saskatchewan

2007-12-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

I have just finished 3 bird counts and have some new photos from those I will post in a few days ( including those of a new bird for my life-list ) but this one couldn't wait..

Finding an Owl from the North in the Saskatoon birding area is a very rare treat , so when I found out there was a Hawk Owl currently residing near the small town of Aberdeen SK. I was very eager to see it.

Today I had the good fortune of getting a ride out there with a friend who has never seen this particular Owl before , so we headed out before lunch and looked for nearly an hour around the outskirts of the town , checking every tree top as we drove around , with no success .
We eventually decided to go through the town itself, and there right in the main entrance , sat on a powerline was the Owl :-)

Pine Grosbeaks

2007-12-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure if I'd see a Pine Grosbeak this Winter , so I was happy when a group of 10 visited a friends feeder near Pike Lake earlier in the week :

Here are a Male and a Female :

Meanwhile , There is still a lone Townsend's Solitaire at Lakeview Park :

Some surprises come in small packages ...

2007-12-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

On Monday evening around 6pm , I looked out our living room window , to see how much snow had fallen, when I noticed a small roundish-shaped bird fly almost bat-like against the dim orange glow of the streetlight and into our neighbours Spruce tree. All I saw was the silhouette , but I was convinced I'd seen an Owl , possibly a Northern Saw-whet.
Well , I thought , why not take a look outside and see if there's anything out there .So, armed with a flashlight I searched and searched and found nothing . The only thing I did see were some neighbours giving me some very odd looks :-)

Being so certain of what I'd seen (or maybe just hoping I wasn't seeing things)I decided to try again the next day . So around 3pm.I decided I'd look outside again just incase...
Who cares if its -26º when there might be an Owl next door!
Low and behold about 10ft up on an outer branch of the neighbours spruce tree sat a sleeping puffed up Saw-whet Owl .
This is the first time I've ever seen one in broad daylight , and under such cold conditions. I'm surprised the bird wasn't closer to the trunk of the tree for more shelter , but it seemed to have found a good spot out of the biting wind and I watched as its body breathed in and out in its peacful slumber.
My good friend had just turned up and we both spent 10 minutes watching the sleeping bird as we stood there shivering , until all of a sudden ,half a dozen Chickadees showed up and mobbed the little Owl which then sprang to life and shot off over one of the neighbours houses. The Chickadees didn't want it around that's for sure.
The story doesn't end there though...
Around 6pm the same night , I received a phonecall from my neighbour telling me there was a tiny Owl sitting on a low branch of her tree ! She could see it through her window and was very excited.
It had actully returned to the same tree , so obviously it must have liked it there.
This time though , it was on a different branch , and one that allowed me to improvise with my camera and a flashlight to take a few hurried photos before I froze my fingers. I had literally 5 amazing minutes watching it, when once again it took to the skies and vanished into the night.
I shall keep a watchful eye incase it comes back a third time ...

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Gardiner Dam - 1st December 2007

2007-12-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, a hardy bunch of us local birders travelled to Gardiner Dam to see if there were any Winter rarities.
The weather was cold as to be expected and the wind was pretty biting , until it finally eased off by lunchtime.
We managed a very respectable 30 species for the day and beat last years total by 4 .

Highlights for the day :

American White Pelican - 2 bedraggled birds were hunkered down on an island of rocks by the spillway. Why they are still here is anyone's guess.

Ruddy Duck - A lone female was on the open water

Bufflehead - 3 Females were observed

Northern Shrike - possibly 2 . One was definately seen , then our car had a fleeting view of what was a probable Shrike flying away from us.

Snowy Owl - 1 barred bird on a power pole along highway 219.

Snow Bunting - a big flock of 300 birds performing a nice aerial display

Red Crossbill - 3 birds feeding on the pine cones at a local farm

Great Horned Owl - 1 per usual residing at Coldwell Park

Bald Eagle - 8 to 10 birds around Gardiner Dam plus one that spooked some resting Gray Partridge

The Mammal highlight of the day was a Full-grown Female Moose seen on the way home hiding in an Aspen thicket .

I didn't take too many photos as the weather wasn't co-operating too kindly at times, but here are a few I did take :

Moose

Here she is, as seen from the roadside ...

She then decided she didn't like being stared at , and took off ...

Red Crossbill Female

Red Crossbill Male

Snow Bunting

Red-breasted Nuthatches

2007-11-29T06:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning while topping up the the feeders,I watched with amusement as 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches landed in our Crabapple Tree to feed on the smearings of peanut butter.These two were quite content and were obviously used to each others company.That is ,until two more Nuthatches arrived and suddenly , all manner of high-pitched kazoo-like sounds were exchanged and a little chase went on around the yard.
This has been the first time we've had this many little Orange fluffballs in the yard at once , and there was me thinking we only had one pair.

Winter Woodpeckers

2007-11-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

Here are some recent photos of Woodpeckers that I have seen over the last week :

This Male Northern Flicker showed up right before we had snow on the ground, and now returns to the backyard every day for his food and drink .

Remember , heated birdbaths are very appreciated in the Winter .

This Female Downy Woodpecker is a regular visitor to one of our backyard trees . Once again , Peanut Butter is a firm favourite this time of year:

And lastly , some Hairy Woodpeckers from Pike Lake Provincial Park :

Female

Male

Harlequin Duck at the Saskatoon Weir

2007-11-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row we have a Female Harlequin Duck actively diving and swimming among the Common Goldeneye and other lingering ducks at the Weir downtown.
To view the bird it is probably easier for most people look from the west side and stand on the viewing platform and use a scope or binoculars to find the diminutive duck . Once you become familiar with the bird it is possible to locate it with the naked eye at times.
Look for a small brown duck , smaller than the Goldeneye with a white ' blob ' behind its eye .
This is the best photo I could manage yesterday . She was a long way out and even with my zoom I couldn't get as close as I'd have liked.

Here is a size comparison photo of a Common Goldeneye and the Female Harlequin Duck

It is also well worth mentioning that we also have a young Male Barrow's Goldeneye at the river too , but was not around when I was taking photos of course.

Solitaires ...still there

2007-11-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been just about 3 weeks since I first heard that the not very solitary Townsend's Solitaires were first seen at Lakeview Park , and as of today , I'm happy to report all 5 are still there .

Here are some new photos :

And this one was taken on Monday . The sky is completely white as it had been snowing :

Townsend's Solitaires at Lakeview Park , Saskatoon

2007-11-08T13:37:00.001-08:00

I have a friend who lives out near Lakeview Park , and I told her just the other day , to keep any eye out for a Townsend's Solitaire as my friend Bill saw one there last year .
This species has eluded me ever since I became serious about birding in Saskatchewan.

My friend contacted me late yesterday saying she'd seen at least 2 Solitaires at the park , so of course I had to get down there and see for myself :-)

After waiting 5 years to see one of these normally solitary Thrushes , I end up finding five at once !
At first I didn't think I'd have any luck . The wind was chilly and it was quite overcast but I was determined. About an hour later I heard a beautiful song , looked up and there was one perched aloft a Spruce tree .
It flew across the lake , so I followed , and about 10 minutes later , 4 more appeared !
At one point there were 3 in the same tree , but 1 vanished into a yard, but I got a shot of 2 together.
The area is rich with juniper , dogwood and other types of berry , so its no wonder they like the park.

All in all a successful day and a rare find !

Here are some photos :

Pike Lake - 28.10.07

2007-11-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

At the end of last month my friend and I had a look around Pike Lake Provincial Park to see what was around.
For the most part it was quiet, with only the usual suspects present , those being the ever-friendly Black-capped Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches.
I did also spot some White-winged Crossbills flitting from tree to tree , and there were lots of Muskrats on the water attending to their homes to prepare for the upcoming Winter.

Here are a couple of photos :

White-breasted Nuthatch

Black-capped Chickadee :

Muskrat :

October 7th Last Mountain Lake

2007-11-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

I'm playing catch-up time here!
On the 7th of October, my friend Greg and I visited Last Mountain Lake and drove around for a few hours picking up a great number of species for such a cold and pretty miserable day weather-wise. The total number of species found was 62 which was pretty spectacular.
We both got new year birds and all in all it was a superb day of birding.
On the way home we had another surprise with a Bull Moose stood happily in the rain in a field near the town of Simpson.

Highlights of the trip included:

Whooping Crane 5
Western Meadowlark 9
White-winged Scoter 2
Great Blue Heron 5
Bald Eagle 2
Northern Harrier 8
Swainson's Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 20
Rough-legged Hawk 4
American Avocet 21
Greater Yellowlegs 17
Stilt Sandpiper 15
Long-billed Dowitcher 45
Marsh Wren 1
Northern Shrike 1
Belted Kingfisher 1

Here are a couple of photos from the day :

Belted Kingfisher

Ring-billed Gull

Rough-legged Hawk

Moose

Bewick's Swans in Regina - 31.10.07

2007-11-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

A family group of Bewick's Swans (a Eurasian sub-species of the Tundra Swan )
were recently discovered at Wascana Marsh in Regina . There have not been many reports of this species in Saskatchewan so it was a great find .
On the 31st of October I had the opportunity to travel down to see them with 3 other birders and got some( fairly long distance )photos.
We then travelled on to Regina Beach and I manged to get 2 new species for my life-list which were a single Black Scoter and 2 Surf Scoters. Thankyou to Bob L who we met there !
We only had a few hours , but got 41 species for the day which wasn't bad at all.

Canada Goose
Snow Goose
Snow Bunting
Bald Eagle
Black-billed Magpie
Common Raven,
Rough Legged Hawk
Mallard
Goldeneye
American White Pelican,
Ring Billed Gull
Bufflehead
Western Grebe
Tundra Swan
Bewick's SWan
Rock Pigeon
Red Winged Blackbird
Northern Shoveler
American Wigeon
Ring Necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Ruddy Duck
American Robin
Pied-Billed Grebe
Surf Scoter
Black Scoter
Red Necked Grebe
Hooded Merganser
House Sparrow
Black-caped Chickadee
American Coot
Common Redpoll
Downy Woodpecker
American Tree Sparrow,
Horned Grebe
Dark-eyed Junco
Common Loon
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Merlin
Great Horned Owl

Here are some photos :

Bewick's Swan

Tundra Swans

We found 2 young Bald Eagles on the way home. Here's one of them :

Whooping Cranes

2007-10-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

On Oct 17th myself and my friend Guy travelled to Crawford Lake where there were reports of a small group of Whooping Cranes in the area.
It wasn't too long before we found them , 6 in total , including one juvenile .
These would be the 3rd lot of Whooping Cranes I have seen this year , having seen 2 near Patience Lake and another 5 at Last Mountain Lake .
Its always a pleasure to see these magnificent and rare birds , and we should feel fortunate that they pass through our province at all .
I had to be very careful not to spook the Cranes and gave them some respectable distance while I took a few photos behind a haybale .

Other species seen on this particular outing were :

Long-billed Dowicher Common Snipe
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Harrier
Kestrel
Rusty Blackbirds

Here are a couple of photos :

American Kestrel

Whooping Cranes

Birding at Beaver Creek - 21.10.07

2007-10-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

Last weeekend I birded Beaver Creek, from top to bottom as it were , and
although I didn't find anything Earth Shattering (infact it was
downright quiet there ) I did see a Broad-winged Hawk in hot pursuit
of a Red-tailed Hawk. The size difference between these 2 species
really becomes apparent when you see them together. The Broad-winged
Hawk being such a robust and squat bird .
I also saw a young Bald Eagle flying alone and then 2 adults soaring
together . I would have expected to see them near the river, but all 3
were over the highway . The only birds at the river were Ring-billed
Gulls.
Another nice spectacle were 9 Common Ravens imitating Sandhill Cranes,
or Pelicans, by riding the thermals and gaining altitude .
The Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches were very vocal and were actively feeding non-stop . I took some sunflower seed with me , and at one point had 6 Chickadees following me around as I walked the trails .

Other species seen :

Red-breasted Nuthatch - 3
Black-capped Chickadee - 10
Hairy Woodpecker - 2
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 1
Dark-eyed Junco - 2
American Tree Sparrow - 2
Sandhill Crane - 90
Snow Geese - 200
Northern Harrier - 3

Clouded Sulphur Butterfly - 1
Mourning Cloak Butterfly - 1
Lesser Migratory Grasshopper - 3
Marsh Meadow Grasshopper - 1
Field Cricket - 2

Mule Deer - 1

Here are some photos :

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Black-capped Chickadee

Mule Deer

Marsh Meadow Grasshopper

These 2 Nuthatch photos were taken in our backyard this morning - they LOVE peanut Butter at this time of year! :

Fall birds at the Forestry Farm

2007-10-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

I've had the opportunity to visit the Forestry Farm Park a few times this Fall and have been happy to find quite a nice assortment of different species ( if one spends enough time to hunt for them )
The colours in the park have been beautiful , and although the chill wind of Winter is getting closer, it is still a great place to explore and look for wildlife.

