Saskatchewan Birds

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Recent Postings from
Saskatchewan Birds

Updated on Thursday, September 2 at 09:14 AM ET
The most recently received Mail is at the top.

02 Sep Re: Saskatchewan Bird Report June 2010 - July 2010 ["skyman845" ]
02 Sep Re: year list ["skyman845" ]
01 Sep Re: Saskatchewan Bird Report June 2010 - July 2010 []
02 Sep year list ["skyman845" ]
1 Sep cbc birdline ["Jim Nordquist" ]
02 Sep Forestry Farm Birding... ["gwapple2001" ]
31 Aug Swift Current [M A ]
31 Aug Wascana Park Birding []
31 Aug Vireos in Saskatoon [Ryan Dudragne ]
31 Aug Saskatchewan Bird Report June 2010 - July 2010 ["skyman845" ]
31 Aug Great crested Flycatcher at Old Nursery site today. ["rebel_xsrm" ]
30 Aug Cypress Hills []
28 Aug Forster's tern in Rochdale Park [K M ]
28 Aug Re: Common Nighthawk sightings ["nikovich71" ]
28 Aug Common Nighthawk sightings ["sk_fish1" ]
27 Aug More Saskatoon Migrants ["nikovich71" ]
27 Aug Re: Common Nighthawks ["nikovich71" ]
26 Aug Swift Current and area (incl CONI & WIWA) [M A ]
27 Aug Common Nighthawks ["daynewilki9" ]
26 Aug Common Nighthawks [K M ]
26 Aug Re: Saskatoon Migrants Today ["nikovich71" ]
26 Aug Saskatoon Migrants Today ["nikovich71" ]
26 Aug Fw: Pair of pileated wood peckers and other sightings... []
26 Aug Owls ["zedbander" ]
25 Aug Pair of pileated wood peckers and other sightings... [ChrisB ]
25 Aug migrants ["dan sawatzky" ]
25 Aug Today ["Val T" ]
24 Aug Saskatoon Migrants [Ryan Dudragne ]
24 Aug Wood Warbler Taxonomy ["skyman845" ]
24 Aug Unconfirmed Report of Frigatebird in Saskatoon [Stan Shadick ]
23 Aug Re: Re: Off Topic: Birding Software... [Scott Manly ]
23 Aug Re: Re: Off Topic: Birding Software... [Scott Manly ]
24 Aug Re: Off Topic: Birding Software... ["skyman845" ]
23 Aug Off Topic: Birding Software... [Scott Manly ]
23 Aug Busy Backyard... ["gwapple2001" ]
23 Aug Buck Lake on Sunday []
23 Aug Great Crested Flycatcher ["nikovich71" ]
22 Aug Swift Current [M A ]
22 Aug Migratory visitors. ["Gordon Taylor" ]
22 Aug Re: Chaplin Marshes ["Val T" ]
22 Aug Re: Chaplin Marshes []
22 Aug Re: burrowing owls [Scott Manly ]
22 Aug burrowing owls [Bill & Lynne McDonald ]
22 Aug Wablers in AE Wilson Park ["Brett" ]
22 Aug Chaplin Marshes ["Val T" ]
22 Aug Cattle and Great Egret at Lanigan Creek ["nikovich71" ]
22 Aug new migrants trickling through ["rebel_xsrm" ]
21 Aug Birding to Luck Lake from Saskatoon. ["Gordon Taylor" ]
21 Aug Black-throated Green Warbler ["nikovich71" ]
21 Aug Black-billed Cuckoo ["nikovich71" ]
21 Aug Toads toads and more toads [M A ]
21 Aug Reed Lake (Aug 15) [M A ]
21 Aug Swift Current area (northwest to Success) [M A ]
21 Aug Swift Current [M A ]
21 Aug Connecticut Warbler... ["gwapple2001" ]
21 Aug Trossachs ["Val T" ]
20 Aug Matador Area ["zedbander" ]
20 Aug Ruby-throated Hummingbird ["nikovich71" ]
20 Aug Re: Northern Parula ["nikovich71" ]
20 Aug Re: Northern Parula ["Ryan Dudragne" ]
19 Aug Northern Parula ["nikovich71" ]
18 Aug Buck Lake []
18 Aug Re: Black-necked Stilts nest at Reed Lake [s w ]
18 Aug Shorebird counts and nesting distribution [Gyorgy Szimuly/WorldWaders ]
17 Aug Black-necked Stilts nest at Reed Lake []
17 Aug Re: Warbler Movement today ["nikovich71" ]
17 Aug Warbler Movement today ["nikovich71" ]
16 Aug Re: Warbler Migration...Saskatoon ["Val T" ]
16 Aug King's Park Sunday ["rebel_xsrm" ]
16 Aug around the yard ["Steven" ]
15 Aug Prairie Falcon as previously mentioned [Gordon Crockford ]
15 Aug Warbler Migration...Saskatoon ["saskbirder" ]
15 Aug The mob [James K Wood ]
14 Aug ducklings ["Bruce B" ]
14 Aug Re: Northern Flicker Report ["Val T" ]
14 Aug Northern Flicker Report [Kate Johnson ]

Subject: Re: Saskatchewan Bird Report June 2010 - July 2010
From: "skyman845" <skyman845 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:14:34 -0000

thank you Bob, it is nice to be involved --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, tsb2001 AT ... wrote: > > Greg > I am certain we all appreciate your dedication and perseverance with this task. Excellent report. > > Enjoy your birding > Bob L > Regina > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: skyman845 > To: Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com > Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 9:12 PM > Subject: [Saskbirds] Saskatchewan Bird Report June 2010 - July 2010 > > > > good day all > Here is the summer report for all to read. As always please contact me offline for any ommisions or errors. > > Saskatchewan Bird Report June 2010 - July 2010 > Author Gregory P. Krätzig > > Weather: The summer months were less than typical. Temperatures for the most part soared, but the frequent rain came in huge deluges flooding a number of regions in the province. The weather was more severe this year with frequent heavy thunderstorms, large damaging hail (softball size in some areas), and tornadoes. Areas in and around Yorkton and Preceeville were hit with rain typical of a monsoon were two of many communities hit hard, and in the west it was Maple Creek and Cypress Hills who were hit hard by the 100-year rain. In fact it rained so much that part of the Trans Canada Highway was washed away near the Alberta boarder, and a campground saw 25 foot trees completely submerged. Yet north of Prince Albert temperatures remained hot, but the severe weather largely avoided the north. As a result of the record amounts of rainfall, birding become difficult at best as many of the grid roads were impassable or washed out completed for extended periods of time. A good by-product of the rains saw the end of the drought in south-western Saskatchewan, and the previously dry Reed Lake (a critical refuelling stop for migrating shorebirds was largely replenished. > > Definitions: > m.ob. = Multiple Observers > ph. = Photograph Taken > LMWR = Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area > BBS= Breeding Bird Survey > > Species: Eurasian Wigeon, Western Bluebird, Redheaded Woodpecker, Bar-tailed Godwit, Sabine's Gull, Great Egret, Snow Goose, White-faced Ibis, Black-necked Stilt, > > Birds of the Season: Tom Hince (m.ob., ph) reported the provinces second Bar-tailed Godwit at Lucky Lake 9 June, and it remained until at least 12 June and was seen by many who made the trip. On 20 July a quick thinking birder (Jackie Simpson, ph.) noticed a strange large bird sitting on a light standard at Fishing Lake, She manage to take several photos which lead to the identify of a female Magnificent Frigatebird. These photos move this species from the hypothetical list to the confirmed list. > > Overview: While Black-bellied Plovers are often seen during spring migration a sighting of 450 birds 3 June near Morse is noteworthy (Joel Preibe). It was expected that Yellow Rail numbers would be up due to the wide spread flooding in the province, however, reports of this species was about normal. During his BBS, in the Melville area, flooding was particularly widespread; yet where this species is often recorded not one bird was found. There was one bird heard at Wascana Marsh 14 June (Greg Kratzig), and at least 3 birds at Pike Lake. Black-billed Cuckoos appeared to have a very good year with 9 birds seen during the Willowbrook BBS (Greg Kratzig), compared to one bird over the past 4 years. Additionally Greg Kratzig heard 4 birds at Avonlea 10 June. Greg Kratzig observed a pair of Snow Geese at Wascana Marsh 20 June; however, they may have been injured leftover birds from the spring hunt. > > Birds: A probable Eurasian Wigeon was reported 1 June, near St. Denis (fide Stan Shadick). Joel Preibe observed a Red-headed Woodpecker (ph) 3 June along a fenceline near Herbert, while on the same date another bird was seen near Val Marie (Dayne). Steven Weir and Bob Luterbach observed a pair of breeding plumaged Sabine's Gull at Luck Lake June. A Great Egret was observed 15 June near Piapot (Janet Ng and Jillian Johnston). Steven Canevet found 3 White-faced Ibis and 3 Black-necked Stilt at Chaplin 11 Jul. > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >
Subject: Re: year list
From: "skyman845" <skyman845 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:13:56 -0000

sorry this was supposed to be an offline note. (I often have a problem with the correct selection) :-) --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, "skyman845" wrote: > > Hello, I was wondering if a list was still being tallied for the year > > thanks > > Greg in Regina >
Subject: Re: Saskatchewan Bird Report June 2010 - July 2010
From: tsb2001 AT sasktel.net
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:47:55 -0600

