Saskatchewan - September, 2023

[Randy]

I managed to get back to Saskatoon to visit my parents for the first time in 5 years. It was not a birding trip but I snuck out a couple times to some local sites.

On September 22 I spent about 1-2 hours at Donna Birkmaier Park in Saskatoon. This is a park reminiscent of Willband, with some wetlands and scattered treed areas.

I had 27 species here. Highlights were swamp sparrows and a bittern. I was happy with some of the photos I was able to get of some of the other species as well:

Swamp Sparrow:

Swamp Sparrow at Saskatoon--Donna Birkmaier Park by Randy Walker


Greater Yellowlegs:

Greater Yellowlegs at Saskatoon--Donna Birkmaier Park by Randy Walker


Ring-billed Gull:

Ring-billed Gull at Saskatoon--Donna Birkmaier Park by Randy Walker


Ring-billed Gull at Saskatoon--Donna Birkmaier Park by Randy Walker


On the 25th I went to Cranberry Flats - a local prairie just outside Saskatoon along the river. The day prior I had seen hundreds of Sandhill cranes in the fields on the other side of the river so I thought I may find some here. I was not disappointed. I love the calls they make!


Sandhill Crane at Cranberry Flats Conservation Area by Randy Walker


Sandhill Crane at Cranberry Flats Conservation Area by Randy Walker


Sandhill Crane at Cranberry Flats Conservation Area by Randy Walker


Sandhill Crane at Cranberry Flats Conservation Area by Randy Walker


Sandhill Crane at Cranberry Flats Conservation Area by Randy Walker

Here's a video I took - I clearly need to work on my videography skills though! Also I feel like YouTube decreased the resolution quite a bit...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MmrBFNpRdE


Another highlight here was a couple distant rusty blackbirds - a species I've only seen once before.

That was the end of my dedicated birding time. However, we took my kids to Batoche (the site of the Riel Rebellion) and drove a gravel road through some beautiful prairie. We came across a flock of snow geese and I had been hoping to find a lifer Ross's goose so I made my family wait while I scanned the flock. There ended up being a number of Ross's geese but scanning though my photos helped find them!


Snow Goose at Unnamed Road, Alvena, Saskatchewan, CA (52.596, -106.004) by Randy Walker


Snow Goose at Unnamed Road, Alvena, Saskatchewan, CA (52.596, -106.004) by Randy Walker


Snow Goose at Unnamed Road, Alvena, Saskatchewan, CA (52.596, -106.004) by Randy Walker


There are a few Ross's geese in the centre of this cropped one:

Ross's Goose at Unnamed Road, Alvena, Saskatchewan, CA (52.596, -106.004) by Randy Walker


Here's the link to the trip report:

ebird.org/tripreport/161498

[kestrel]

Great pics and trip report, Randy! When I was growing up, my dad would always take my siblings and I to Batoche. That was back when our family vacationed in the Saskatoon area every summer, and some Christmases.

[james]

Great pics! I particularly enjoyed the jumping crane photos.

[nickinthegarden]

That would be so cool to see that many Sandhill Cranes at one time, I have only seen them a couple times in the Fraser Valley and heard them a few more flying over but certainly not in those numbers. The other day I heard a large flock of geese flying over and thought they might be Snow Geese, but it seemed a little early. I saw a couple huge flocks of Cackling Geese yesterday flying over.

[Randy]

Oct 3, 2023 3:30:39 GMT -8 nickinthegarden said:

That would be so cool to see that many Sandhill Cranes at one time, I have only seen them a couple times in the Fraser Valley and heard them a few more flying over but certainly not in those numbers. The other day I heard a large flock of geese flying over and thought they might be Snow Geese, but it seemed a little early. I saw a couple huge flocks of Cackling Geese yesterday flying over.

Yes Nick it can be quite a loud spectacle!

It's too bad I was only about 1 to 2 weeks early for the annual whooping cranes migration through the Saskatoon area!