Here is a list of birds I have seen there over the last 2 and a half weeks :

Hermit Thrush
Purple Finch
House Finch
American Robin
Black-billed Magpie
Blue Jay
American Crow
Dark-eyed Junco
Nashville Warbler
Tennesee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Black-capped Chickadee
House Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Harris' Sparrow
Cedar Waxwing
Red-winged Blackbird
Great Blue Heron
Pied-billed Grebe
Canada Goose
Ring-billd Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Northern Flicker
Merlin

Here are some photos :

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

White-crowned Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Cedar Waxwing

American Robin

Dark-eyed Junco

Tennessee Warbler

Harris' Sparrow

Great Blue Heron

Lincoln's Sparrow and a Merlin

2007-10-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening about 6:30pm in very poor light, I noticed a little bird jumping around the backyard and saw that it was one of my favourites , a Lincoln's Sparrow .
It was in the company of a White-throated Sparrow and a Dark-eyed Junco.

This morning all three were back again , so they must have roosted very nearby overnight .

Looking out the window around 10am I could see a Merlin sat on a powerline in the alley behind our backyard , even though the wind was pretty biting , and it had started to rain . It wasn't until I got a little closer and got a photo that I saw a second Merlin take off from a perch a few metres away.

Here are a some photos :

Merlin

Lincoln's Sparrow

Riverbank Walk - 27th September

2007-10-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

On the day after my birthday I spent a couple of hours strolling along the riverbank , starting at the East side at the Weir , and finishing off
on the West side and walking home over the Broadway Bridge.

The Weather , although only 2 degrees when I started , was
absolutely perfect , with a fresh , crisp feel to the air.

I was hoping to find a Fox Sparrow , get some Palm Warbler photos ,
and look for a Hermit Thrush. Well, 2 out of Three ain't bad ! ...

Fairly close to the Railway Bridge , as I prepared to find a spot to
settle in and wait to see what showed up, I noticed a fluffed-up
Swainson's Hawk, sat on a wooden pole that is attached to the bridge
itself . He soon flew off , so I sat and waited , and eventually got
the Warbler photos I desired . Infact I had the best looks at a
couple of feeding Palm Warblers I've ever had . Patience is
everything !
While I was sat there , I also saw 1 White-crowned Sparrow , 4 White-
throated Sparrows and a Dark-eyed Junco.
Happy with my 'catch' I proceded towards the Weir to see if there
was a Kingfisher present, and there was not . Not to worry though ,
as abit further along I got my first pair of Fall Ruby-crowned
Kinglets and then , waiting for 20 minutes in another 'out of the
way' spot, a Hermit Thrush appeared right behind me and proceeded to
eat some Red Osier Berries.

As I trained my bins on Goose Island I was happy to find at least 5
American Wigeon among all the Canada Geese and Mallards, and that's
when I saw 2 small White Geese appear from behind the point of the
island.
With their diminutive size , short neck and short bill , I was
pleased to be looking at my first Ross' Geese for the river.

Another nice surprise was a single American Tree Sparrow perched on
the red railings near the Mendel Art Gallery. Incidentally , the
same place I saw a single bird last year , except that was seen on
the 3rd October.

Here's a list of everything seen :

Ross's Goose - 2
Canada Goose - 200
Mallard - 12
American Wigeon - 5
American Crow - 6
Black-billed Magpie - 2
Ring-billed Gull - 10
Hairy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 1
American Robin - 2
Song Sparrow - 4
American Tree Sparrow - 1
Lincolns Sparrow - 1
White-crowned Sparrow - 1
White-throated Sparrow - 20
Dark-eyed Junco - 2
American Goldfinch - 2
House Finch - 3
Hermit Thrush - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2
Orange-crowned Warbler - 6
Tennessee Warbler - 4
Palm Warbler - 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 3
Black-capped Chickadee - 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2
Swainson's Hawk - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 3
Lesser Yellowlegs - 1
Rock Dove - 15
House Sparrow - 5

Mourning Cloak Butterfly - 2
Least Chipmunk - 8
Garter Snake - 1 juvenile ( this is the latest I've ever seen one

And some photos :

Least Chipmunk

Swainson's Hawk

Palm Warbler

Song Sparrow

And lastly , an American Pipit ( My first of 2007 taken at Blackstrap Lake the week before )

Prairie Raccoons

2007-10-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

I really had no idea that there were many Raccoons around Saskatoon , thinking they were more common in the US and generally alot further South ..

So, a few weeks ago I was out with friends near Pike Lake , and we stopped by some great folks that have a backyard just teeming with birds and wildlife .

As soon as we got there , we went into the living room , looked out the window and low and behold , there were 2 beautiful Raccoons , helping themselves to pieces of bread and then having a drink at the birdbath.

It didn't take long before 3 more showed up , making a total of 5. This was my first real good look at these cute little characters and one I'll never forget .

September Backyard Birds

2007-10-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

We accumulated a nice collection of different birds during the course of September . I didn't get to photograph every species that visited , but still managed to get alot.
As I type this, many of the leaves have fallen and Fall is well under way , with that hint of a chill in the air , meaning Snow cannot be too far away ..

So, here are some photos all taken last month in the backyard :

Clay-colored Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Lincolns Sparrow

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-throated Sparrow

Pine Siskin

Northern Flicker - This is the 2nd year I've seen one eat the Berries from our Virginia Creeper Vine ...

... and down the hatch

Blue Jay

Black-billed Magpie

Fall Bird Count - 08.09.07

2007-09-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the 8th of September , myself and my partner in crime Richard ( who used to band
Geese for the Canadian Wildlife Service), scoured the areas South of
Beaver Creek , which included much of the river valley , with views
of the big sandbars and the Whitecap Reserve .
We had a very respectable 75 species for the day. The weather stayed decent
enough with only a few scattered showers and barely any wind at all.

Highlights were :

Turkey Vulture - a single perched bird at a farm near the Whitecap Reserve.
Ferruginous Hawk - 1 soaring high at the very edge of our most
northern sector.
Osprey - 2 hunting over the river .
Swainson's Hawk - many
Red-tailed Hawks - many , plus 1 Kriders .
Northern Harrier - at least 10
Coopers Hawk - 1 juvenile
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 3 - all juveniles
Merlin - 3
American Kestrel - 2 sets of 3 birds in different locations.
Mountain Bluebird - one flock of at least 50 birds ! plus a few
smaller flocks of about 3 or 4 .
Black & White Warbler - 1
Mourning Warbler - 1
Blackpoll Warbler - 2
American Redstart - 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler - at least 90
Lark Sparrow - 5
Lapland Longspur - a few small flocks of 10-15 birds
Great-horned Owl - 6 in total (2 pairs and 2 individuals - earliest
was found at 1pm the last pair were seen before 7.)
Eastern phoebe - 2
Least Flycatcher - 5
Swainson's Thrush - 2
Red-eyed Vireo - 1
Spotted Towhee - 11
Gray Catbird - 3
Sandhill Cranes - at least 2 thousand
Snow Geese - several thousand
Wilson's Snipe - 1
Great Blue Heron - 1 on the sandbars
Northern Flicker - lots !
Hairy Woodpecker - 2
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs
American Coot - 500 or more

As you can see by the list we hardly had any waterfowl - a few
Mallards, Redhead , some Gadwall , a sinlge Pied-billed Grebe - but we only
had one decent slough and that was full of Coots !

We found no Blackbirds or Kingbirds at all , and only 1 Western
Meadowlark , and that was heard only.

If anything we had a much better day for Mammals :

We had nice looks at an American Badger , Mule Deer , White-tailed
Deer , Muskrat , a Beaver , Coyote , Richardsons Ground Squirrel and
Least Chipmunk . We also found roadkill of a Porcupine and a Raccoon.

Here are some photos :

Swainson's Hawk

Sandhill Cranes :

Spotted Towhee :

Common Yellowthroat :

Vesper Sparrow :

Mountain Bluebird :

Mourning Warbler :

Sharp-tailed Grouse :

American Badger :

Last Mountain Lake - 07.09.07

2007-09-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I travelled down to Last Mountain Lake on one of my days off in the hopes that I would find either a Whooping Crane or 2 , or perhaps some Egrets or Ibis.
Well, I didn't get the Ibis or Whoopers, but was happy to find a small flock of about 25 Cattle Egret in a field of Angus Cows along highway 15 as we were leaving for home .
The Weather was a mix of cool wind and rain and tended to be more overcast than Sunny, but I will take photos no matter what the conditions are like as I think it reflects the mood of the day , plus , there's always something to photograph :-)

Other highlights from the day were :

Lapland Longspur - flock of about 14
Black-crowned Night Heron - 20 or more
Great Blue Heron - 6
American Bittern - 10
Green-winged Teal - 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler ! - one at the boardwalk sharing the reeds with
several Marsh Wrens and Common Yellowthroats.
Sandhill Cranes - 200
Common tern - 4
Ferruginous Hawk - 1
Northern Harrier - 9
Western Grebe - 10
Pied-billed Grebe - 15
Marbled Godwit - 20
American Avocet - 5
Least Sandpiper - 4
Long-billed Dowicher - 16

Here are some photos

Cattle Egret :

Double-crested Cormorant :

Yellow-rumped Warbler :

Common Yellowthroat :

White-tailed Deer :

Long-billed Dowicher :

American Avocets in their Winter plumage :

Solitary Sandpiper and a Merlin

2007-09-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

I've taken so many photographs this Summer , that I overlooked these two, that were taken on the way home from Douglas on a seperate Compact Flash Card .

Here is a Solitary Sandpiper ( new for the year ) Actually not so solitary, as there are 2 of them ! :

Merlin :

Douglas Provincial Park - Part three

2007-09-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

Here is the final batch of photos taken at Douglas :

Rose-breasted Grosbeak :

Gray Catbird :

Spotted Towhee :

American Redstart - Male :

American Redstart - Female :

Magnolia Warbler :

Great Horned Owl :

On the way home was this Common Raven :

..and an intermediate juvenile Swainson's Hawk :

Douglas Provincial Park - Part Two

2007-09-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

Here is part 2 of the photos from Douglas - part 3 coming soon .

Northern Leopard Frog :

Orange-crowned Warbler :

Wilson's Warbler :

American Redstart :

Cedar Waxwing :

Douglas Provincial Park - Part One

2007-09-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

On the 30th of August , my Wife and I set off to Douglas Provincial Park .
This was now the 2nd time we had been there and the wealth of wildlife and beauty still never ceases to amaze me . The park is situated along the edge of Deifenbaker Lake and not only has lush woodlands but also an active sand dune and open prairie.

Highlights from the trip include :

Magnolia Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Waterthrush
Mourning Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Philadephia Vireo
Swainson's Thrush - 1 at the Sunset Trail.
Brown Thrasher - 2 in shrubs near the main store
Spotted Towhee - skulking in the bushes
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 4 in the campgound eating berries
Purple Finch - picking flies from a cobweb hanging between 2 trees.
Osprey - hunting over the lake
Coopers Hawk - 2 in the campground
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 flew into a tree and scared away all the
warblers I was looking at .
Merlin - 2 on the way home
Red-tailed Hawk - many on power poles
Swainson's Hawk - many on power poles
Mourning Doves - many on the way home
Great Blue Heron - one flying over the lake
American Bittern - one at the southern marsh area
Sora - one at the southern marsh area
Sandhill Cranes - 4 flying overhead on the way home
Common Nighthawk - zipping over the Marsh one evening

Franklin's Ground Squirrel
Mule Deer
Northern Leopard Frog

Here are some photos with more to come on my next update :

Warbling Vireo

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Spotted Towhee

Clay-colored Sparrow

Least Flycatcher

Mule Deer

River Walk - September 4th 2007

2007-09-07T00:44:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning my friend Ryan and I spent roughly 7.5 hours birding . It sounds like a long time, but it flies by (no pun intended)
Starting off at President Murray Park , we didn't get the Warbler-fest that we hoped for but were rewarded with a handsome Magnolia Warbler flitting between branches of a tall Spruce Tree.
We also had a couple of Purple Finch including one singing Male.
Hearing and seeing a few more of the 'to be expected' species at the park we then headed down to the river where we spent the rest of our time.

Here are the highlights :

Belted Kingfisher - 2 or 3 - the most I have seen at our river at one time.
Greater White-fronted Goose - 6 of these were on 'Goose Island' just north of the Mendel Art Gallery.
American White Pelican - 1
Hooded Merganser - 1 female , among some Mallards and Canada Geese
Red-necked Grebe - 1 swimming by Goose Island
Spotted Sandpiper - 1
Osprey - 1 flying south along the river looking for fish .
Swainson's Hawk - 1 flying near the University
Warbling Vireo - 2
Swainson's Thrush - 1
Tennessee Warblers
Orange-crowned Warblers
Nashville Warbler - 1 - lifer
Yellow Warbler - 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 15
Palm Warbler - 1 - new for the Year
Blackpoll Warbler - 20
American Redstart - 2

Here are a few photos of ( some) of the Warblers including a better look at the Cape May that is still visiting our backyard.

Palm Warbler

Cape May Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Black-necked Stilts and some Raptors

2007-09-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

On the 27th of August , my friend May and I travelled to Goose Lake and looked for birds in the sloughs not far from the sleepy town of Laura .
Having not yet had a decent look at a Black-necked Stilt , I was elated to finally see what all the fuss was about . They are a fascinating and beautiful bird , similar in ways to the more common American Avocets that breed here , but different enough for even the casual observer to say - "Look at those Pink legs !"

Aswell as the Stilts , there were a few Avocets, some Long-billed Dowichers , a few Semi-palmated Sandpipers , a fly by from a Coopers Hawk , 2 Merlins , many Blackbirds , some Meadowlarks and 2 'Kriders' Red-tailed Hawks. It's unusual enough to see one of these Pale-form races of Red-tail but to see a second one was a real bonus.