Greg I am certain we all appreciate your dedication and perseverance with this task. Excellent report. Enjoy your birding Bob L Regina ----- Original Message ----- From: skyman845 To: Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 9:12 PM Subject: [Saskbirds] Saskatchewan Bird Report June 2010 - July 2010 good day all Here is the summer report for all to read. As always please contact me offline for any ommisions or errors. Saskatchewan Bird Report June 2010 - July 2010 Author Gregory P. Krätzig Weather: The summer months were less than typical. Temperatures for the most part soared, but the frequent rain came in huge deluges flooding a number of regions in the province. The weather was more severe this year with frequent heavy thunderstorms, large damaging hail (softball size in some areas), and tornadoes. Areas in and around Yorkton and Preceeville were hit with rain typical of a monsoon were two of many communities hit hard, and in the west it was Maple Creek and Cypress Hills who were hit hard by the 100-year rain. In fact it rained so much that part of the Trans Canada Highway was washed away near the Alberta boarder, and a campground saw 25 foot trees completely submerged. Yet north of Prince Albert temperatures remained hot, but the severe weather largely avoided the north. As a result of the record amounts of rainfall, birding become difficult at best as many of the grid roads were impassable or washed out completed for extended periods of time. A good by-product of the rains saw the end of the drought in south-western Saskatchewan, and the previously dry Reed Lake (a critical refuelling stop for migrating shorebirds was largely replenished. Definitions: m.ob. = Multiple Observers ph. = Photograph Taken LMWR = Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area BBS= Breeding Bird Survey Species: Eurasian Wigeon, Western Bluebird, Redheaded Woodpecker, Bar-tailed Godwit, Sabine's Gull, Great Egret, Snow Goose, White-faced Ibis, Black-necked Stilt, Birds of the Season: Tom Hince (m.ob., ph) reported the provinces second Bar-tailed Godwit at Lucky Lake 9 June, and it remained until at least 12 June and was seen by many who made the trip. On 20 July a quick thinking birder (Jackie Simpson, ph.) noticed a strange large bird sitting on a light standard at Fishing Lake, She manage to take several photos which lead to the identify of a female Magnificent Frigatebird. These photos move this species from the hypothetical list to the confirmed list. Overview: While Black-bellied Plovers are often seen during spring migration a sighting of 450 birds 3 June near Morse is noteworthy (Joel Preibe). It was expected that Yellow Rail numbers would be up due to the wide spread flooding in the province, however, reports of this species was about normal. During his BBS, in the Melville area, flooding was particularly widespread; yet where this species is often recorded not one bird was found. There was one bird heard at Wascana Marsh 14 June (Greg Kratzig), and at least 3 birds at Pike Lake. Black-billed Cuckoos appeared to have a very good year with 9 birds seen during the Willowbrook BBS (Greg Kratzig), compared to one bird over the past 4 years. Additionally Greg Kratzig heard 4 birds at Avonlea 10 June. Greg Kratzig observed a pair of Snow Geese at Wascana Marsh 20 June; however, they may have been injured leftover birds from the spring hunt. Birds: A probable Eurasian Wigeon was reported 1 June, near St. Denis (fide Stan Shadick). Joel Preibe observed a Red-headed Woodpecker (ph) 3 June along a fenceline near Herbert, while on the same date another bird was seen near Val Marie (Dayne). Steven Weir and Bob Luterbach observed a pair of breeding plumaged Sabine's Gull at Luck Lake June. A Great Egret was observed 15 June near Piapot (Janet Ng and Jillian Johnston). Steven Canevet found 3 White-faced Ibis and 3 Black-necked Stilt at Chaplin 11 Jul. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: year list
From: "skyman845" <skyman845 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:34:17 -0000

Hello, I was wondering if a list was still being tallied for the year thanks Greg in Regina
Subject: cbc birdline
From: "Jim Nordquist" <j.nordquist AT accesscomm.ca>
Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 20:20:11 -0600

Trevor's bird line is on CBC's Blue sky website [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Forestry Farm Birding...
From: "gwapple2001" <gswap AT sasktel.net>
Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:13:29 -0000

Hi Gang, How can it be September already?! After two consecutive weekends off, I couldn't arrange the hat-trick! On the plus side, I managed to scheme my way right into a day trip on Saturday afternoon. As a result, I avoided watching the #$%# Rider FIASCO in Edmonton! Sadly, they were due to lose a game like that and Edmonton was due to win. Oh well, bring on the 2 and 6 Bombers for Labour Day. GUUULLLPPP!!! In the meantime, I decided to do a quick run to the Forestry Farm (my "other" backyard), on Saturday morning. For the record it was Aug. 28th. I spent from 0800 to 1000 there under clear skies. The temp was a coolish +8 to 10 C and winds were light from the southwest. It was not the most productive visit I've ever had. I could only muster 28 species during my time there. However there were a few interesting sightings, including a "good" year bird: Less Yllgs – 2 Solitary Sand – 1 Spotted Sand – 3 # Blue-headed Vireo – 1. My first of the year is feeding in a small group of shrubs near the west end of the Zoo parking lot. It is associating with a Red-eyed cousin. Red-eyed Vireo – A total of 4 Tennessee Warb – 1. Amazingly and somewhat sadly, this was the ONLY warbler I see in 2 hours!!! As mentioned I went to Edmonton later that afternoon on "normal" length speed 105 with Steve Olson as my co-pilot. We didn't see tons of stuff on the way up, but I did note 2 Western Kingbirds at Unity. Again, I wrote them down with a tinge of sadness, as there is a good chance they will be the last I see all year! Mountain Bluebirds were flocking along the right-of-way as well, with 25+ near Winter and 40+ at Artland. The return trip was on Sunday morning on long, heavy "speed" 114. Fortunately, we had three big engines pulling (12,000 HP), so it was actually a pretty decent run home. There were 21 Red-tails along the track and a total of 95+ M Blueb's from the AB border to Vera siding (W of Unity). The highlight of the trip was (briefly off-topic now) an all-time new bird for my Alberta list. An imm Broad-winged Hawk flew across our path in the parkland country east of Edmonton, near Lindbrook. While I have been lucky enough to see this species a couple times in SK from the train, this raptor is long overdue on my AB checklist. On Monday (the 31st), I made a return visit to the Forestry Farm. What a difference a couple of days made! Under cloudy skies, but overall similar conditions to the previous visit, I tallied 42 species, Highlighted by 11 types of Warblers. As usual # is new for 2010. Highlights below: Pied-b Grebe – 3 G B Heron – 1 imm B-c Night Heron – 1 imm Grtr Yllgs – 1 Solit Sand – 2 Spotted Sand – 2 Belted Kingf – 1 female R-e Vireo – 3 House Wren – 2 Gray Catbird – 2 Tenn Warb – 4+ Yell Warb – 6 # Magnolia Warb – 7 (3m, 4f) Yellow-rump Warb – 5+ First Of Fall (FOF) Palm Warb – 1 (FOF) Blackpoll Warb – 15+ Am Redstart – 1 f (FOF) Ovenbird – 2 (FOF) N Waterthr – 2 Wilson's Warb – 3 (FOF) # Canada Warb – 1 gorgeous male. Definitely a "bonus" year bird, as sadly I don't find them nearly as common as they used to be. That's enough for now. Time to get ready for another night voyage… Cheers, Guy Wapple, S'toon
Subject: Swift Current
From: M A <dudra.m AT sasktel.net>
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:38:30 -0600

Bird viewing has slowed down in our yard... Purple Martins have been gone for a few days (last time I saw them was the evening of Aug 26... a flock of 25-30 all trying to noisily lay claim to the 8 nesting gourds!) We sure miss them. I have been cleaning and changing out the nectar in the hummingbird feeder but no takers... We have not seen a single one visit our yard this year. We have been getting an occasional Red-breasted Nuthatch... don't see (or hear) it everyday, but every so often it shows up to check out the feeders. We continue to get 15-20 Cedar Waxwings, a few House Finches, 6 or 7 American Goldfinches (usually 2 bright males), and a number of Pine Siskins (there has been another recent hatch of at least 4... been seeing the fledglings getting fed in the backyard trees.) We also have a couple Empidonax flycatchers hanging around. Aug. 28, we had 20+ American Robins in our yard... and several more in the immediate neighbourhood -- most were this year's hatch. We continue to get a varying number going through our yard. Sometimes there are one or two, sometimes a flock of 10 or more! We have had 2-4 Northern Flickers around (a couple adults and a couple young ones), but yesterday Larry said there were 4 young ones in our yard... there are lots of ants for them, so hopefully they clean some of them up! Crows, crows, crows... oh my goodness we've been getting a few flying over, but August 29-30, we were getting a large flock of 30+ flying over. We also continue to see 100+ (sometimes almost double that!) Franklin's Gulls flying over the neighbourhood regularly. Warblers.... we have had a couple Wilson's Warblers hanging around since Aug 23. We had a single Canada Warbler in the mountain ash the morning of Aug 29, and early this evening (around 6:30PM), we had 2 Blackpoll Warblers in our backyard (and in the yard next door.) Out at work, the 5 Barn Swallow nestlings fledged over the weekend of Aug 28-29. This was the second nesting of this particular pair of Barn Swallows... a most productive pair!! Yesterday (Aug 30), one of my co-workers was outside having a cigarette with another co-worker when a young Barn Swallow landed on his cap-covered head!!! Today, they were lining up with their parents on the eavestrough near where they nested. Going to and from work, we are seeing a number of Hawks now.... Northern Harriers, Swainson's and Red-tails. This morning, I counted 17 between 11th Av NW and the compressor station (5 were within a 2 km stretch just east of the compressor station!) Nice!! Hopefully the rain stops and we get a nice warm fall... so we can get out and enjoy the fall migration. It rains here pretty much every day, and usually not just a sprinkle. This year's weather should have contributed to an increase in shorebirds and waterfowl. Happy birding everyone, - Mary Ann and Larry, Swift Current, SK 50° 17' 00" N - 107° 48' 00" W http://dudrl.sasktelwebsite.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Wascana Park Birding
From: tsb2001 AT sasktel.net
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:21:34 -0600

Early this afternoon, I checked the Totem area, Old Tree Nursery, Waterfowl Display Pond and Goose Hill Park. Species observed included: 8-Wood Ducks- including 2 males and a female plus family group of 5 juvenile hatch year birds. 1- Forster's Tern 1-Solitary Sandpiper 1-Olive-sided Flycatcher 4-Eastern Kingbirds 1 -Empid species. 6 -Brown Thrashers 1-Gray Catbird 9 -Cedar Waxwings 20+ American Robins 5 -Red-eyed Vireos 1-Wilson's Warbler 1-Black & White Warbler 5- Yellow Warblers 6+ Blackpoll Warblers 1-Orange-crowned Warbler 4-Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) 1-Northern Waterthrush 3-House Wrens 1-Downy Woodpecker 5 Northern Flicker (YS) 6-Red-breasted Nuthatches 2-Black-capped Chickadees 2 -White -throated Sparrows 1-Purple Finch 11+ House Finches 8-American Goldfinches. Enjoy your birding Bob L Regina [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Vireos in Saskatoon
From: Ryan Dudragne <pl8guy AT sasktel.net>
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:22:15 -0600

Good Morning All, On my way to work this morning I found an Ovenbird, one Red-eyed Vireo and one Philadelphia Vireo behind the Education Building on campus. Also there was a sizable robin flock at this location of at least a dozen birds. Best of Birding, Ryan Dudragne Saskatoon, SK
Subject: Saskatchewan Bird Report June 2010 - July 2010
From: "skyman845" <skyman845 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:12:53 -0000

good day all Here is the summer report for all to read. As always please contact me offline for any ommisions or errors. Saskatchewan Bird Report June 2010 - July 2010 Author Gregory P. Krätzig Weather: The summer months were less than typical. Temperatures for the most part soared, but the frequent rain came in huge deluges flooding a number of regions in the province. The weather was more severe this year with frequent heavy thunderstorms, large damaging hail (softball size in some areas), and tornadoes. Areas in and around Yorkton and Preceeville were hit with rain typical of a monsoon were two of many communities hit hard, and in the west it was Maple Creek and Cypress Hills who were hit hard by the 100-year rain. In fact it rained so much that part of the Trans Canada Highway was washed away near the Alberta boarder, and a campground saw 25 foot trees completely submerged. Yet north of Prince Albert temperatures remained hot, but the severe weather largely avoided the north. As a result of the record amounts of rainfall, birding become difficult at best as many of the grid roads were impassable or washed out completed for extended periods of time. A good by-product of the rains saw the end of the drought in south-western Saskatchewan, and the previously dry Reed Lake (a critical refuelling stop for migrating shorebirds was largely replenished. Definitions: m.ob. = Multiple Observers ph. = Photograph Taken LMWR = Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area BBS= Breeding Bird Survey Species: Eurasian Wigeon, Western Bluebird, Redheaded Woodpecker, Bar-tailed Godwit, Sabine's Gull, Great Egret, Snow Goose, White-faced Ibis, Black-necked Stilt, Birds of the Season: Tom Hince (m.ob., ph) reported the provinces second Bar-tailed Godwit at Lucky Lake 9 June, and it remained until at least 12 June and was seen by many who made the trip. On 20 July a quick thinking birder (Jackie Simpson, ph.) noticed a strange large bird sitting on a light standard at Fishing Lake, She manage to take several photos which lead to the identify of a female Magnificent Frigatebird. These photos move this species from the hypothetical list to the confirmed list. Overview: While Black-bellied Plovers are often seen during spring migration a sighting of 450 birds 3 June near Morse is noteworthy (Joel Preibe). It was expected that Yellow Rail numbers would be up due to the wide spread flooding in the province, however, reports of this species was about normal. During his BBS, in the Melville area, flooding was particularly widespread; yet where this species is often recorded not one bird was found. There was one bird heard at Wascana Marsh 14 June (Greg Kratzig), and at least 3 birds at Pike Lake. Black-billed Cuckoos appeared to have a very good year with 9 birds seen during the Willowbrook BBS (Greg Kratzig), compared to one bird over the past 4 years. Additionally Greg Kratzig heard 4 birds at Avonlea 10 June. Greg Kratzig observed a pair of Snow Geese at Wascana Marsh 20 June; however, they may have been injured leftover birds from the spring hunt. Birds: A probable Eurasian Wigeon was reported 1 June, near St. Denis (fide Stan Shadick). Joel Preibe observed a Red-headed Woodpecker (ph) 3 June along a fenceline near Herbert, while on the same date another bird was seen near Val Marie (Dayne). Steven Weir and Bob Luterbach observed a pair of breeding plumaged Sabine's Gull at Luck Lake June. A Great Egret was observed 15 June near Piapot (Janet Ng and Jillian Johnston). Steven Canevet found 3 White-faced Ibis and 3 Black-necked Stilt at Chaplin 11 Jul.
Subject: Great crested Flycatcher at Old Nursery site today.
From: "rebel_xsrm" <rebel-xs AT hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:33:39 -0000

Greetings friends, After being layed up sick for a few days I was happy to get mobile again and get out to see what was about.I had an intuition about checking out the old nursery site today,turns out it was a good one. Today was the single best day of Fall migration for myself despite the dismal weather.The nursery area was absolutely buzzing with activity.The vast majority of these birds seemed to be both adult and juvenile American Goldfinch and Chipping Sparrows.The concentration of birds was impressive and I fully expected a Cooper's hawk or a Merlin to be lurking somewhere. I got a decent no. of warblers with 9 species in all.Wilson's 3, Tennessee 2, Palm 2,Chestnut sided 2,B&W 1,Magnolia 1,Blackpoll 1,Orange crowned 1,Yellow 6.I'm sure there were others but unfortunately my time was limited and I wished I could have spent the afternoon. Despite several attempts to see the GC Flycatcher in the Catley Hill region I came up short.Although I certainly thought we had heard them last Spring. Today when I first spotted the bird I was reasonably certain was seeing something I had not before.The second time I found the bird he was sitting on a high perch.I had a view from the backside and could clearly see the rufuous on the tail and wings.I was surprised just how brightly colored the belly was.A beautiful flycatcher and one of the prettiest birds I've seen ! The other sighting that made my day was a an adult Red Fox that layed down in the grass about 40 yards away from me.I watched him as he yawned,scratched and chewed on some grass blades.He eventually put his head down and had an afternoon siesta. My apologies,I had hoped to contact some other local birders today but seems my contact list was wiped out.I hope there may still be some birds hangin around there tomorrow. Take care, Rocky, Regina
Subject: Cypress Hills
From: tsb2001 AT sasktel.net
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:26:21 -0600