Black-necked Stilt

Kriders Red-tailed Hawk

Merlin

A morning at Meewasin Park and Indi Lake

2007-09-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

On the 24th of August , my friend Greg and I walked around Meewasin Park which is situated at the North-end of the River here in Saskatoon .
We had a perfect day of weather with no wind , and it was actually nice to not have the sun beating down on us. I won't be saying that in a few weeks though I'm sure!
After our river-trek we headed out to Indi Lake and scoped the water out there.

We picked up 54 species for the morning , highlights were :

Great Blue Heron - 1 at the river - actually , the first Great Blue Heron I've seen along our river !
Northern Harrier
Sandhill Crane - at least 200 of these were at Indi Lake .
American Avocet
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - a nice surprise to find one along the river
Belted Kingfisher - always a pleasure - 1 by the river
Hairy Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - Only the 2nd one I've ever seen , so this was great.
Swainson's Thrush
Brown Thrasher
Tennessee Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Wilson's Warbler
Lark Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Here's a couple of photos taken on the day :

Cedar Waxwing

Northern Waterthrush

Wilson's Warbler

Backyard Bonanza Part Two

2007-09-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here is another batch of birds that have recently visited the backyard .
A nice assortment of Warblers , a Flycatcher , a Sparrow and a Thrush .
Other birds that have visited that I have not bothered to photograph as they are more 'common ' but are always welcome , include Blue Jay , Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee , House Finch and House Sparrow.
I'm always hopeful that other migrating species will show up between now and early October . For instance , there should be more Sparrows arriving soon...

For the 2nd year in a row - A Cape May Warbler :

Blackpoll Warbler :

Tennessee Warbler

Yellow Warbler

New for the yard , a Female American Redstart :

Another newbie for the yard , a young Song Sparrow :

A Least Flycatcher :

and lastly , one of my favourites, a Swainson's Thrush

Backyard Bonanza - part one

2007-08-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

Well, Fall Migration is definitely underway, and our backyard has seen quite the number of species coming through just since my last posting.
I've been out on a number of small trips too, so I will post those updates at a later time .
You will notice a familiar background to alot of these photos as our Elderberry Shrubs are the popular 'pit stop' for many of the birds.

There has been so much backyard activity recently that I've taken many photos , so this will be the first of a few parts :

Here are photos of (some of ) what I've seen over the last couple of days - these pictures were all taken through the bathroom window - A VERY uncomfortable way to photograph birds , but by far the best view !

Baltimore Oriole - the 2nd year in a row one of these has graced our yard :

Swainson's Thrush - we had 2 in the yard together last week :

Yellow Warbler

Least Flycatcher - spent all morning in the yard on Wednesday

Mourning Warbler - a new bird for our yard . This 1st Fall bird looks like it just had a bath somewhere:

Warbling Vireo - another new bird for the yard

House Wren - There were pair of them around , and one of them was still singing :

Fall Warblers etc...

2007-08-21T01:10:00.000-07:00

This is my favourite time of year apart from Spring . Fall Migration !
Our backyard usually gets quite a nice assortment of bird-life visiting during the middle of August right through till early October .
The first things that usually catch one's eye are the Warblers .
Last week we had at least 3 different species : A Female Wilson's Warbler , several Orange-crowned and a few Tennessee Warblers .
We also have 2 Female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds visiting daily and a big flock of about 60-70 Comon Grackles descended upong the yard one day last week.
A couple of young Grackles returned for the next 2 days , ate Sunflower seeds and drank from the fountain.
Other birds in the yard since my last update have been :

Blue Jay - 2 daily visitors
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2
Black-capped Chickadee - 4
House Finch - 4
Black-billed Magpie - 2
Northern Flicker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Pine Siskin - 4
House Wren - 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 2
Least Flycatcher - 1

Getting back to Warblers . Last Saturday morning a few of us from the Nature Society walked around Meewasin Park which is located on the West side of the River . This was an 'experimental' field trip as we'd not been there before in a group . We will probably visit again as it turned out to be quite productive.

We found 6 species of Warbler :

Mourning Warbler - at least 3 Males
American Redstart - 1 Female
Yellow Warbler - 5+
Black & White Warbler - 2
Tennessee Warbler - 1
Wilson's Warbler - 5

We had a few other birds such as Brown Thrasher , Gray Catbird , Northern Flicker , Downy Woodpecker and a nice look at some perching Cormorants on the way there.

Here are some photos :

Wilson's Warbler - taken at Meewasin Park

The following photos are all from our backyard :

There is still some debate as to what these actually are - Orange-crowned or Tennessee Warblers :

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Common Grackle

Lac La Peche - 3rd-7th August

2007-08-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

For the 2nd Year in a row, my Wife and I enjoyed a few days at Lac La Peche which is just North of Blaine Lake , Saskatchewan . There is a Purple Martin House right on the lake side , so it was a treat to hear them calling every morning and hunting for food at dusk. . We had several Warbling Vireos right outside our Cabin , aswell as a surprise visitor - a Raccoon ! The first time I've ever seen one in the wild . Some people don't care for them much , and they get bad press , but it was exciting for me . Once again, I found a Coopers Hawk ( my first for 2007 ) in the same area as last year , but was unnable to obtain a photo due to the bird being so fast and vanishing out of sight, only giving me a second or two to ID it. Other highlights were an Ovenbird on one of the trails , American Redstart, Baltimore Oriole , a few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds , Rose-breasted Grosbeak , Eastern Phoebe , Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and a Bald Eagle flew over the Lake one evening which was nice. At nearby Redberry Lake there were Marsh Wrens , Killdeer, Tennessee and Yellow Warblers , several Common Tern and a Spotted Towhee .

Here are some photos :

View from Petrofka Bridge on the way

Purple Martin

Least Flycatcher

Snowshoe Hare

White-breasted Nuthatch

Spotted Towhee

Eastern Phoebe

Female Purple Finch

Muskrat

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Warbling Vireo

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

American Goldfinch

Mallard Ducklings

Juvenile Common Tern

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Trip to Luck Lake and Bone Coulee

2007-08-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

At the end of last month I travelled out to Luck Lake with 2 friends to scout out the area for a proposed trip that was coming up a few days later.
Before checking out the actual Lake, we stopped off at Bone Coulee , a lush valley where Buffalo used to roam wild and free . A fascinating and beautiful place !
I ventured down a steep hill to look at a creek runing through the bottom of it and found a few birds : House Wren, Gray Catbird, Cedar Waxwing , Yellow Warbler and Song Sparrow .
The area was so densely treed it is hard to believe this little Oasis is bang smack in the middle of the Saskatchewan prairie.
Among the trees flitted Dragonflies and butterflies , and attached to the trees themselves were interesting Fungi.
At Luck Lake we found good numbers of shorebirds ( in the thousands). Not every species has come this way yet , but still alot of birds !
Semi-palmated Plover , Least, and Semi-pal Sandpipers , Willet, Godwits , Avocet , Great Blue Heron , Terns , Wilson's and Red-necked Phalaropes were present .
On the way home it rained so hard , we had to pull over and wait it out as we couldn't see a thing through the windows. Seriously the worst rain I've ever witnessed while inside a car.
The highlight of the day for me was my best look yet at an Upland Sandpiper .
Of course the rain had drenched it , but it was still great to see one so close.

Here are some photos :

Luck Lake

Bone Coulee

Cedar Waxwing

Fungi

Semi-palmated Plover

Upland Sandpiper

Albino Purple Martin

2007-08-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

A few days ago , I was contacted by a friendly local Acreage owner to see if I'd be interested in taking a look at an unusual bird .
A completely Albino Purple Martin , that had hatched in one of the many ' Apartment-style ' bird houses along with a normal brood of babies .
The bird looked quite healthy and it won't be long now till it decides to take to the skies and fend for itself. I wish it luck !!

Trip to Waskesiu - 22nd - 26th July

2007-07-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

My Wife and I just recently returned from a very relaxing and rewarding mini-holiday at Prince Albert National Park , taking in the gorgeous scenery , sights and sounds of Waskesiu and the surrounding lakes.
While my wife enjoyed the water , I spent my time birding and photographing anything with wings, and in some cases hooves and claws.
We also spent a most enjoyable evening with our friends the Mackenzies .
The Wildlife in the area was pretty rich and despite some of the Warblers being elusive , I did manage to snag a fair number , and also got a decent amount of other bird species for the trip.
Another highlight was finding several Red Foxes on an evening drive . I videoed these and will post either some clips or stills later.

I took many photos which will follow after the highlights :

Winter Wren - New Year bird ( 2 were heard on the Kingsmere Trail , while the other was behind The Mackenzies cottage singing quite late in the day )
Osprey - one flew overe the main beach early in the morning.
Bald Eagle - one flying over the lake at Kingsmere.
Turkey Vulture - 4 were circling and gaining height on the way out of the park on our last day.
Mourning Warbler - 1 - heard but not seen on the Red Deer Trail
Blackburnian Warbler - I was happy to find both a Male and a Female not far from our Cabin early on our first morning there.
Brown Creeper - lots of these ! Great to see them in the Summer. I've only ever really seen these during Winter months.
Bay-breasted Warbler - only the 2nd time I've ever seen this bird .
Blue-headed Vireo - Lifer !
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - seen at a feeder
Evening Grosbeak - saw 2 at a feeder in the town site
Cape May Warbler - lots of juveniles around
Black and White Warbler
Great Blue Heron
Red Crossbill - a small flock flew over our friends cabin one evening
Boneparte's Gull - 2 at the Marina
Northern Waterthrush - one on the Red Deer Trail
Swainson's Thrush - 1 adult and its baby in the forest along the Kingsmere trail.
Belted Kingfisher - a grand total of 5 . 2 at the Kingsmere creek , another 2 on the Red Deer Trail and 1 on the aptly titled Kingfisher Trail.
There were also many Merlins . Probably 4 sets of familes all around the Park, including one Family of 4 birds behind our cabin that were extremely noisy !

Here are some photos :

Boneparte's Gull

Young Barn Swallows

Brown Creeper

Evening Grosbeak

Elk

Variegated Fritillary

Bay-breasted Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Cape May Warbler

Blackburnian Warblers

Swainson's Thrush

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Red Squirrels

Merlin

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

White-tailed Deer

Common Loon and its baby

White-throated Sparrow

Gray Jay

Some local scenery :

American Bittern at Quill Lake - 19.07.07

2007-07-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday , a few of us from the Nature Society , in 2 cars , drove out to the town of Quill Lake , Saskatchewan and looked for birds at the sloughs and wetlands of that area . Quill Lake itself is a huge salt water lake now used only for shrimping , but we did notice a flotilla of Western Grebe on the water . Most of the usual suspects were to be found and I finally got my first American Bittern of 2007 . We also saw at least 5 Black-crowned Night Herons ( flying for the most part ) , heard lots of Marsh Wrens and Common Yellowthroats , oh and I got my face pretty sunburnt ! All in a days work .

Here is one of 3 Bitterns we saw during the day .

American Bittern

and a bonus Song Sparrow

Sunbathing Dragonfly and a Robin just plain bathing

2007-07-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

Here are 2 photos I took today in our backyard . Current temperature is a mean 31 degrees . Crazy hot !

Dragonfly

American Robin

Baby Birds & Butterflies ...

2007-07-06T00:52:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday , my Wife and I went out for a little morning drive as the Sun was shining and there was not a hint of wind blowing - perfect !

We travelled a few country roads , only going as far as Clavet and had some interesting sightings along the way .

July is a busy month for birds and their newly hatched young , so we saw a number of different species of chicks being escorted by their attentive parents ...

Here is an American Avocet :

..and not far behind it , was its baby :

A young American Coot :

And what's a drive in the country without a photo of one of the cutest ducks around ...

Ruddy Duck :

On Thursday afternoon , my friend Pete and I went out and also saw lots of fledglings :

Here is a female Eared Grebe with one of its offspring riding on its back :

..and 2 of the other Grebe chicks fending for themselves :

A Killdeer giving its erratic display to steer away predators from young or eggs :

Lastly - here is a photo from yesterday of a House Wren with food for its young in our backyard:

and a White Admiral :

Drive In The Country - 23.06.07

2007-06-30T23:48:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday , my Wife and I went on a little drive . I forgot to mention last time , that on our previous drive we encountered a Female Ruffed Grouse and her chicks by the roadside . When we slowed the car down for a closer look she would jump up in the air , I guess to appear more threatening and ward us off. They soon vanished into the bushes and we went on our way.
This time we had a very similar experience with a Wilsons Phalarope.
There we were , just cruising along, enjoying the scenery , when this crazed bird kept buzzing our car . It soon became apparent she was also protecting her young . Eventually she calmed down, settled on the ground, still sqawking at us and uashered 2 or 3 of her little chicks along the road in front of us towards a slough.

Here's the Mother :

And here's one of the tiny little chicks :

We then carried on towards Bradwell and stopped by a yard where the friendly owners showed us their beautiful yard and pond , and their Purple Martin house , complete with several families of birds living inside :

Here are a few more photos from the trip :

Red-winged Blackbird

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Cedar Waxwing

Western Kingbird

Trip to Waskesiu - 20th May 2007

2007-06-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Guy and myself left Saskatoon at 4:30am for the Northern Forests to look for Warblers and anything else of interest .
We had a very productive and fun day and were rewarded with alot of different species . We both got a few new birds for the Year and I snagged 3 more birds to add to my life-list.