During a family gathering this weekend at the Main Block of the Cypress Hills, I saw these species:: 3-Red-necked Grebes 1- Double-crested Cormorant 4+ American White Pelicans 9- Mallards 2-Black Terns (hatch year) 3-Belted Kingfishers 2 Mourning Doves 2+ Hairy Woodpeckers 10+ Red-breasted Nuthatches 20+- Black-capped Chickadees 10+ Barn Swallows 7 Cedar Waxwings 20+- Yellow-rumped Warblers (mostly Audubon) 4- Yellow Warblers 80+ Pine Siskins 20+ Red Crossbills 4 White -winged Crossbills 5+ American Goldfinches. It is cool both day and night at this higher Saskatchewan elevation which is similar to that of Banff, Alberta. My birding was restricted to the Lake, a nearby residential subdivision, Park Office and the vicinity of the nearby Cypress Hills Resort.. The Cypress Hills Resort has rooms, cabins and several excellent condos for rent. Note: There are many maintained feeders on the balcony off the dining room or restaurant. The seed eating birds which were dining on oil sunflower seeds were seen here and other locations. The Resort feeders is a great spot to study the resident type of Red Crossbills. Several were observed at these feeders. I was surprised by the general scarcity of birds and by the limited number of species now at this location. YR Warblers were concentrated at just three locations. I saw zero resident mearnsi Dark-eyed Juncos or the local breeding oriantha White-crowned Sparrows During the trip west, I stopped for 15 minutes at Reed Lake and saw among other species: 7 Black-necked Stilts (including 5 hatch year birds) , 150+ American Avocets, 20+ Willets, 100's of distant peeps, 20+ Semi-palmated Plovers., a sub adult Peregrine Falcon and numerous Franklin's Gulls. Friday morning on the drive west was not a great time for seeing raptors;however, during the return trip on Sunday, I saw 2 Ferruginous Hawks and 30+ Swainson's Hawks roosting on poles along the Highway. Others I could not identify in the rain and mist. Enjoy your birding. Bob L Regina [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Forster's tern in Rochdale Park
From: K M <dragonflypondsk AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:06:52 -0700 (PDT)

Hi everyone. There are Blue-winged teal hanging about on the pond today. Also around, 1 Forster's tern- possibly a worn juvenile as there is some brownish coloring on the back and 1 Franklin's gull non-breeding adult as well. Lots of Ring-bills. I saw a very tiny duckling (Mallard?) this morning, maybe a day or two old, but I didn't see it this evening. Have a bad feeling one of the gulls may have had a snack, hoping instead the duckling is hiding in the cattails. Kim in Regina [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Re: Common Nighthawk sightings
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:30:24 -0000

Ron, My friends the Mackenzies report a lone Common Nighthawk, nightly doing swoops over Lakeview Park here in town. Cheers, Nick --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, "sk_fish1" wrote: > > Thanks to all who are out and about AND reporting the common nighthawks seen. As seen in Val Marie, common nighthawks may soon be migrating in large flocks. > > I look forward to hearing about your common nighthawk observations. > > Ron in Saskatoon >
Subject: Common Nighthawk sightings
From: "sk_fish1" <rjes AT shaw.ca>
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 03:03:25 -0000

Thanks to all who are out and about AND reporting the common nighthawks seen. As seen in Val Marie, common nighthawks may soon be migrating in large flocks. I look forward to hearing about your common nighthawk observations. Ron in Saskatoon
Subject: More Saskatoon Migrants
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:15:23 -0000

Well, what a difference a day makes ! 35k winds and deafening noise from trees creaking and leaves blowing at Cosmo Park today. I picked up 2 more Warbler species though despite the hard work tracking them down : Ovenbird - 1 gently singing individual Black & White Warbler - 1 male The Cooper's Hawk youngster is still hanging around, and likes the deep scrub just to the left of the mulch footpath on the higher trail. He is exhibiting a very strange meow-like call, nothing like what is found in my cd's and bird call collections. I got some photos of him actually making the call, just to be sure it wasn't a crying baby or strangled Catbird I was hearing. Other Warblers still present today were : Blackpoll Warbler - 1 fall female Northern Waterthrush - 1 Wilson's Warbler - 2 males , 2 females American Redstart - 2 females Yellow Warbler - 2 Cheers, Nick Saskatoon
Subject: Re: Common Nighthawks
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:14:09 -0000

Good to hear ! I was impressed with the numbers I saw there while staying at the Convent in July. Truly a wonderful sight to see Nighhawk's perched in trees within town. Nick S'toon
Subject: Swift Current and area (incl CONI & WIWA)
From: M A <dudra.m AT sasktel.net>
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:07:35 -0600

We started off with coolish weather at the beginning of the week (the morning of Aug 24, we were at +7.3ºC), and today, we hit a hot 34ºC!! Crazy! And yes, we even had some more rain the beginning of the week. As far as birds, we have been seeing 'the usuals'... The highlights of the week started off on August 23 when 2 Wilson Warblers showed up in our yard -- gleaning the trees and shrubs. August 24, right around 5:00PM, 3 Common Nighthawks flew over the neighbourhood... but they didn't hang around. We are also seeing at least 5 or 6 young American Goldfinches now... following the adults around. The Purple Martins are still (noisily) coming in to roost in the gourds each evening. No hummingbird(s) yet at our feeders!! I am beginning to wonder if they're even going to stop in this year! Out at work, we have the usuals, as well. On August 24 there were 2 Loggerhead Shrikes sitting on the fence when I was heading home late afternoon. They're always a bonus!! The 5 Barn Swallow nestlings are almost ready to fledge... and today at noon, at least 5 or 6 others in addition to the nestlings' parents were swooping around near the nest, almost as if they were trying to encourage the young nestlings that it was time to try their wings! When I was getting ready to head home this afternoon, I made a point of going out to check on them (they're right on the side of our office building, just over from the deck), and noted they were still there. I am sure they will be gone by the weekend for sure. Happy birding everyone.... - Mary Ann and Larry, Swift Current, SK 50° 17' 00" N - 107° 48' 00" W http://dudrl.sasktelwebsite.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Common Nighthawks
From: "daynewilki9" <daynewilki9 AT hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 03:27:02 -0000

There were very large numbers of nighthawks in Val Marie last week. At least 50 in one group with many more individuals flying around.
Subject: Common Nighthawks
From: K M <dragonflypondsk AT yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:42:21 -0700 (PDT)

Hi everyone. 6 Common nighthawks flew over Rochdale Pk tonight at 7:35pm. They were heading eastward and didn't stay very long. Kim in Regina [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Re: Saskatoon Migrants Today
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:38:43 -0000

Oops, knew I'd forget one ! I also got a female Canada Warbler underneath the Broadway Bridge in some scrub. Cheers, Nick
Subject: Saskatoon Migrants Today
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:23:12 -0000

Good afternoon all, This morning my lovely bride dropped me off at Innovation Place where she works, and from there I spent the next 6 hours hiking around the riverbank. It was absolutely beautiful outside, that is, until about 10am when it got real hot, real quick! Starting at the Gardens at Innovation Place and ending up at Cosmopolitan Park, I found a number of migrants and other things of interest... I kept a list, so have just copied and pasted it from my own files : Magnolia Warbler - 1 Wilson's Warbler - 3 American Redstart - 4 Blackpoll Warbler - 1 Northern Waterthrush - 2 Tennessee Warbler - 2 Orange-crowned Warbler - 3 Yellow Warbler - 3 Red-eyed Vireo - 2 White-throated Sparrow - 2 Clay-colored Sparrow - 4 Song Sparrow - 1 House Sparrow - 6 House Wren - 2 Cedar Waxwing - 11 Barn Swallow - 4 Eastern Phoebe - 1 Western Wood Pewee - 1 Least Flycatcher - 5 Eastern Kingbird - 8 Cooper's Hawk - 4 birds, including one vocal juvenile at Cosmo Park. Swainson's Hawk - 2 Sora - 1 American Goldfinch - 10 House Finch - 4 Black-capped Chickadee - 6 Gray Catbird - 2 Brown Thrasher - 3 Common Loon - 1 Canada Goose - 130 American Crow - 1 Rock Dove - 15 Ring-billed Gull - 10 Mallard - 3 Common Merganser - 1 Spotted Sandpiper - 3 Lesser Yellowlegs - 1 Double-crested Cormorant- 1 juvenile Northern Flicker - 3 Cheers, Nick Saskatoon
Subject: Fw: Pair of pileated wood peckers and other sightings...
From: tsb2001 AT sasktel.net
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:36:16 -0600