Guy made a comprehensive list of everything we saw which I'll put up here when I re-edit this posting.

For now here are the highlights . I may aswell list all the Warblers we saw , even though a couple were very common such as the Yellow , Yellow-rumped and Tennessee .
( * = New for the Year )

Western Tanager ( lifer )
Blackburnian Warbler ( lifer )
Magnolia Warbler*
Cape May Warbler *
Mourning Warbler *
Conneticut Warbler *
Tennessee Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Spotted Towhee
Hermit Thrush *
Broad-winged Hawk *
Osprey *
Caspian Tern ( lifer )
Belted Kingfisher
Short-eared Owl
Evening Grosbeak
Black-backed Woodpecker
Gray Jay
Boreal Chickadee
Red Crossbill
Eastern Phoebe
Alder Flycatcher
Common Loon
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Bald Eagle

Here are some photos :

Herring Gull

Eastern phoebe

Western Tanager

Blackburnian Warbler

Tennessee Warbler ( with meal )

Yellow-rumped Warbler ( with meal )

Red Squirrel in its hidey hole

Caspian Tern

Sniping a Snipe....and a visit from a Cuckoo

2007-06-18T21:28:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend , my Wife and I , went out for a little hour's drive out to Patience lake to check on the 2 Tundra Swans and their new brood of 6 Cygnets . All appeared to be healthy . This pair of elegant Swans continue to amaze all ,as they continue to breed here Year after Year , and forego the desire to breed with the rest of their kind in the Arctic .

We had a nice morning , and heard as well as saw lots of species , none of which were new for the Year , but we did get a nice look at a Wilsons Snipe that was perched on a nearby Railway track :

Here are a couple more photos and a quick report of the Cuckoo :

American Wigeon

Vesper Sparrow

Ruddy Duck

My Wife got this photo of the Swans , while I was Swanning around with my scope

The following morning , we were in the Kitchen and both of
us clearly heard the repetitive "cu-cu-cu-cu, cu-cu-cu-cu" call of a
Black-billed Cuckoo , a bird I've only ever heard once before at my Uncles farm at Crystal Springs.
Our backdoor was open , so it was extrememly loud.
Thinking it was actually IN our backyard , I scanned through the
window and could not see anything . I grabbed my camera , and suddenly there it was , mid flight over our yard and it was gone in an instant - No chance for a photo. It flew right over the fence and vanished in a neighbours well treed yard .I went outside and looked all over , but could not relocate it .

This is a very unsual sighting for within the City , especially in a backyard , so I'm glad we had the chance to hear and (briefly) see it .

Chaplin Lake - 14.06.07

2007-06-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

On Thursday , my friend Greg and I left Saskatoon at 5:00am and headed out for a day of birding at Chaplin Lake situated in the community of Chaplin , a good 3 and a half hours drive South from Saskatoon .

Chaplin Lake encompasses nearly 20 square miles (45,000 acres) and is the second largest saline water body in Canada . Looking at some of the saline deposits, I thought I was looking at Snow . It's that convincing.

We were hoping that there were some Migrant stragglers still hanging around , but we saw mainly species that just linger here to breed : Killdeer , American Avocet , Marbled Godwit, Willet , Canada Goose , Double-crested Cormorant, White Pelicans and Wilsons Phalarope . We did see 3 species of Sandpiper : Spotted , Semipalmated and a few Upland Sandpipers perched on fence posts .

Total species seen came to around 70 , which also included a Great Blue Heron , a Black-crowned Night Heron , Alder Flycatcher and LeContes Sparrow .

Mammals seen were Richardson's and Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels , 2 Coyotes , Mule Deer and Pronghorn Antelope.

Here are some photos :

Riverhurst Ferry - this was the shortcut across Diefenbaker Lake to our destination

Pronghorn

Upland Sandpiper - not the best view unfortunately - but even though the Sun was in the wrong place and the bird was a good 100 ft away - using the scope for this photo helped a little .

Spotted Sandpiper

Loggerhead Shrike

Round Barns & Regional Parks..

2007-06-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday , I went out with a group of 12 people to Asquith and visited the Round Barn owned by the very hospitable Burke family .

The Barn was built in the 20's and has had some restoration work done to it , and still looks very impressive inside and out.

Once we'd enjoyed our stay at the Farm we headed on to Eagle Creek Regional Park for some birding and nature watching .

The Mosquitos were in full force again , and once more , I had to remove another 4 Ticks from me , after I spent 20 minutes creeping along a very secluded and boggy nature trail, trying to photograph Flycatchers and a Spotted Towhee that I kept hearing .

I found the Towhee, but due to poor lighting and the canopy of trees all around me I had to over-expose this shot just to see any detail , still photos of this bird are far and few between in my collection :

Spotted Towhee

On the way out of the park we saw this Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel :

And earlier in the day I photographed this Red-winged Blackbird :

..and a Lark Sparrow :

I also had the pleasure of actually seeing my first Sedge Wren . On the bird count I did with Guy at the end of May , I had only heard them , so that ended up being the highlight of the day for me .

Birding at Warman - 07.06.07

2007-06-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went out with members of the Nature Society to a beautiful property owned by a local architect close to the town of Warman.
He also owns land nearby that has a creek running through it ( the name escapes me at the moment , but I'll update this when I know it ) . From this little valley you can see Wanuskewin Heritage Park .

76 species of birds were seen , including a Loggerhead Shrike, a very obliging Le Conte's Sparrow , 2 Great-horned Owlets and my first Cedar Waxwings of 2007.

We also saw a Red Fox , a Coyote and some White-tailed Deer.

Oh, and the tally of Ticks I've found on me so far this year now comes to an even 6 :-)

Here are some photos (not of the ticks ):

Le Conte's Sparrow

Eastern Kingbird

Great-horned Owl Owlets

Song Sparrow

Brown-headed Cowbird

Creek close to Wanuskewin

Cedar Waxwing

Birding at Clavet & The Forestry Farm

2007-06-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

After a couple of tip-offs from friends regarding a Summer Tanager at Clavet and a nice array of migrant Warblers at the Forestry Farm Park , the last couple of days have been somewhat hectic. Especially when one works nightshifts aswell !
Still, it's all good fun, and I wouldn't change it for anything. Nothing beats great weather and birding with your friends out in the countryside .

At the Forestry Farm , Greg and I enountered one Male Bay-breasted Warbler( a lifer for me ), An American Redstart , Warbling and Philadelphia Vireos ( the Philly was a new year bird) Yellow , and Yellow-rumped Warblers , Common Yellowthroat, lots of Thrashers & Catbirds , a Merlin , a Sora , lots of Grackles, Eastern Kingbirds , a Common Tern ,Ruddy Duck , plus a few other common species.

Here is a photo of a Female Redstart in full song :

A Ruddy Duck that was enjoying himself in the fishpond :

Yesterday myself and Guy , and then in the afternoon with Angela travelled out to Clavet in the hopes of finding the Tanager , but no such luck. Hey, how many of these trips end up being wild Goose chases !
We did however find our first Boneparte's Gull of the Year at the North end of Blackstrap .
There were some nice flocks of shorebirds dotted around sloughs near Clavet and Blucher including some Dunlin , Red-necked Phalarope, Least, Semipalmated , White-rumped and Stilt Sandpipers , American Avocet, American White Pelicans , lots of Eared and Horned Grebe , Common and Forsters Tern , most of the common Ducks , including a pair of Green-winged Teal, a Male Baltimore Oriole , several Least Flycatchers , Warbling Vireos and an Owlet at Pleasant Point Cemetery.

Here's the young Great-horned Owl , just sitting on the ground (probably counting the Mosquitoes ). They were EVERYWHERE !

Semipalmated Sandpipers

Eastern Kingbird

Eagle Creek - 24th May 07

2007-05-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Before embarking on the excellent bird count I had on Saturday , I travelled to Eagle Creek with some members of the Saskatoon Nature Society to visit a beautiful property that one of the members has there .

We had a nice time walking around the creek and then relaxing and eating our lunch by the running water while Franklins Ground Squirrels , American Goldfinches , Tree Swallows , Thrashers , Catbirds , Cowbirds and Song Sparrows flitted around us.

Here are a couple of photos :

Red-necked Phalarope - ( taken at a slough on the way there )

Song Sparrow

Eagle Creek

Tree Swallows

Saskatoon Spring Bird Count - 26th May 07

2007-05-28T16:53:00.001-07:00

On a clear and bright Saturday morning around 6am , my friend Guy and I headed out on what would become another long bird count day with some nice sightings and the usual stories and good banter along the way . This was to be our 2nd Spring count for this area .

Our sector covered back roads and sloughs around Pike and Goose Lake and a whole lot more besides . Infact it really is quite the expanse that we ended up covering once we were finished at roughly 9:30 pm .

There was a definate reduction in the number of shorebirds around which was a shame , as places like Laura and the sloughs along that road offer so much potential , and have yielded some great birds in the past.

Still, some of the birds we found more than made up for it ...

I won't list everything that was seen , but we got a very reasonable 109 species for the day , so I will just post here what were new Year birds and lifers ( yes , I snagged a couple more !)

Red-breasted Merganser - lifer . Great to see these - in a little spillway/creek near the Berry Barn .

Cliff Swallow - new year bird . Several birds roosting under a low bridge .

Veery - new year bird . A couple at Pike Lake

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - new year bird

Common Yellowthroat - new year bird

Great Blue Heron - new year bird

Black-crowned Night Heron - new year bird

Red-eyed Vireo - new year bird

Marsh Wren - new year bird

Common Nighthawk - new year bird . I haven't seen this bird for 4 years and this was an especially great treat . There were 2 , doing their aerobatics just outside the entrance to Pike Lake .

Turkey Vulture - ( highlight ) . 3 flew overhead and gave us some great views .

Northern Waterthrush - lifer . We heard him singing first then found him in the topmost branches of a Poplar at Pike Lake.

Sedge Wren - lifer . 2 singing in a couple of marshy areas.

Ferruginous Hawk - new year bird . 3 soaring birds near Laura .

Belted Kingfisher - new year bird . My first ever Spring Kingfisher . A really nice addition .

Long-billed Curlews . ( A highlight ) I wait 5 years to see this bird, then I see 2 more a week after seeing my first ever . These were flying off into the Sunset , late into our trip.

Baird's Sparrow - new year bird . Several were seen and not heard ! As usual :-)

Here are a few photos :

Western Kingbird

Black-bellied Plover - there was a good sized flock of these just sitting in the gravel road . I couldn't get too close so used my scope for this photo.

Plains Garter Snake - 2's company ... Actually , the spider got away :-)

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black Tern

Northern Waterthrush

Sora

Veery

Turkey Vulture

Lark Sparrow

Black-throated Blue Warbler - 25.05.07

2007-05-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Ron called me this evening to tell me that the Black-throated Blue Warbler was back , singing from the trees on his street , so before I even had time to wolf down the Chicken supper I'd just spent an hour cooking , my wonderful and obliging Wife and I headed out to see if we could spot it.
We spent around 20 mins or so looking and listening , but no sign, nor sound of the Warbler , when suddenly , when we almost thought about calling it a night , it appeared in one of the tall Elm Trees right outside Rons house.

It has the most unusual song and I was so pleased that it finally showed itself ( albiet briefly ) , before flying into the branches of a Spruce and staying hidden.

I managed to get one pretty poor photograph before it flew , but at least it's proof :-)

Trip to Luck Lake - 21.05.07

2007-05-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

Despite the grim weather ( non-stop rain all day ) , a hearty
bunch of folk from the Saskatoon Nature Society headed out to Luck
Lake and then finished the day with a quick look around Gardiner Dam .

We had a nice total of 96 species for the day and I managed to snag 4
lifers on the trip - I finally got to see Long-billed Curlews ( 2
flew along side our vehicles and over a field ), 3 Ruddy Turnstone -
2 Males and one female was observed at the South-end of Luck Lake ,
and also White-rumped Sandpiper sharing some sand with the
Turnstones, and at the North-end a few Dunlin .

There were considerable amounts of Stilt Sandpiper , Wilson's and Red-
necked Phalarope present aswell as many Eared Grebe .
Other things of interest were the many Bank Swallows that were
skimming across the Lake , a Canada Warbler at Gardiner Dam and the
single Blue-phase Snow Goose we found in a field with some ducks
before we got to Luck Lake.

Here is a list of what was seen :

Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Gray Partridge
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Sora
American Coot
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Killdeer
American Avocet
Spotted Sandpiper
Willet
Upland Sandpiper
Long-billed Curlew
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Dunlin
Stilt Sandpiper
Dowitcher species
Wilson's Snipe
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Franklin's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Black Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Least Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
House Wren
American Robin
Brown Thrasher
Tennesse Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
American Redstart
Canada Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Snow Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Due to the poor light and distance , alot of these photos leave alot to be desired quality-wise, but I still hope they are an insight to a very enjoyable day :

Sanderlings

Stilt Sandpipers

Wilson's Phalarope

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Ruddy Turnstone

Forsters Tern

Bank Swallow

Eastern Kingbird

American Avocet

Riverbank Hike 15th and 16th May 07

2007-05-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I went for a hike around the river . This is quite long account , so please bear with me ...