Stuart Just in case you missed this. Take care Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: ChrisB To: Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com ; Rob and Joan Wilson Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 9:43 PM Subject: [Saskbirds] Pair of pileated wood peckers and other sightings... Hi all, I am very excited to report a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers yesterday AT Saltcoats. To date I had only sighted lone males, so I am very excited that this may be a breeding pair. Also in the last two days of special interest a Cape May Warbler, Palm Warbler were also seen. Sandhill cranes are on the move, swallows are grouping even as the last barn swallows are nearing fledgling status. I hope the little ones make it before the migration. The Northern flickers are also in large groups right now. All for now, Christine B. Yorkton, Sask. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Owls
From: "zedbander" <danzaz AT sasktel.net>
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:07:43 -0000

Yesterday was a bit of an owl day. First, Harold Fisher emailed that he had 5 Northern Saw-whets the night before at his place near Prince Albert. He has nesting saw-whets so they were likely locals, but the migration isn't far away. Then, yesterday, there was a group of six Burrowing Owls just over a mile west of our place. It looks like a family unit of two adults and four juveniles. They have spent time at a burrow in the ditch of an old access road (a fair bit of whitewash), but I don't know if it was the nesting site. Last night was almost perfect, clear and completely calm. By 8:30, as the moon rose higher, the two Great Horned Owls were serenading each other at the other end of the yard. Then the male came and perched on the TV antenna, putting everything he had into each hoot. As I watched him and listened, a Long-eared Owl made a fly-by, the first Long-eared I've seen since June. It was so quiet, I could hear something small make a noise in the grass on the other side of the house. The GHOW practically fell off the antenna as he dove that way. Dan Matador, Sk
Subject: Pair of pileated wood peckers and other sightings...
From: ChrisB <spooky.fish1 AT sasktel.net>
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:43:54 -0600

Hi all, I am very excited to report a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers yesterday AT Saltcoats. To date I had only sighted lone males, so I am very excited that this may be a breeding pair. Also in the last two days of special interest a Cape May Warbler, Palm Warbler were also seen. Sandhill cranes are on the move, swallows are grouping even as the last barn swallows are nearing fledgling status. I hope the little ones make it before the migration. The Northern flickers are also in large groups right now. All for now, Christine B. Yorkton, Sask. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: migrants
From: "dan sawatzky" <sawatzkyd AT sasktel.net>
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:31:39 -0000

Hi Took some time off from data entry to check out the birds in the yard now that there are some migrants moving through. Yesterday I had... Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Yellow Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Olive-sided Flycatcher Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pine Siskin Americam Goldfinch Red-eyed Vireo Baltimore Oriole Northern Flicker Downy Woodpecker Black-capped Chickadee Dan Regina
Subject: Today
From: "Val T" <val_doyle_thomas AT hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:02:32 -0000

We had excellent directions to the Burrowing Owl location (thanks Bill and Lynne) but unfortunately during the 1 1/2 hours we sat there none appeared. The wind was really strong and we wondered if this had something to do with it. At any rate, we always enjoy a drive filled with hope. Meanwhile just out the dining room window we are enjoying three Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the feeder (two females) as well as the pair of Baltimore Orioles teaching a young one how to feed from it. A pair of Red-winged Blackbirds are also groundfeeding with a young one. The trees are filled with warblers - HELP!! There is no way I can tell the similar-looking ones apart as they flit around too fast. There are about 14 Mourning Doves feeding also and three Brown Thrashers. Barn Swallows and Swainson's Hawks are the main soarers this morning. That's it for now. Val T - McTaggart
Subject: Saskatoon Migrants
From: Ryan Dudragne <pl8guy AT sasktel.net>
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:13:55 -0600

Good Evening All. This morning after having read about all of the exciting birds from the last couple of days, I decided to check out President Murray Park before work. Not much diversity here, but there were a lot of American Redstart (at least 10), one Magnolia Warbler, a flicker and about a dozen White-winged Crossbills. A late afternoon stroll around the Education Building produced a m/f pair of Wilson's Warbler, 2 skittish Least Flycatchers, a juvenile Chipping Sparrow, a single male Yellow Warbler and a vocal Northern Waterthrush. Around the office there remained a few Tennessee Warblers (~3). I should mention that a recent Saskatoon Nature Society field trip to the Batoche area (Aug. 21) produced 65 species of birds, with one of the highlights being an exceptionally early Rough-legged Hawk (!) already riding the thermals above the river near the Gabriel Dumont Bridge. Other migrants at this location included an immature Broad-winged Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, a few Turkey Vultures, several American Redstart, and single female Tennessee, Blackpoll, Yellow, and one male Black-and-white warblers, a family group of Red-eyed Vireo. A nearby slough also produced a single Solitary Sandpiper, 4 Semipalmated Plovers, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, and a few Killdeer, while another body of water had many Ring-necked Ducks and at least four Bonaparte's Gulls. Best of Birding, Ryan Dudragne Saskatoon, SK
Subject: Wood Warbler Taxonomy
From: "skyman845" <skyman845 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:49:46 -0000

thought some of you may be interested in this read http://slybird.blogspot.com/ Greg
Subject: Unconfirmed Report of Frigatebird in Saskatoon
From: Stan Shadick <stan.shadick AT usask.ca>
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:06:39 -0600

An individual who read the account of the Fishing Lake Frigatebird in the newspaper has contacted me suggesting that he saw a frigatebird near the CPR railway bridge in Saskatoon on Sunday afternoon August 22, 2010. He also reported seeing a frigatebird in the GreenGate Estates area south of Saskatoon 2 weeks earlier. I would invite birders to watch the area near the CPR bridge and weir to see if this report can be confirmed. A photo would be helpful to eliminate possible confusion with immature cormorants that can also have a similar bill and white chest. Stan Shadick [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Re: Re: Off Topic: Birding Software...
From: Scott Manly <manlyrs AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:39:21 -0700 (PDT)

My apologies folks. I have twice replied to the group in the last two days when I intended to reply to the person only. I need to be more careful. Good birding, Scott Manly ________________________________ From: Scott Manly To: Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, August 23, 2010 10:37:52 PM Subject: Re: [Saskbirds] Re: Off Topic: Birding Software... Â I will look at it. Thanks. I am interested in something that I can use on my laptop even when I don't have an Internet connection. Is this strictly web-based? Thanks again, Scott Manly ________________________________ From: skyman845 To: Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, August 23, 2010 10:25:34 PM Subject: [Saskbirds] Re: Off Topic: Birding Software... Â Hi Scott, have you looked into e-bird. http://ebird.org/content/canada/ I am the reviewer for the province, and the sight is free to use. Scientists, conservationists, etc, use the data for a wide range of things, including monitoring population numbers, ranges, out of range birds, and more. I know that data can be downloaded into the program, and your data can be displayed in a number of ways. If you have any questions please feel free to ask Greg Kratzig --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, Scott Manly wrote: > > Does anyone have any birding software that they recommend that isn't very >pricy. > > I had the Peterson Multimedia Guide to Birds, but it won't work with Windows 7 > Home Premium and I can't justify upgrading to Windows 7 Ultimate ($200) just to > > > make a $20 program work. It would also be nice if any new softward could take >my > > lifelist from the Peterson software (ultimately on an Access spreadsheet) and > convert it. > > Thanks, > Good birding, > Scott Manly > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Re: Re: Off Topic: Birding Software...
From: Scott Manly <manlyrs AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:37:52 -0700 (PDT)