I started out at the Weir and looked down onto the water where I saw
the obligatory White Pelicans ( 15 or so ) 1 Double-crested
Cormorant , a couple of Mallards and around 11 Canada Geese , 2
pairs of which had Goslings. A few Ring-billed Gulls and Rock Doves
flew overhead and an American Kestrel was soaring over the fields in
the distance.

I walked abit further along and stopped to watch a singing Robin , then , hearing the 'che-beck' of a Least
Flycatcher , I clambered through some thorny bushes and stood with
my back to a huge shrub so that I then faced down into a small
valley of sorts with a little meandering 'stream' running through it.

Ahh, an excellent place to just stop and listen ...

While waiting here, the Least Flycatcher and probably its mate
showed up , aswell as a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds , Yellow
Warblers were singing their heads off , Barn and Tree Swallows
zipped along by , a Mewing sound revealed my first Gray Catbird
of '07 . A Magpie with a freshly stolen something flushed from the
trees with an angry Robin in hot pursuit, Clay-colored Sparrows
were everywhere and this is where things got interesting ...

I became so engrossed in all the wonderful birdsong around me that I
failed to notice the beautiful Red Fox slowly creeping through the
undergrowth not 4 meters away from me !

I swear, I've seen some great stuff along the riverbank on my
walks , but this really takes the cake . I stood transfixed as it
paused, yawned , had a scratch then scampered off into the bushes.

Because the undergrowth and shrubs were so thick , it was extremely
hard to get the Fox in my line of sight for a photo , but I managed at least one ' keeper' .

There were Water Voles running around on the banks of the river , aswell as 3 or more Garter Snakes rustling through the leaves.

I ended up staying in that one spot for nearly 2 and a half hours
before I moved on ...

The 2nd highlight of the day was an absolutely rivetting performance
from a Brown Thrasher . Its vocabulary was astounding and left me in
awe. I gave it a 10 , took its photo then left it be . Not long
after , I found another 2 Thrashers together .

Carrying on my walk and coming up to the University Bridge , I found
at least 5 Swainson's Thrushes , an Ovenbird was singing from a
hidden perch , then flew up to a branch then was gone in a flash .
White-throated Sparrows were doing their best to trick me into
thinking I'd finally found my first Fox Sparrow of the Year . They
were everywhere ! Chipping and House Sparrows were also present.
An Eastern Kingbird ( my first of 2007 ) , was hawking flies right
on the rivers edge .
A few House Wrens scolded me as I came up to Cosmopolitan Park and I managed to locate a gently singing Male Rose-breated Grosbeak hiding in the branches of an Aspen while a Ground Squirrel was playing in some grass near Rotary Park as I neared home.
As I neared home an American Goldfinch and a few singing House
Finches flew overhead , and I decided that better be it for the day .
After all , it was way past lunch time !!!

Here are some photos :

Red Fox

Clay-colored Sparrow

Richardson's Ground Squirrel

Brown-headed Cowbird Female

American Robin

Swainson's Thrush

Brown Thrasher

Eastern Kingbird

American Crows

Black-billed Magpie

Birch Hills 11.05.07

2007-05-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

On Friday , I went to Birch Hills for the day and went for a walk near my Uncle's farm.
I noticed a large flying ' hawk' of some kind soaring over one of the fields , and it soon became apparent I was looking at a Turkey Vulture and not a Hawk at all !
The wingspan on these birds is amazing ...

I wish the Sun had been in a better place and not behind the subject , but you get the idea of just how big , these big boys are :

Turkey Vulture

Other birds seen were Eastern Phoebe , a beautiful Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak , Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrushes , Lincoln's , Vesper , White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows , Purple Finch , American Goldfinch and Barn Swallows .

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Eastern Phoebe

Laura and Pike Lake - 9th & 10th May 07

2007-05-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

Once again, I embarked on a couple of trips to Laura to look for shorebirds, and more specifically the Black-necked Stilt , that have clearly now moved on . So I still need to find those this Year.
I had a fine couple of days birding though , many species were seen and the company was great .
On the Wednesday I got a couple of New Year birds and a Mammal lifer ! :

Baird's Sandpiper
Grasshopper Sparrow ( heard only )
Pronghorn Antelope - 2 out near Tessier . Lifer.

The next day gave me another 3 New Year birds including a lifer .

Say's Phoebe - lifer
Black & White Warbler
Warbling Vireo

Here are some photos :

Pronghorn Antelope

Long-billed Dowicher

Wilson's Phalarope

Vesper Sparrow

Western Meadowlark

Black & White Warbler - not the closest I'd have liked - but these are so hard to photograph , and this is only the 4th time I've ever seen one. This was at Pike Lake.

River Walk - 08.05.07

2007-05-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday , I decided to go for a quick ( well, that was the plan ) hike around the river and see if I could find a Hermit Thrush, or maybe a Fox Sparrow .
I didn't end up finding either of those 2 , but was pleased to find that the Clay-colored Sparrows were back and singing with all their might , just like their Song Sparrow cousins from the other week . The bird life was actually pretty quiet for the most part, but with more species still arriving every other day , things won't be quiet for long .

Birds seen were :

Yellow Warbler - 2 singing on the east bank ( new Year bird )
American Goldfinch - heard only
Clay-colored Sparrow - at least 3 all in full song - at the North end of the Weir
Song Sparrow - 10 or so, dotted along the riverbank in various locations.
White-crowned Sparrow - 2 on the west side of the river
White-throated Sparrow - 5 also on the west side.
Northern Flicker - 1 near the Mendel Art Gallery
Chipping Sparrow - 1 close to the Mendel Art Galery
Black-billed Magpie -
American Crow - 10
Common Grackle - 2
Rock Dove - 9
Canada Goose - 17
Red-winged Blackbird - 10
Common Grackle - 4
Killdeer - 1 flying over Goose Island
Mallard - 4
American White Pelican - 22 at the Weir
Ring-billed Gull - 2

Least Chipmunk - 4
Richardson's Ground Squirrel - 1

Mourning Cloak Butterfly - 7
Milberts Tortoise Shell Butterfly - 2

Here are some photos :

Clay-colored Sparrow

Least Chipmunk

Mourning Cloak

Trip to Laura - 06.05.07

2007-05-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

On Monday afternoon My friend and I travelled out to Laura in the hopes of finding some Black-necked Stilt that were spotted by 2 esteemed members of the local Nature Society in a large slough next to a gravel road .
After some extensive looking , no Stilts were found , but of course I still managed to get some photos of the birds that were present and had a great time as I always do when out in the country looking at the wildlife and scenery.

New birds for the year found on this trip :

Long-billed Dowicher
Short-billed Dowicher
Pectoral Sandpiper
Loggerhead Shrike

Here are some photos :

Western Meadowlark

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Brewers Blackbird Male

Willet

Marbled Godwit

Lastly - we found this Domestic-type Swan Goose all alone in a slough on the way home . An escapee ?

Birding at Bradwell 05.05.07

2007-05-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

On Saturday a few members from the Nature Society headed out to Bradwell , and stopped off at a few sloughs and fields along the way to look for new arrivals .
We had perfect weather and a very respectable 63 species for the day .

I snagged another 7 New year birds - they were :

Semi-palmated Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope
Harris' Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bank Swallow
Hooded Merganser
Purple Martin

Here are a few photos :

Savannah Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

Red-necked Grebe

Mountain Bluebird

Swainson's Hawk - this is the darkest one I have ever seen

Brewer's Blackbird Female

Western Meadowlark

White-crowned Sparrows arrive this morning

2007-05-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

I was happy to see 2 White-crowned Sparrows in the backyard this morning when I got home from work .

Here are 3 photos :

Mating Hawks & more Snow Buntings

2007-05-02T23:50:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday afternoon , Pete and I headed out once more to Brightwater Marsh and then onto the North-end of Blackstrap .
We had a pretty good species list, totalling 54 , adding a Pied-billed Grebe to the same birds seen on Sunday's trip. The only thing we didn't get were the Ring-necked Duck.
Highlights :
Seeing a pair of Swainson's Hawks caught in the ancient art of reproduction (actually the first time I have seen this by any Raptor )
A nice looking Red-necked Grebe in a slough shared by a fine assortment of other waterfowl . I've only ever seen Red-necked Grebe in large bodies of water before.
We got excellent looks at a beautiful Male Northern Harrier as he flew past our window and then landed in the ditch by the road to eat something .
And at Blackstrap , we were happy to see the Forsters Terns were back ( they were AWOL on Sunday) , and as we were about to head for home , we noticed a flock of around 40 to 50 Snow Buntings hopping around the rocks by the Lake .

Here are some photos :

Swainson's Hawks

Northern Harrier

Snow Buntings

Blackstrap and Brightwater Marsh trip - 29.04.07

2007-04-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon , I once again travelled out to Brightwater Marsh & then onto Blackstrap Lake to look for Spring migrants .
We actually didn't end up at our destination until much later than planned, as birding has a habit of slowing you down, especially when we kept seeing things on the way !
The day was a good one and I had two excellent travel companions , plus there were another 5 cars along for the trip .
It is probably still a little too early for many of the shorebirds , but we found a total of 53 bird species for the day and I raked in another 6 Year-birds bringing me up to 116 .
Highlights for me were the Common Loons at Blackstrap - a flock of 4 actually landed in the water as were stood there . The most Loons I've seen together .
2 very co-operative Snow Buntings perched on some rusty machinery in a field , a singing Savannah Sparrow and about 5 Marbled Godwits .

Here's our list :

Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
Northern Shoveler
Blue-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
American Coot
Canvasback
Mallard
Ruddy Duck
Northern Pintail
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Gadwall
American Widgeon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Common Loon
American White Pelican
Franklin’s Gull
White-headed Gull sp
American Crow
Common Raven
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
American Robin
Mountain Bluebird
Western Meadowlark
Horned Lark
European Starling
House Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Snow Bunting
Northern Flicker
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Kestrel
Swainson's Hawk
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Merlin
Great-horned Owl
Brewer's Blackbird
Common Grackle
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
American Avocet
Yellow-legs sp
Killdeer
Willet
Marbled Godwit

And some photos :

Marbled Godwit

Snow Buntings

Common Loon

Savannah Sparrow

More Spring Birds . . .

2007-04-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I looked out our window to discover a Lincoln's Sparrow hopping about on the ground , doing its usual little 'scratching' routine , looking for something interesting to eat. I love this little bird, and we seem to have at least one in our yard every Year.

Lincoln's Sparrow :

We also had our first Purple Finch of the Year show up on the very same day . Only the Females were here yesterday , but today we had a beautiful Male too :

Puple Finch Male

Puple Finch Female

Gabriel Dumont Park Panorama April 2007

2007-04-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Gabriel Dumont Park is one of my favourite places to visit in the Spring . Everything is starting to grow .. The Song Sparrows arrive . Previously all-White Jack Rabbits , now turning Brown , are scampering around the undergrowth early in the morning , while Gulls , Geese and Ducks take refuge on the sandbars on the River.

Here is a Panorama overlooking some of the Park - made from stitching 7 photos together . The orignal photo is huge , so I reduced this copy way down to 12.5% so it would fit on the page :

Prairie Crocus

2007-04-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

Here's one more of the Prairie Crocus from the other day :

Brightwater and Blackstrap Field Trip 26.04.07

2007-04-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning at 7:40 am I travelled out to Brightwater Marsh and then onto Blackstrap Provincial Park .
The day was exceptional with fine weather , good company and lots of birds .
In total we found no less than 63 species , which is a nice amount for this time of year.
Here's what was seen , plus a few new photos :

Rock Pigeon
Canvasback
Blue-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Western Meadowlark
Redhead
Mallard
Kestrel
House Sparrow
Common Grackle
Brewer’s Blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird
American Robin
Black-capped Chickadee
Canada Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose
Vesper Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Franklin's Gull
Song Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Northern Pintail
Snow Goose
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Shoveler
European Starling
Gadwall
Horned Grebe
Eared Grebe
Ring-necked Duck
Great-horned Owl
Northern Harrier
American Avocet
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Tundra Swan
Lesser Scaup
Swainson's Hawk
Northern Flicker
Mountain Bluebird
American Crow
Common Raven
Common Loon
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Common Merganser
Glaucous Gull
Horned Lark
Gray Partridge
Willet
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Dark-eyed Junco
Eastern Phoebe
Forster’s Tern
Bufflehead
Black-billed Magpie
Downy Woodpecker
Sprague’s Pippit
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Ring-billed Gull

Some photos -

Prairie Crocus . I had to get a photo of these beautiful wild flowers before they vanished until next Year !:

Red-winged Blackbird :

Mourning Dove :

Great-horned Owl - My friend Alison showd me this nest she'd found recently at Blackstrap , and there was the Female Owl sitting patiently :

Northern Pintail - Male :

Northern Pintail - Female :

Tree Swallow :

European Starlings :

Tundra Swans - always a treat to see these :

Church where we found yet another Great-horned Owl with its mate :

Song Sparrows

2007-04-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

Today I took a walk over to Gabriel Dumont Park and enjoyed watching the Song Sparrows singing .