I will look at it. Thanks. I am interested in something that I can use on my laptop even when I don't have an Internet connection. Is this strictly web-based? Thanks again, Scott Manly ________________________________ From: skyman845 To: Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, August 23, 2010 10:25:34 PM Subject: [Saskbirds] Re: Off Topic: Birding Software... Â Hi Scott, have you looked into e-bird. http://ebird.org/content/canada/ I am the reviewer for the province, and the sight is free to use. Scientists, conservationists, etc, use the data for a wide range of things, including monitoring population numbers, ranges, out of range birds, and more. I know that data can be downloaded into the program, and your data can be displayed in a number of ways. If you have any questions please feel free to ask Greg Kratzig --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, Scott Manly wrote: > > Does anyone have any birding software that they recommend that isn't very >pricy. > > I had the Peterson Multimedia Guide to Birds, but it won't work with Windows 7 > Home Premium and I can't justify upgrading to Windows 7 Ultimate ($200) just to > > make a $20 program work. It would also be nice if any new softward could take >my > > lifelist from the Peterson software (ultimately on an Access spreadsheet) and > convert it. > > Thanks, > Good birding, > Scott Manly > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Re: Off Topic: Birding Software...
From: "skyman845" <skyman845 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:25:34 -0000

Hi Scott, have you looked into e-bird. http://ebird.org/content/canada/ I am the reviewer for the province, and the sight is free to use. Scientists, conservationists, etc, use the data for a wide range of things, including monitoring population numbers, ranges, out of range birds, and more. I know that data can be downloaded into the program, and your data can be displayed in a number of ways. If you have any questions please feel free to ask Greg Kratzig --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, Scott Manly wrote: > > Does anyone have any birding software that they recommend that isn't very pricy. > I had the Peterson Multimedia Guide to Birds, but it won't work with Windows 7 > Home Premium and I can't justify upgrading to Windows 7 Ultimate ($200) just to > make a $20 program work. It would also be nice if any new softward could take my > lifelist from the Peterson software (ultimately on an Access spreadsheet) and > convert it. > > Thanks, > Good birding, > Scott Manly > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >
Subject: Off Topic: Birding Software...
From: Scott Manly <manlyrs AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:33:33 -0700 (PDT)

Does anyone have any birding software that they recommend that isn't very pricy. I had the Peterson Multimedia Guide to Birds, but it won't work with Windows 7 Home Premium and I can't justify upgrading to Windows 7 Ultimate ($200) just to make a $20 program work. It would also be nice if any new softward could take my lifelist from the Peterson software (ultimately on an Access spreadsheet) and convert it. Thanks, Good birding, Scott Manly [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Busy Backyard...
From: "gwapple2001" <gswap AT sasktel.net>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:07:25 -0000

Fellow Birders, I thought I had posted this last night, but I see YAHOO is up to its sometimes unreliable self again! I'll fix up the narrative and try again this morning. I've been enjoying a nice stretch of days off---albeit unpaid! As mentioned earlier, this just happened to coincide with our kids being away in Ontario for a few days. Business slowed down, so as a result I had a rare weekend off. Continuing with our Folkfest fiesta---we may be hooked again!---on Saturday afternoon (Aug. 21), Sandra and I made our way to the Roughrider pavilion, which was located at the Henk Ruys soccer centre in the north end of town. Rumour had it that some of the Riders were going to be in town to sign autographs. To make the usual long story somewhat shorter, the rumours proved to be true. We ended up lining up inside the building and eventually found ourselves outside in the parking lot at the east end of the centre. While it was a bit of a wait, the cheerleaders kept us entertained, and of course I was watching the cloudy skies as well. Alas, nothing exciting, except for lots of Rock Pigs, Franklin's and Ring-billed Gulls. My wife however, was most excited to get her picture taken with one of her fave players, Andy Fantuz. I was equally happy to get mine with Omarr Morgan. Both guys were super nice and very patient with us. End of brush-with-greatness story! On the drive home, Sandra's first Great Blue Heron of the year flew over the 42nd Street Bridge. We did the Church thing yesterday morning. Upon our return just before lunch, the backyard was FULL of birds, with more evidence that fall migration is in progress: N Flicker - 1 m Western Wood-Pewee - 1 juv Alder Flycatcher – 1. Least Flycatcher – 1. Excellent views down to 2 m on these three flycs. Empidonax – 2 `ratty' looking individuals that were probably Least. Purple Martin - a couple flying over---they will be leaving for South America any day now! B-c Chickadee - 5+ R-b Nuthatch - 1 Am Robin - 35+ swarming through our three Schubert Cherry trees devouring berries! Cedar Waxwing - 45+ ditto as above! Yellow Warbler - 2 Black And White Warbler - 1 f. Probably only the second or third time in our yard! N Waterthrush - 1 Wilson's Warbler - 1 f. First this fall. Chipping Sparrow - 2 White-throated Sparrow – 1, also the first I've seen this fall. House Finch - 5+ Pine Siskin - 5+ House Sparrow - 5+ That's all for now… Cheers, Guy, S'toon
Subject: Buck Lake on Sunday
From: tsb2001 AT sasktel.net
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:32:48 -0600

I made a quick trip to Buck Lake in the evening yesterday. Birds observed include: 37 Black-bellied Plovers 250+- Phalaropes with about a 60/40 split of Wilson's and now more Red-necked. 1 Pectoral Sandpiper 3 Semipalmated Sandpiper 2 Sanderlings 5 Least Sandpipers 7 Greater Yellowlegs 4 Lesser Yellowlegs 30+ Killdeer 1 American Avocet 4 Spotted Sandpiper 2 Western Grebes 1 Red-tailed Hawk Other species noted: Eared Grebes, Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, Canada Geese, Mallards, Gadwall (two broods), American Coots, Snow Geese (injured birds from the hunt this Spring) Western Kingbirds, Barn Swallows,Horned Larks, Common Grackles, Franklin's Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls. Enjoy your birding Bob L Regina [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Great Crested Flycatcher
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:18:17 -0000

Greetings folks, This morning, Craig & Lorienne Salisbury reported seeing 2 Great Crested Flycatchers at Meewasin Park. They also had a Chestnut-sided Warbler at Cosmo Park. I was out with Gord Crockford again today, and we dipped on the Cuckoo that may have moved on. We had hoped to get better looks at this bird in calmer weather. At Meewasin Park this afternoon we had a number of Warbler species including : Blackpoll, Northern Waterthrush, Wilson's, Yellow, Orange-crowned & Tennessee. Earlier at Blackstrap I had what looked like a probable Philadelphia Vireo. Cheers, Nick Saskatoon
Subject: Swift Current
From: M A <dudra.m AT sasktel.net>
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:06:53 -0600