Wilson's Snipe and the return of the Swallows

2007-04-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today , I went out with my friends Ryan and Greg , to look for a Painted Bunting that had been seen and photographed at a feeder in the RM. of Aberdeen .
This would have been an especially rare bird to see in this Province, but unfortunately it was nowhere to be seen despite us combing the area .
We did however , find our first Wilson's Snipe of the year which was calling as we watched it , and also saw several Tree and Barn Swallows that had probably only just arrived . A few Eared Grebe in one of the sloughs by the roadside were a nice find and numerous other species of waterfowl already seen over the last few days were present . Snow Goose , Canada Geese and Sandhill Cranes were pretty abundant .
There are sloughs all over the place this year ! Water , water everywhere !

Here's a list of what was seen on our morning drive :

Red-tailed Hawk - 3
Swainson's Hawk - 1 (New Year bird)
Tree Swallow - 8 (New Year bird
Barn Swallow - 2 ( New Year bird)
Common Grackle - 1 ( New Year bird )
Eared Grebe - 4 ( New Year bird )
Bufflehead - 1 ( New Year bird)
Wilson's Snipe - 1 ( New Year bird)
Lesser Scaup - 15
Northern Harrier - 2
Sandhill Crane - 200
Snow Goose - 100 +
Western Meadowlark - 8
Horned Lark - 10
American Coot - 20+
Mallard - 8
Northern Shoveler - 30+
Canada Goose - 50+
Canvasback - 18
Greater Scaup - 2
American Wigeon - 2
Northern Pintail - 10
Gadwall - 2

Here's a photo of the Snipe :

Drive in the country

2007-04-21T23:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon , my ever patient and amazing wife and I , took a drive out to the Blucher and Patience Lake and surrounding areas to see what had arrived in terms of Spring migrants .
We had a nice couple of hours and managed to find 33 species in total even though the weather was pretty much gloomy all day with rain showers every so often.

Here's what was seen :

Rock Pigeon - 5
American Robin - 3
Red-winged Blackbird - 60
Mountain Bluebird - 2
Killdeer - 2
Canada Goose - 120
Greater White-fronted Goose - 70
Snow Goose - 200
Ring-billed Gull - 15
Franklins Gull - 10
American Avocet - 2
Mallard - 10
Northern Shoveler - 20
Greater Scaup - 12
Canvasback - 8
American Wigeon - 6
American Coot - 13
Northern Pintail - 8
Blue-winged Teal - 2
Green Winged Teal - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 2 ( including one Kriders )
Northern Harrier - 1
Merlin - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Song Sparrow - 2
Sandhill Cranes - 300
Gray Partridge - 2
Horned Lark - 4
Western Meadowlark - 3
American Crow - 23
Black-billed Magpie - 5
Black-capped Chickadee - 1
Northern Flicker - 2

Richardson's Ground Squirrel - 2

Here are a few photos :

Sandhill Cranes

Mallards

Killdeer

Franklins Gull

American Avocet

Church at Bergheim Road

Iceland Gull at the river ...

2007-04-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night , a group of birders from the Saskatoon Nature Society observed a first Summer Iceland Gull on a sandbar at the river just opposite the Queen Elizabeth II Power Plant .
The next evening myself, Guy and Ryan ( and also Karen who showed up just as we did ) were able to locate the all White bird among the California , Ring-billed and Herring Gulls on the far shore .
This is only the 6th sighting of this bird for our area , so it was a nice find !

Other birds seen were :

American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant - new for the Year
Common Merganser - new for the Year
Common Loon - new for the Year
Canada Goose
Rock Pigeon

Here is the only decent photo of the Gull I was able to obtain - and that was through the scope from about 300 meters away . I'm actually lucky this one came out at all considering the crazy wind that was howling all around us at speeds of 70k and up. I couldn't use any more magnification because the wind was moving the tripod - and that tripod is rock solid !

Iceland Gull

Geese and Waterfowl ...

2007-04-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

Well , just after this weekend , my year list has already increased to 76 species and counting , largely thanks to the numbers of Waterfowl seen in the various sloughs around the edge of our city and on a drive up to Gardiner Dam on Saturday and with my buddies Pete , Ryan and Colleen.

New species to add to the list are :

Gadwall
Greater Scaup
Ross's Goose
Green-winged Teal
American Wigeon
American Coot
Northern Shoveler
Greater White-fronted Goose
Redhead
Canvassback
Northern Pintail

My Wife and I also found a lone Brewers Blackbird , and another solitary Ross's Goose in the company of some Canada Geese in a slough near Hanley.

At Gardiner Dam we witnessed some amazing aerobatics by a Male Northern Harrier , shooting up into the sky like a jet plane , then diving dow nagain at breakneck speed.
Here are a couple of photos of the same Harrier flying close to the water:

Ross's Goose with the Canada's

Gabriel Dumont and Diefenbaker Park today

2007-04-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Today , I embarked on a nice long walk to a couple of local parks that overlook our river .
The High for today was + 16 . Finally some Spring-like weather !!
I was hoping to get lucky and find some early migrants , but nothing new had showed up yet that I hadn't already seen this year .
Still, I did see my first Least Chipmunk for 2007 and wasn't dissapointed with the amount of bird species I saw along the trails , in the trees , in the air and on the water :

American Robin - 2
Dark-eyed Junco - 5
House Sparrow - 6
Black-capped Chickadee - 4
Northern Flicker - 3
Black-billed Magpie - 8
Canada Goose - 15
Ring-billed Gull - 60
Herring Gull - 1
California Gull - 3
Mallard - 4
Common Goldeneye - 6
Common Redpoll - 40
American Crow - 35
American Tree Sparrow - 4
Merlin - 2
House Finch - 2

Compton Tortoise Shell Butterfly - 5

Least Chipmunk - 1

Here are some photos :

One of the only remaining patches of ice serving as an Island for the Gulls at Gabriel Dumont Park :

Ring-billed Gulls :

The little black things the Gull here is interested in are Water Boatmen - tiny aquatic insects ,and there were MILLIONS of them , all under the ice .

Gull and Canada Geese :

Comptons Tortoise Shell :

American Tree Sparrow :

Merlin :

A few more backyard birds ..

2007-04-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

Well, after a brief snowfall overnight , it now looks like it's finally melted outside for the most part . We are supposed to get warmer by the weekend and I hope it stays that way !
Yesterday our yard was brimming with birds with no less than 10 different species visiting for food . They were :
40 Common Redpolls , 1 Northern Flicker , 4 American Robins , 1 Black-billed Magpie , 2 House Finch ( including one with a metal band on its leg ) , 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch , 1 Black- capped Chickadee, 10 House Sparrows , 2 American Crows and 4 Dark-eyed Juncos .

Today we had much the same except for an addition of a Female Downy Woodpecker . So 11 species of birds in 2 days isn't too bad !

Here are a couple of photos :

American Crow

Common Redpoll - with some nice pink on its breast

House Finch

And a previously unpublished Brown Creeper photo from my friends Henry and Eileens backyard :

Cinema 6 Road , Regina

2007-04-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday , my Wife and I took a spur of the moment two and a half hour drive out to Regina to look for Snowy Owls and other birds along the CR6 road which runs straight past the Drive-In Movie Theater and keeps going for quite some distance .
We'd been hearing lots of stories regarding this 'birders paradise' and were hoping for something good .
Well, it certainly didn't dissapoint !
We saw 4 Snowy Owls , all of which were sat in the same area .
A good number of Harriers , Rough-legged and Red-tailed Hawks aswell as several new year birds including large flocks of Snow Geese .

Here is a list of the 25 species seen on the way there , along the CR6 and on the way home :

House Sparrow - 6
European Starling - 25
Snow Bunting - 50
Horned Lark - 6
Red-winged Blackbird - 2
Western Meadowlark - 4
Killdeer - 7
Mallard - 1
Canada Goose - 100
Snow Goose - 350
Black-billed Magpie - 2
Common Raven - 2
American Crow - 30
Merlin - 1
American Kestrel - 3
Northern Harrier - 8
Rough-legged Hawk - 5
Red-tailed Hawk - 6
Rock Pigeon - 25
Snowy Owl - 4
Great-horned Owl - 1
American Tree Sparrow - 10
California Gull - 30
Herring Gull - 2
American Robin - 1

Here are some photos :

Great-horned Owl

Snowy Owl - here is one of four that were all very close to each other .
They were all quite a distance away all sat in a field , and trying to blend in with the only patches of snow left on the ground .

Here are some long distance shots showing 2 owls on one side of a field, and 2 more on the other . I would have scoped them but the wind was very strong and very cold !

Here's a Rough-legged Hawk

Northern Harrier

This Merlin was sat on a fence pole just as we were leaving for home

Common Redpoll

2007-04-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

I hope these handsome little birds stick around awhile longer . This one was quite content sitting on this branch of our Apple Tree .
We should have the first Spring birds trickling in soon to the backyard : Juncos , Sparrows then Warblers . All we need now is some weather that's above freezing !

Northern Birding Trip - 31st March -1st April

2007-04-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my Wife and I came back from a very enjoyable trip to the Northern Forest , staying at the Hawood Inn at Waskesiu and birding in the surrounding areas with about 22 other people .
The weather didn't get any higher than around + 4 as far as I can remember and the Sun only made the rarest of appearances .
Still , that did not matter because once the trip was over , I snagged another 2 lifers :
A couple of fleeting views of a Saw-whet Owl and then the following day , being able to hear ( but not see unfortunately) a Boreal Owl actually calling during the day ( not something that was expected )
On the first day of our trip , a couple of lucky folk had the chance to see a brief but distant look at a Great Gray Owl , only the first recorded this year for the Province. Hopefully more will come next year !
A Barred Owl was also seen , and was very co-operative in the late evening , responding to a cd of it's call played into the night air . Next time I'll remember to bring a flash extender and try for a photo !
We still got excellent views with the aid of a flashlight nevertheless.

I only have my list , so this may not be completely accurate , as there could well be more species to add , but here's what was seen over the weekend :

1.House Sparrow
2.Dark-eyed Junco
3.Black-capped Chickadee
4.Boreal Chickadee
5.Downy Woodpecker
6.Hairy Woodpecker
7.Rough-legged Hawk
8.Red-tailed Hawk
9.Northern Harrier
10.American Kestrel
11.Merlin
12.Canada Goose
13.Mallard
14.Western Meadowlark
15.Horned Lark
16.American Crow
17.Common Raven
18.Snow Bunting
19.Bohemian Waxwing
20.American Robin
21.White-breasted Nuthatch
22.Rock Pigeon
23.Common Redpoll
24.Bald Eagle
25.Pileated Woodpecker
26.Great-horned Owl
27.Northern Hawk Owl
28.Barred Owl
29.Northern Saw-whet Owl
30.Boreal Owl
31.Gray Partridge
32.Ruffed Grouse
33.California Gull
34.Ring-billed Gull
35.Gray Jay
36.Blue Jay
37.Black-billed Magpie
38.Brown Creeper
39.European Starling
40.Evening Grosbeak
41.Great Gray Owl

Mammals seen :

Coyote
Red Fox
White-tailed Deer
Mule Deer
Elk
Red Squirrel

Here are some photos . All were taken hand-held with my Fuji except for the Hawk Owl and Evening Grosbeak which were digiscoped from a distance of about 50ft in fairly poor light .

Evening Grosbeak :

Northern Hawk Owl

Pileated Woodpecker

White-tailed Deer

Elk

Ruffed Grouse

Gray Jay

Northern Harrier

American Robins and Bluebirds

2007-03-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Well, now that Spring is officially here , I thought it was about time I posted a photo of an American Robin.
This one was with its friend in a tree outside our backyard this morning :

This afternoon , on a drive close to the Potash mines just outside of
town , some friends I observed a flock of approx 150 Sandhill Cranes
flying in a westerly direction .
Also seen were Dark-eyed Juncos , American Tree Sparrows , American
Crows , Horned Larks , Rock Pigeons , House Sparrows , around 10
Mountain Bluebirds , a Red-tailed Hawk and a Northern Harrier

Here are a couple of photos of some Bluebirds. Unfortunately , upon replacing the memory card in my camera attached to my scope - it decided not to save my last settings and bumped up the ISO among other things . The photos are not how I would have liked them to have turned out so I've reduced them in size considerably to retain any quality left , so I hope they still look presentable enough ! Doh !

I will do my best to get some better ones :-)

Also , posted is the Red-tailed Hawk seen about 100 feet away just as it landed on it's nest .

More Great-horned Owls and some new Hawks for 2007

2007-03-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my Wife and I , after a lovely lunch at our friends Alison and Lou's , took a drive out to Valley Road and eventually ended up at Pike Lake .
The high for the day was + 6 and Sunny and there was very little , if any wind at all . A gorgeous day !
Before we even left the city we had seen at least 10 American Crows , a few House Sparrows and some Rock Pigeons , then we stopped at Chappell Marsh where we spotted our first Red-tailed Hawk of the year . We watched as it soared across the road over our heads giving us a clear look at its tail . That's the earliest I've ever seen one .
Once on Valley Road , we saw around 4 or 5 Common Ravens and a few Horned Larks scattered here and there .
A bit further along , I noticed a large raptor sat on a power pole , and as it suddenly took off we saw that it was a Rough-legged Hawk . It wasn't before long that we spotted another one about a mile ahead.
Once at Pike Lake we did the customary feeding of the Chickadees and Nuthatches, and both were friendly and happily took food from our hands while a Downy Woodpecker and a Red Squirrel watched from nearby .
We then decided to go see if there were any Great-horned Owls nesting this year , and were rewarded with a female on its nest and then noticed a handsome light-coloured Male 'standing watch' in an Elm Tree not too far away from its mate.
On our way home we saw about 30 Canada Geese sat in a field , 2 more unidentified Raptors , one soaring , the other eating a carcass way out in a field , the Sun was low in the sky and made identifiying them impossible .
We also had our first pair of Mountain Bluebirds for the year and then finally saw a lone Ring-billed Gull fly over the car as we entered the City.

Here are some photos :

Horned Lark

White-breasted Nuthatch

Great-horned Owl

Great-horned Owl and Brown Creeper

2007-03-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

Today, despite the biting winds of around 37 kph , my Wife and I drove out to the industrial area this afternoon to look for an Owl that our friends Alison and Lou had told us about.
It didn't take too long before we found it sat on its nest .
I kept back behind our car so as not to disturb it and quickly took a couple of photos as my fingers were already going far too numb from the cold !

Earlier today I was happy to see that the little mixed flock of feeding winter birds were still together in their gang, comprising of 1 Brown Creeper , 3 Black-capped Chickadees and 4 Red-breasted Nuthatches.

Here's the Creeper photographed through my living room window climbing up the Elm Tree :

Downtown Birding today...

2007-03-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I was fortunate enough to visit my friends Henry and his Wife , and once again be amazed at the wealth of bird-life they enjoy in their amazing backyard downtown.
The Varied Thrush is still present , as is a whole number of other birds .
At one point , my friend and I looked up , and there was a Bald Eagle soaring high in the sky , which was followed by another two, with a fourth seen in the distance.

I think that's the first time I can say that I've ever seen a Bald Eagle from someone's backyard !

Here's what we saw today :

Black-capped Chickadee - 5+
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2
Brown Creeper - 2
Varied Thrush -1
Blue Jay - 3
Black-billed Magpie - 2
Merlin - 1
Bald Eagle - 4
House Sparrow - 8
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
Pine Grosbeak - 2
House Finch - 2
Rock Pigeon - hundreds
Downy Woodpecker - 2

Here are some photos :

Varied Thrush

3 of the Eagles seen flying high overhead :

Blue Jay

Brown Creeper

Downy Woodpecker

Pine Grosbeak

Gardiner Dam Trip - 10th March 06

2007-03-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday 25 members of the Saskatoon Nature Society embarked on a trip to Gardiner Dam, Coldwell Park and surrounding areas on a Spring-like day, reaching a high of + 8 at one point.
There were several highlights on the trip but precious few photo opportunities for me . However, I like to observe rather than take photos every 5 minutes on trips like this with large groups of people . I find I get better results either in a small group , or completely alone where I can take my time.

The highlights I mentioned were a lone all-White Glaucous Gull flying over the open water at Gardiner Dam , a Bufflehead and some Redhead on the water , 2 Nesting Great-horned Owls discovered at the Centre near Danielson Park, a Golden Eagle perched high on a power pole some distance away on the way there and 3 Mountain Bluebirds - of which ended up being the 3rd earliest arrival record for the region.

Here's a full list of what was seen on the day and 2 photos ( Thanks to Ryan for the list ):

Canada Geese - more than 100 in total around the dam area
Mallard - several healthy flocks
Redhead - 2
Greater Scaup
Bufflehead - 1
Common Goldeneye
Grey Partridge - 2
Sharp-tailed Grouse - ~16
Bald Eagle - 2
Golden Eagle - 1
Merlin - 1
Glaucous Gull - 1
Rock Pigeon
Great Horned Owl - 3 (one at Coldwell Park)
Downy Woodpecker - 3
Hairy Woodpecker - 1
Blue Jay - 2
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow - 1
Common Raven
Horned Larks
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Bluebird - 3
European Starlings
Bohemian Waxwing
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
Lapland Longspur - 1
Snow Bunting
Pine Grosbeak
House Finch - 1
Common Redpoll
House Sparrow

White-tailed Deer - 3
Mule Deer - 2
Coyote - 2
Richardson's Ground Squirrel - 1

Hairy Woodpecker at Coldwell Park

Great-horned Owl at Danielson

Redpolls , Blue Jays & Juncos

2007-03-09T15:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday heralded the arrival of either an overwintering or early spring Dark-eyed Junco. The first we've had in the backyard for months .
A lone Blue Jay also showed up and wolfed down some shelled peanuts I had put out the day before .
Today we had far less birds , but we did have a very Spring-like day to compensate.

I wonder how much longer the Redpolls will linger . We had three briefly stop by this afternoon .

Here's one of them :

Overwintering White-throated Sparrows etc..

2007-03-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday , Pete , Ryan and I returned to Pike Lake for a couple of hours , while there we got the usual Black-capped Chickadees , White-breasted Nuthatches , a few Common Ravens and a healthy assortment of Common Redpolls and Pine Grosbeaks , but still not one Woodpecker of any kind. It was an extremely cold and windy day , so I guess they were the wise ones and stayed out of sight and sheltered.

Once back in the City we then headed out to the Weir where we saw another Raven , and a couple of Common Goldeneye diving on the water .

Before dropping Ryan off at his residence at the University Campus , we swung by a spot near Louis Pub on Campus Drive where there were ( as promised ) not one ( as initially thought ) but two healthy looking White-throated Sparrows that had been over-wintering . Somebody had been putting seed out for them , so they seemed happy enough.

A few moments later as we headed back to the car , a handsome Merlin flew overhead and landed in a tree for a few seconds before flying off over some buildings.

Also seen were a few flocks of Bohemian Waxwings , several House Sparrows and lots of Rock Pigeons .

Here are some photos :

Merlin

Here are the 2 White-throated Sparrows

Common Redpoll

White-breasted Nuthatch

Pike Lake - 2nd March 2007

2007-03-02T23:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon my friend Pete and I headed out to Pike Lake to see what was around - before we got there , we noticed 2 American Crows sat in a tree enjoying the sunshine next to the A & W on 22 St.
I think that's the earliest I've ever seen a Crow in the City .

Here's one of them ( the other was hidden behind a large branch )

Once at Pike Lake we listened out for any sign of a Woodpecker , but didn't see any .
Infact, despite the unusually warm day , there were not a whole lot of birds or wildlife around.

We did see Pine Grosbeaks , Rock Pigeons , Black-capped Chickadees , Common Redpolls and a couple of Red Squirrels .

Here are a couple of photos :

Red Squirrel

Common Redpoll

Black-capped Chickadee

Brown Creeper and Winter Birding

2007-03-01T07:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday , I looked out the living room window to see the same Brown Creeper that I saw a few days ago , once again in nextdoors front yard , scaling its way up the trunk of the same Spruce Tree , looking for bugs and grubs under the bark.

I took the opportunity the sneak outside and take it's photo - Here it is climbing up the Elm Tree right at the front of our house :

That same afternoon , my friend Guy and I thought we'd spend a couple of hours outside and try to notch up a few more species for our Winter list , so we headed out to a pretty good spot by the Power Plant downtown , where we looked beside the river to see if that Heron was still lurking around . It wasn't , but we did see a few Common Goldeneye , some Rock Pigeons and a Hairy Woodpecker .
We then proceeded on to Montgomery , a very well treed area of the City , to see if we could find the Varied Thrush again and luckily for us , the kind owner of the property where I'd seen it before saw us hanging around outside and let us in where Guy got his first VA TH of 2007 and also his very own Brown Creeper .

Here is a list of what was seen on the day :

Black-billed Magpie -
Rock Pigeon - 45+
Common Goldeneye - 4 males
Hairy Woodpecker - 1 female
Pine Grosbeak - 35+
Black-capped Chickadee - 10+
Bohemian Waxwing - 350+
House Sparrow - 20+
House Finch - 10+
Blue Jay - 7
Common Redpoll - 20+
Merlin - 1
Common Raven - 1
Varied Thrush - 1 Male
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2 , plus 6 more in my front yard !
Brown Creeper - 2 ( including mine )

Red Squirrel - 2 or 3

Deer on the River...

2007-02-26T06:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my Wife and I went out late in the afternoon to look for a very late , or very early Great Blue Heron that was seen flying toward the River by a local resident.
We didn't find said bird unfortunately but did chance upon a herd of approx 30 White-tailed Deer all walking across the frozen river . * Can you spot the one resting on the hill ?

Here is a photo of some of them :

and here is a Red-breasted Nuthatch from President Murray park :

and lastly , a Pine Grosbeak from Pike Lake

Pileated Woodpecker at Pike Lake again ...

2007-02-19T06:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my Wife and I joined our friends from the Nature Society on an afternoon trip to Pike Lake Provincial Park just outside of Saskatoon .
I'm still in the process of tallying birds to add to the Great Backyard Birdcount which is currently in it's final day today .
We had some nice additions to add to the species list thanks to this little excursion.
The Weather was pleasantly mild , at around only -4 but the Sun was nowhere to be seen .
Having spent some time hand-feeding the Chickadees and Nuthatches , I thought I'd wander off in the direction of a call I heard that I thought was a Pileated Woodpecker.
Finding it perched on the top of a power pole was a very welcome sight .
For what must have been 20 minutes , my Wife , Bill M ( who'd joined us ) and I stood and watched the Female bird as it hammered away at the pole and then looked around waiting for a response. On a couple of occasions we heard a 2nd Pileated hammering in the distance , possibly the Male answering back.
After awhile , the rest of the group showed up and had a look too , it soon flew away into the trees and perched high up in an old dead snag to repeat it's hammering , so we left it alone and headed for home.

Birds seen during the trip :

Bald Eagle - 1 on the way to the meeting place !
Rock Pigeons - 20 - on the way there
Black-billed Magpies - 4
Blue Jay - 1 ( at an acerage on the way there )
Sharp-tailed Grouse - 1 (on the way there)
Common Redpoll - approx 40 - (at an acerage on the way there) and about 12 more at Pike Lake .
Hairy Woodpecker - 2 at acerage and 1 at Pike Lake
Pine Grosbeak - approx 15 over 2 acerage locations
Downy Woodpecker - 1 at the park on the nature trail
Black-capped Chickadee - 30 at Pike Like
White-breasted Nuthatch - 2 at Pike Lake
Pileated Woodpecker - 2 at Pike Lake
Northern Goshawk - 1 Perched in a deciduous tree along Valley Road on the way home.
Merlin - back within the City

White-tailed Deer - 8

Here is a photo of the Pileated Woodpecker :

and 2 Male Pine Grosbeaks at a feeder outside of Pike Lake

Varied Thrush persists in town...

2007-02-17T15:02:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate enough to spend some time with a most obliging friend in a well-treed area of downtown Saskatoon where , once again the Male Varied Thrush made an appearance.
Thankyou to the very kind House owners who allowed us to stay for the hour.

Here is the full list of birds seen

Rock Pigeon 150
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 1
Black-billed Magpie 1
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
Brown Creeper 2
Varied Thrush 1
Dark-eyed Junco 2
House Finch 4
Common Redpoll 2
House Sparrow 10

And here are two photos of the Thrush . Unfortunately there was no Sun to be seen today , so the birds were pretty much lit from behind by the snow.

The Great Backyard Birdcount is in full swing . It started yesterday but there are still a couple of days left - if anyone in the Saskatchewan area wants to take part they can do so by following this link and submitting their own sightings . It takes less than a few minutes and is completely free :
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html

Boreal Forest Birding - 10th February 2007

2007-02-11T15:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday , I joined members of the Saskatoon Nature Society on the annual trip up north to the Anglin Lake and Waskesiu areas to look for northern birds .
As is par for the course on these trips , the weather was pretty cold to say the least ( -28ºC when we left the City ) although at some point in the afternoon it did actully get up to balmy -11ºC . What a bonus ! :-)
As we left Prince Albert around 6:30 pm , in the good company of a renowned local Owl Bander I noticed a pigeon-sized bird fly to the top of a Pine Tree just left of my line of sight in the darkness .
Quickly identified as a healthy looking Northern Hawk Owl , it was then banded and released into the night.

Birds seen during the day were :

Common Raven
Snow Bunting
Black-billed Magpie
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Common Redpoll
House Sparrows
Rock Pigeon
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Black-capped Chickadees
Boreal Chickadee
Pine Grosbeak
White-winged Crossbill
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Gray Jay
Blue Jay
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Evening Grosbeak
Northern Hawk Owl
Great-horned Owl

Here are some photos taken on the day :

American three-toed Woodpecker

Pine Grosbeak

Boreal Chickadee

Northern Hawk Owl

A New Varied Thrush for 2007

2007-01-31T22:31:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday afternoon , I received an email from a friend inviting me to help validate a possible sighting of a Varied Thrush at a feeder in a well treed street downtown.
It wasn't long after we got to the address that , sure enough , a handsome Male Varied Thrush showed up and began eating , then retreating back to the canopy of Pine Trees.
I only saw my first ever Varied Thrush last year , so this is a great way to start 2007 !
Also at this particular backyard , in the space of an hour , we counted at least 10 different species of birds visiting the feeders .
Compared to the 3 to 5 species we get on a semi-daily basis in our own yard , I was very jealous , especially because they also had at least 2 Brown Creepers .