This morning Ron J phoned me at 7:39AM to tell me there was a Great Blue Heron at the trout pond (at the intersection of the #1 & #32 highways.) He called because when I was talking to him yesterday, I told him I had not seen a Canadian sighting of a GB Heron yet this year. So... by 8:00AM I was on the highway heading to the pond. En route, I saw Franklin's Gulls, 1 Black-billed Magpie, 1 Eastern Kingbird, American Robins, Common Grackles, & 2 Nuttall's Cottontails chasing each other and that was still in the City, before I even got on the highway!! Once on the highway, I also saw 1 Swainson's Hawk sitting on a power pole & a flock of 200+ Franklin's Gulls circling about over the road. When I first got to the pond, I didn't see any GB Heron... just Mallards, 1 Double-crested Cormorant (swimming), 2 Killdeer, & 2 Spotted Sandpipers. Just as I was leaving, I decided to go down the trail along the pond a bit so I could see the area on the other side of the cattails -- the grass, weeds, etc. growing in the middle and along the sides of the trail were much taller than the Honda's clearance. Low and behold... there was my Great Blue Heron!! (My Honda hasn't forgiven me yet... not even after pulling long chunks of grass and weeds out of the bumper and front tire area.) I started heading for home, but decided to take another road along a grassy sometimes marshy area (actually along the old #1 highway.) Just before I turned off the highway, there was a Swainson's Hawk sitting on a road sign. As I turned off the one grid road, and headed east down the old #1 Hwy, sitting on some bales near the intersection were 75+ Yellow-headed Blackbirds (including this year's young) -- there was a variety of plumages. On the ground beside one of the bales were 7 Gray Partridges & 3 Western Meadowlarks, and on the fence alongside the road, a lone Vesper Sparrow. 0.3 kilometres down the road is a slough / marsh area on the edge of a farm... not a lot there right now, but there were 3 Canada Geese, 3 Mallards, 4 Canvasbacks, 1 Swainson's Hawk (sitting in a tree), 1 Ring-billed Gull, 3 Mourning Doves, & a flock of 32 Blackbirds on the powerline behind the farm. The next 2 kilometres, east to the main "Lac Pelletier" grid, there were only a few Mallards, Blue-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, 1 Double-crested Cormorant (flying), American Coots, & a number of Franklin's Gulls (flying). With all the rain we have had, there is still a fair amount of water in this grassy area (some years, the water is gone by the end of April... but this has been a very wet summer.) A couple guys from the City were out on an all-terrain vehicle, all suited up in protective gear, adding a mosquito deterrent to the water. (I have negative feelings about that!) Just as I drove over the railroad tracks, heading for home, I saw a Swainson's Hawk sitting on a power pole near the intersection. When I got home, I went to record my Great Blue Heron... and saw I had already marked it off for the year! Oh, yes, I remembered just then that I had seen one from a bit of a distance away when we went looking for Burrowing Owls (that we never did find) in July. Oh, well... This was still a good way to spend an hour of my morning and I had a much better and close up viewing of this Great Blue Heron today! This afternoon, I decided to go to the SPARC (Research Station) grounds for a bit of Sunday afternoon relaxation... That area used to be the pride and joy of the City (our very own urban forest!!) and it was the pride of those who worked and lived there. Now there isn't anyone living there... the last worker living on-site moved off in the past few months. There is a good number of people employed there, but I don't think anyone really truly cares how the place looks anymore. It sure doesn't seem that way... lots of broken trees, dead fall, weeds, and just a general state of unkempt. Give it another year or two and it will take a lot of work to bring it back (I know nature isn't tidy, and that is the way forests are meant to be enjoyed, but this isn't a forest and I am sure that when it gets too bad that will be when they decide to knock it all down... seems to be the going mentality these days! I sure hope I am wrong!!) Sorry... I'd better get off my soap box before I fall off it. I still enjoyed myself in there, but it is sad that 'they' could let it go to the extent it has. The place is in need of some TLC. I didn't see a lot but then I didn't get out of the vehicle too much... I wasn't wearing proper walking shoes (having 'feet issues' so too much walking right now is not an option), and there is still enough smoke in the air to send my lungs twitching and my eyes puffing up and watering. I was there for a little over an hour and saw 2 Great Blue Herons (flying), 5 Swainson's Hawks (including 3 juveniles laying on top of a round bale), 100+ Franklin's Gulls, a few Ring-billed Gulls, 1 Mourning Dove, 1 Empidonax flycatcher, 16 Black-billed Magpies (including a flock of hassling the large flock of Crows), at least 51 American Crows (2 singles, and a large flock of at least 49 Crows!!!), at least 4 or 5 Red-breasted Nuthatches (heard only), Cedar Waxwings (including juveniles), 20+ Chipping Sparrows (and heard several more!), a few House Finches, & 1 Richardson's Ground Squirrel. Now I know where all my Chipping Sparrows are hanging out!! When I did get out to go in search of what I expected to be Chipping Sparrows, I had to walk through some tall weeds... and ended up covered in burrs!! Sheesh! They were Chipping Sparrows, so at least it wasn't all for naught. LOL! From there, I headed to the Filtration Plant Reservoir... not too much out there right now. I did see 1 Mallard, 3 Eared Grebes, 1 Double-crested Cormorant (flying), 1 Swainson's Hawk (flying over the area), a number of Franklin's Gulls (adults & juveniles), a few Ring-billed Gulls (one carrying a huge crayfish!!), 2 Northern Flickers, 1 Empidonax flycatcher, a few Cliff Swallows, 15-20 Brewer's Blackbirds, & 15+ Common Grackles. Our yard was unnaturally quiet today... almost makes me wonder if the Sharp-shinned Hawk isn't lurking about. It only livened up late this evening when the Purple Martins returned to the gourds to roost!!! They were very vocal as they flew in and discussed who got what 'room' tonight!!! LOL! Happy birding everyone... - Mary Ann, Swift Current, SK 50° 17' 00" N - 107° 48' 00" W http://dudrl.sasktelwebsite.net
Subject: Migratory visitors.
From: "Gordon Taylor" <gr.taylor AT shaw.ca>
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:48:36 -0600

Today was a good day to have time to sit and watch the activity around our pond. The warblers were numerous and varied. they included Orange-crowned, Tennessee,Yellow,Yellow-rumped, Black-and-white, Wilson's and a Northern Waterthrush( Yellow coloured) Another visitor was a Common Nighthawk who did several circuits over our back yard. The pond saw lots of bathing parties with water spraying everywhere. Gordon Taylor in Saskatoon. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Re: Chaplin Marshes
From: "Val T" <val_doyle_thomas AT hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:42:56 -0000

Bob, we didn't see any White-faced Ibis and we spent quite a long time at the location (about four hours). Well you know how extensive the area is so they could be anywhere in the hundreds of square miles of water and reeds but this is the first year we missed seeing them. Val --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, tsb2001 AT ... wrote: > > Val > How many White faced Ibis did you see? I am curious about whether they nested at this location this year. > > Enjoy your birding > Bob > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Val T > To: Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com > Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 11:18 PM >
Subject: Re: Chaplin Marshes
From: tsb2001 AT sasktel.net
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:40:49 -0600

Val How many White faced Ibis did you see? I am curious about whether they nested at this location this year. Enjoy your birding Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: Val T To: Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 11:18 PM Subject: [Saskbirds] Chaplin Marshes We left early this morning for the Chaplin Marshes. Since this is our fourth or fifth year to go there we decided to go 'the back way' from Moose Jaw heading west instead of Shamrock heading east. Well using our expertise had us going south of Moose Jaw and finally onto a gravel road heading west and in other words, not knowing where in the heck we were. It must have been a fate thing though as we came across 14 Sandhill Cranes beside the road. We eventually found our way to #363 and headed west. From there I knew the road to take north and voila, we made it. I had four wishes to add to our year's list - Black-crowned Heron, Black-necked Stilt, American Bittern and White-faced Ibis. We managed to see the first three. In fact, some large brown bird flew into the reeds halfway along the trail and we didn't identify it. Doyle got out of the car and clapped his hands and out flew six Black-crowned Herons in their black and white glory, our mystery bird stayed put. At the very west end of the cells there were 10 juvenile Black-crowned Herons along the water pond or sitting on the railings of the bridge. Also there was an American Bittern along the water and a Great-blue Heron flew up from under the bridge. We saw three large groups of American Pelicans - one being around 300, one 150 and the last 100. There was a boat with a couple of management staff out and they had set up several cages in a shallow area of the water but quite far out. The cages would attract lots of ducks to swim in and the staff in turn would get the ducks into a smaller cage, a few at a time, and (walking) take it to the boat. We couldn't quite make out with our binoculars what they were doing with each one before releasing them, perhaps banding? Homemade lunches always taste better out on the road so on our way heading back east we stopped at a crossing between cells where there was a good display of birds. I parked facing the water and we watched five Black-necked Stilts plus thousands of Long-billed Dowitchers, hundreds of American Avocets plus Willets and lots of gulls. Several Common Terns and American Pelicans were flying about also. It was really enjoyable. Six Swainson's Hawks and two Northern Harriers were our only hawk sightings for the day. There are literally thousands of waterfowl there yet. We arrived back home just after 6:00 p.m. - a twelve-hour day that was extremely hot when out but we did venture out a bit. Doyle has sciatica and can't do too much walking right now. Everything is a highlight of course but just noted some of the highlight highlights :-). Val and Doyle T - McTaggart [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Re: burrowing owls
From: Scott Manly <manlyrs AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:08:17 -0700 (PDT)

YES!! I am interested! Please let me know where to go! Is this far from Moose Jaw? I have been out of town for much of this summer, in different places. In Cypress Hills (Centre Block) last Thursday, I watched a nice Northern Goshawk eye a very aggitated Red Squirrel as the Squirrel ran up and down the same tree. Hope you are doing well. Blessings, Scott ________________________________ From: Bill & Lynne McDonald To: Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Sun, August 22, 2010 10:55:49 AM Subject: [Saskbirds] burrowing owls Â Lynne and I saw a pair of burrowing owls north of the Yara Fertilizer Plant (formerly Saskferco) at Belle Plaine. One on a fence appeared to be immature as its plumage was quite ruffled. The second one was flying and landed in the pasture. We couldn't tell if it was at a nest site or if it spotted some prey. We can give detailed directions if anyone is interested. Bill, Moose Jaw [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: burrowing owls
From: Bill & Lynne McDonald <bl.mcdonald AT sasktel.net>
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:55:49 -0600