Unfortunately the Sun would not come out but I still took a few photos :

Varied Thrush

Brown Creeper

Bohemian Waxwing

Downy Woodpecker

Pike Lake - 25.01.07

2007-01-29T09:59:00.000-08:00

Here are a few new photos from a trip to Pike Lake last Thursday afternoon .
As usual it didn't take long for the White-breasted Nuthatches to sniff out the peanuts - although I had to find the birds first . They were not in the usual area with the Chickadees . This time they were deep in the woods along the nature trail.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Pine Grosbeak

Hairy Woodpecker

Cattail

Red Crossbills , Big Cats and backyard birds...

2007-01-23T06:33:00.000-08:00

Time for a new update !

We've had record amounts of snow fall here in Saskatoon since my last post , and my first ever full-on blizzard that was absolutely awesome to behold , but ultimately very dangerous , and as it turned out , fatal for some poor folks out there.
I think I've shovelled more snow this Winter than I ever have - Who'd have thought ... In the Uk I never even owned a Snow Shovel !
Snow in the South-east of England is something people actually WANT at this time of year , because it's 'pretty' ...aww . Well, they can have ours if they like :-)

Anyway, enough of my chatter .
Aswell, as the usual suspects at our backyard feeders : Downy Woodpecker , Black-capped Chickadees , Red-breasted Nuthatch , House Finches and House Sparrows , my Wife and I were rudely awoken on Saturday morning by a 'thunk' on the bedroom window , which is situated at the front of the house .
To my surprise , I didn't find a dishevelled , groggy ,House Sparrow . Instead there were 4 Red Crossbills , none of which were injured thankfully .
I looked up to the large Elm Tree and Neighbours Spruce next door and counted at least 8 more .
The one's on our front step appeared to be licking table salt ( that's all we had at the time ). I had put it out to melt some particularly slippery black ice that collected on the concrete about 2 weeks ago . Our Mailman would have broken his neck had I not de-iced those steps !
A very nice surprise , and this is the first time Crossbills have actually visited our yard , even if it was just our front step :-)

You'll have to forgive the quality of the photos as they were taken through our living room window which I haven't cleaned since the Summer !

Here is a Black-capped Chickadee that is very fond of crunchy Peanut Butter that I smear on the branches of our Ornamental Apple Tree for the Woodpeckers :

Here's a Male Downy Woodpecker that showed up on Sunday morning just as we were leaving to visit the local Zoo :

and a Female , taken a few days before , clinging to our Poplar Tree :

Last but not least , 2 of my favourite big Cats ever . A Canadian Lynx and Bengal Tiger taken at the Zoo on Sunday afternoon with members of the Nature Society :

Northern Forest trip - 7th January 2007

2007-01-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my Wife and I took a spur of the moment trip up north to Prince Albert National Park , to the town of Waskesiu and the resort of Anglin lake to look for some of the bird species not usually found in our city of Saskatoon .

Unfortunately we didn't find any of the Owl species we were hoping for , so I must have gotten my Owl quota the other day at Squaw Rapids !

We could have explored deeper in the forest I suppose , but the Weather was minus 18 with the wind-chill , so we stayed in the car and just kept scanning the trees as we drove down the roads.

We'll be back there in February though , so perhaps then we'll finally see a Great Gray or a Boreal Owl .

We did get a consolation prize of a Great-horned Owl just as we left Prince Albert though .

At Anglin Lake we found a flock of 5 Evening Grosbeak mixed in with about 40 Common Redpolls , a lone Male Pine Grosbeak and 15 Black-capped Chickadees . There were also a couple of Boreal Chickadees there too , but they stuck mainly to the trees.

Once at Waskesiu we found a small herd of Elk , a flock of Red Crossbills very high up on the tips of the Pine Trees , a few more Boreal Chickadees scavenging on the ground , a Three-toed Woodpecker , and a couple of quick glimpses at 2 Gray Jays .

Here's a full list of what we saw on the day followed by some photos :

1.Black-billed Magpie - 9
2.Common Raven - 25
3.Sharp-tailed Grouse - 5
4.Boreal Chickadee - 5
5.Black-capped Chickadee - 20
6.Common Redpoll - 40
7.Evening Grosbeak - 5
8.Pine Grosbeak - 1
9.Gray Jay - 2
10.White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
11.Red Crossbill - 18
12.Great-horned Owl - 1
13.Three-toed Woodpecker - 1
14.Rock Pigeon - 5
15.Bohemian Waxwing - 45

Mammals :

Red Squirrel - 2
White-tailed Deer - 5
Elk - 9

Elk calf

American Three-toed Woodpecker

Boreal Chickadee

Northern Forest

2 More Christmas Bird Counts...

2007-01-03T22:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone !

Before I get on to the counts - I'll start things off with a photo of the Moon taken on New Years Eve through my scope.

and now on to the Bird Counts...

On New Years Day , myself , and my friends Guy and Ryan drove out to Squaw Rapids for the annual Christmas Count at the Dam and surrounding countryside . The drive up there is roughly four hours , North-East of Saskatoon .

I love any trip farther North as it's always a treat to see birds we don't get in the City such as the Hawk Owl , Boreal Chickadee and Gray Jay . Unfortunately we didn't find any Great-Gray Owls or any of the local Woodpeckers you'd expect to find in the Boreal Forest. In fact , the only Woodpecker we had was a Downy !
Still it was a great day , and Ryan and I got a lifer in the form of a Female Spruce Grouse.

Here is a list of what was seen , followed by a couple of photos :

Common Goldeneye (96+)
Common Merganser - 6 (4m 2f)
Gray Partridge
Spruce Grouse - 1 female + scattered remains of another
Ruffed Grouse - 4
Bald Eagle - 6 adults
Mourning Dove
Northern Hawk Owl - 2
Northern Shrike - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 2
Pileated Woodpecker - 1
Gray Jay - 1
Blue Jay (5+)
Black-billed Magpie (10+)
Common Raven (17+)
Black-capped Chickadee (9+)
Boreal Chickadee - 2 heard
Red-breasted Nuthatch (2+)
Snow Bunting
Pine Grosbeak - 2
Common Redpoll (23+)
Hoary Redpoll - 1
Evening Grosbeak
House Sparrow

Red Squirrel - 7 (+)
Snowshoe hare (3) tracks
vole sp. tracks - 2
White-tailed Deer - tracks
Elk tracks (1)
River Otter slide trail - 1
Coyote tracks

Northern Hawk Owl

Spruce Grouse

Ruffed Grouse

The following day I took part in my 7th Bird Count of the Year ( there are no more till May for me now ! )
This time it was the Pike Lake CBC . We had unbelievably mild Weather and approximately 35 people showed up and were all assigned to their sectors.
I was hoping I'd see the Pileated Woodpecker again , but it did appear for one of the other groups at least , so it got counted anyway !
Our highlights were 2 Golden-crowned Kinglets ( not that common for the area )and one straggling White-throated Sparrow that was hanging around a Dairy Farm near the Hay Bales.

Here's what our group saw :

Bohemian Waxwing
Pine Grosbeak
Black-billed Magpie
Common Raven
Blue Jay
Downy Woodpecker
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Black-capped Chickadee
Common Redpoll
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-throated Sparrow
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Rock Pigeon
House Sparrow

Finally , here are 2 photos taken at Pike Lake

Bohemian Waxwing

Pine Grosbeak

A few more Winter Birds...

2006-12-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is almost here , so I'd like to thank everyone who's paid my Blog a visit over the past few months .
There will be plenty more to come in the New Year !

Here are four photos taken this week :

Bohemian Waxwings

Downy Woodpecker

Pine Grosbeak

Common Redpoll

Bird Counts...

2006-12-19T23:37:00.000-08:00

Well, it certainly has been a busy few days !

I just finished 3 bird counts in a row , one at Clarke's Crossing , one at the Elbow / Qu'Appelle Dam area and another at Gardiner Dam and surrounding countryside .

Here is a list of birds recorded on these 3 counts that I can remember !

Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Mallard
Canvasback
Redhead
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Golden Eagle
Glaucous Gull
Great Horned Owl
Golden-crowned Kinglet
American Tree Sparrow
Pine Grosbeak
White-winged Crossbill
Hoary Redpoll
Common Redpoll
Black-capped Chickadee
House Sparrow
Northern Flicker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Prairie Falcon
Red-winged Blackbird
Horned Lark
Snow Bunting
Bohemian Waxwing
European Starling
Snowy Owl
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Gray Partridge

Mammals seen were :

Moose
Pronghorn Antelope
Porcupine
Red Fox
Coyote
Red Squirrel
White-tailed Deer
Mule Deer

Here are a couple of photos I managed to sneak in :

Glaucous Gull at Gardiner Dam

Bald Eagles at Gardiner Dam

Sharp-shinned Hawk at a farm near Gardiner Dam

Sunset

Moose at Douglas Provincial Park

Last 3 photos of the CBTH and some Winter Birds..

2006-12-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

Here are the final photos of the Curve-billed Thrasher I'll be posting .
This wayward straggler ranges throughout the arid southwestern United States and into northern and central Mexico , so it's got a long way to fly home...I sure hope it makes it !

Here are a Male and female Northern Flicker that showed up in the backyard yesterday afternoon .
The female appears to be the Red-shafted sub-species. Another first for our yard and the first one I've seen .

and finally , a group of 9 Black-billed Magpies descended upon the birdbath today - here are 4 of them :

3 new images of the CB TH

2006-12-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

I accompanied my old buddy Pete today for his first look at the Curve-billed Thrasher currently residing in the sleepy town of Dalmeny, Sask .
The bird still appears to be in good health , and was behaving much the same way as the last time I saw it 2 days ago .
Although the Sun was shining , it's a very difficult bird to photograph , partly because it likes to stay hidden within the dense branches of the Mugo Pine Tree.

Here are 3 new pictures I mangaged to get

Feeding...

Resting..

Curve-billed Thrasher !

2006-12-05T10:46:00.000-08:00

This morning at 8:15 , following up on a report of a Curve-billed Thrasher sighting at Dalmeny yesterday , my good pal Guy Wapple picked me up and we headed out to the meeting place and were greeted by some other fine friends from the Saskatoon Nature Society , Frank , Ron , Michael ,Bill and even an appearance from the venerable Dr Houston and his Wife, who I'd not had the pleasure of meeting before .
We then carpooled into 2 all-wheel drive SUV's and arrived at Dalmeny around 9-ish where the Bird was most co-operative and gave us excellent views through the House-owners living room window .
This was not only a lifer for me , but also others on the trip .
What a fabulous bird , way out of it's range , and what an amazing addition to our Winter list!!

Gardiner Dam birding - 02.12.06

2006-12-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday , a hardy bunch of Seven of us insane folk from the Saskatoon Nature Society including myself braved what seemed like a -50 windchill and headed out to Gardiner Dam and the Diefenbaker Lake area to look for late migrants and anything rare or unusual that was hanging around.
The lake itself was steaming away and was mostly frozen over , with only a tiny patch of open water near the old transformer.
I wasn't very optimistic that we'd see much at all during the day because of the atrocious weather, but was hoping for something ' special' at Gardiner Dam , and I wasn't left disappointed.
One of our group noticed a quite pale , fawn coloured Gull among the Herring Gulls with Pink legs and a Pinkish bill with a Black tip - a Glaucus Gull ! That would make that a lifer for me :-)
Content that I'd seen my 'unusual bird' for the trip , the day only got better - The Sun even came out !

We got a pretty impressive 27 species between 8am and 4pm :

1.Black-billed Magpie
2.Common Raven
3.Sharp-tailed Grouse
4.Pine Grosbeak
5.House Sparrow
6.Bohemian waxwing
7.Snow Bunting
8.Bald Eagle
9.Horned Lark
10.Mallard
11.Herring Gull
12.Rock Pigeon
13.Glaucus Gull ( lifer )
14.Canada Goose
15.Common Goldeneye
16.Common Merganser
17.European Starling
18.Common Redpoll
19.Black-capped Chickadee
20.Blue Jay
21.White-breasted Nuthatch
22.Great-horned Owl
23.Downy Woodpecker
24.Gray Partridge
25.Short-eared Owl
26.Snowy Owl
27.Golden Eagle

Mammals seen were 1 Coyote and about 10 White-tailed Deer

Here are some photos :

Snow drifts

One of about 6 Bald Eagles seen during the trip

Pine Grosbeak Female

Pine Grosbeak Male

Steam on the waters of Deifenbaker Lake

Great-horned Owl - I spotted this handsome bird as we were driving home

This Snowy Owl was seen by the other car , and if you look closely , you'll see what it had caught - a Mallard Drake !
The whole time we were watching it , the Owl was sat on its prey as it struggled to get free . Well, suffice to say , the Duck DID escape so I hope the Owl found something else that cold evening .

Hoary Redpolls make an entrance ..

2006-12-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

At last !
This afternoon we got our first ever backyard visit from 2 Hoary Redpolls .
Although not officially the 1st bird to start off the Winter list (that prestigious honour belongs to the House Sparrow that showed up at 7:30 am ) having Redpolls in the backyard is a wonderful and rare treat , because they may only appear every couple of years .
We did see some Common Redpolls at Beaver Creek last year , but to have some today , and on December 1st , I think is a nice bonus.
Also to add to the Winter list is a Female Downy Woodpecker , 3 House Finch , 4 Black-capped Chickadees and a Male Northern Flicker .

Here are a couple of photos :

Hoary Redpoll

Northern Flicker