Lynne and I saw a pair of burrowing owls north of the Yara Fertilizer Plant (formerly Saskferco) at Belle Plaine. One on a fence appeared to be immature as its plumage was quite ruffled. The second one was flying and landed in the pasture. We couldn't tell if it was at a nest site or if it spotted some prey. We can give detailed directions if anyone is interested. Bill, Moose Jaw [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Wablers in AE Wilson Park
From: "Brett" <bquiring AT sasktel.net>
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:01:41 -0000

This morning in AE Wilson Park I had quite a large number of Warblers. Most were Orange-crowned (10-15) and a few Yellows, however I did find one Wilson's and one Chestnut-sided. Also a couple days ago, I had a pair of Tennessee Warblers and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak in my yard. Brett Quiring Regina
Subject: Chaplin Marshes
From: "Val T" <val_doyle_thomas AT hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 05:18:24 -0000

We left early this morning for the Chaplin Marshes. Since this is our fourth or fifth year to go there we decided to go 'the back way' from Moose Jaw heading west instead of Shamrock heading east. Well using our expertise had us going south of Moose Jaw and finally onto a gravel road heading west and in other words, not knowing where in the heck we were. It must have been a fate thing though as we came across 14 Sandhill Cranes beside the road. We eventually found our way to #363 and headed west. From there I knew the road to take north and voila, we made it. I had four wishes to add to our year's list - Black-crowned Heron, Black-necked Stilt, American Bittern and White-faced Ibis. We managed to see the first three. In fact, some large brown bird flew into the reeds halfway along the trail and we didn't identify it. Doyle got out of the car and clapped his hands and out flew six Black-crowned Herons in their black and white glory, our mystery bird stayed put. At the very west end of the cells there were 10 juvenile Black-crowned Herons along the water pond or sitting on the railings of the bridge. Also there was an American Bittern along the water and a Great-blue Heron flew up from under the bridge. We saw three large groups of American Pelicans - one being around 300, one 150 and the last 100. There was a boat with a couple of management staff out and they had set up several cages in a shallow area of the water but quite far out. The cages would attract lots of ducks to swim in and the staff in turn would get the ducks into a smaller cage, a few at a time, and (walking) take it to the boat. We couldn't quite make out with our binoculars what they were doing with each one before releasing them, perhaps banding? Homemade lunches always taste better out on the road so on our way heading back east we stopped at a crossing between cells where there was a good display of birds. I parked facing the water and we watched five Black-necked Stilts plus thousands of Long-billed Dowitchers, hundreds of American Avocets plus Willets and lots of gulls. Several Common Terns and American Pelicans were flying about also. It was really enjoyable. Six Swainson's Hawks and two Northern Harriers were our only hawk sightings for the day. There are literally thousands of waterfowl there yet. We arrived back home just after 6:00 p.m. - a twelve-hour day that was extremely hot when out but we did venture out a bit. Doyle has sciatica and can't do too much walking right now. Everything is a highlight of course but just noted some of the highlight highlights :-). Val and Doyle T - McTaggart
Subject: Cattle and Great Egret at Lanigan Creek
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 03:46:58 -0000

This evening I received a telephone call and text messages from Al Smith and Daniel Giesbrecht out at the Last Mountain Lake Banding Station and bird observatory. Today they were birding Lanigan Creek which is on the north side of the lake and had an amazing 5 Heron Bonanza : They report a group of Cattle Egret, American Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Blue Heron and a lone Great Egret. Cheers, Nick Saskatoon
Subject: new migrants trickling through
From: "rebel_xsrm" <rebel-xs AT hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 02:46:48 -0000

Hi all, This week at King's Park I checked the area during a couple free evenings.Although it was slow for the most part I had a few nice sightings. New for me this fall were: American Redstart 3,1 male Wilson's Warber,1 female Mourning,1 Tennessee,1 Common Nighthawk,1 Olive sided Flycatcher. Other birds seen that I may have neglected to mention last time were Downy and Hairy woodpecker,Belted Kingfisher,Brown Thrasher,Gray Catbird,Great Horned Owl.Waterfowl included Canvasback,Redhead,American Coot,Blue winged Teal,Gadwall,Pied Bill Grebe,Northern Shoveler.Also 1 Spotted Sandpiper. A vocal and outgoing Sora Rail continues to be seen at the bog area in addition to some Northern Waterthrush.I also saw a mystery bird perched atop a dead branch here which I am at a loss to identify so far. I checked the display ponds this evening and not much going on there either.I managed to pish a Northern Waterthrush out for some looks. There was an Olive sided Flycatcher on the edge of the marsh perched atop a Willow.I was able to photograph the bird catching and consuming a fly.:-) Have a nice weekend folks, Rocky, Regina
Subject: Birding to Luck Lake from Saskatoon.
From: "Gordon Taylor" <gr.taylor AT shaw.ca>
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 20:32:31 -0600

Each year Reta and I donate a day of birding as a silent auction item at the Saskatoon Inner City Pre-School Foundation' fund raising banquet. Yesterday we spent the day with the winning people and found 78 species of birds. Everyone had highlights fo the day. We spotted two Great Blue Herons, 200+ Sandhill Cranes, thousands of ducks and hundreds of American Coots. We found two falcons-- the American Kestrel and a Merlin. We saw 15+ each of Red-Tailed and Swainson's Hawks,One Sharp-shinned Hawk,One Cooper's Hawk and one Northern Harrier. The only plovers were 8 Kildeers. Sandpipers included 100+ Greater Yellow-legs, 100+ Lesser Yellowlegs,six Willets, fifty Sanderlings, ten Least Sandpipers, six White-rumped Sandpipers, ten+ each of Long-billed and Short-billed Dowitchers and hundreds of Wilson's Phalaropes. Highlights at the Gardener Dam Interpretive Center were Orange-crowned Warblers, Yellow Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Philadelphia Vireo. Blackbirds were in mixed flocks all along the route with all species represented. The music and dancing of the Sandhill Cranes were the highlight for me. Today we had Northern Waterthrush, Yellow Warblers and Northern Flickers frequenting our back yard. A Baltimore Oriole joined the crowd this afternoon. Good birding everyone. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Black-throated Green Warbler
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 23:17:58 -0000

Lou and Alison Baudru from here in town, reported seeing a Black-throated Green Warbler on a jaunt out to Pike Lake with Frank Roy today. I have still yet to see this species in Saskatoon ! Cheers, Nick
Subject: Black-billed Cuckoo
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 23:12:46 -0000

Good evening all, This afternoon , Gord Crockford and I toured the south end of Blackstrap where a BBCU had been seen a few days earlier by Pete Hardie. After a little searching, we noticed the bird flying low into some dense shrubs, then re-located it where it was gleaning a few insects , before flying off once again, this time to the bushes close to the lake edge. This is a pretty nice,late new year bird to add to once's list if you missed one in early summer. The lake was covered in fall plumage ducks, Common Terns, Red-necked, Pied-billed and Horned Grebe's and about 30 Pelicans. Warbling Vireos were still present and calling ,as were Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Kingbird, Gray Catbird and Least Flycatcher. We counted what must have been over 15 Red-tailed Hawks on power poles and haybales on the way home. Cheers, Nick S'toon
Subject: Toads toads and more toads
From: M A <dudra.m AT sasktel.net>
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:47:13 -0600

I know this isn't a bird sighting or RFID, but we're all naturalists and have an appreciation of nature, so are likely interested in the amphibian critters as well. One of the guys Larry works with reported seeing lots of Toads... 1000's of Toads all over the road south of Fox Valley on August 12. Another co-worker had seen the same thing a few days before. A third co-worker was called out on a trouble call August 15 and said they were still many many toads all over the road!!! Has anyone heard of this, and what toad species do you think it could be? - Mary Ann and Larry, Swift Current, SK 50° 17' 00" N - 107° 48' 00" W http://dudrl.sasktelwebsite.net
Subject: Reed Lake (Aug 15)
From: M A <dudra.m AT sasktel.net>
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:38:17 -0600

Last weekend (August 15), Larry and I went for a drive to Reed Lake. at Morse. Along the way, we saw *a few Ducks, 4 Swainson's Hawks, 1 Ferruginous Hawk, 2 unidentified Hawks, & 1 American Crow*. We stopped to check out a water body just off the road immediately south of the town of Herbert -- and saw *Mallards, Blue-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, 1 Swainson's Hawk, 1 unidentified Hawk, American Coots, 2 American Avocets, 3 Willets, 16 Wilson's Phalaropes, 1 Eastern Kingbird, 3 American Crows, 2 Barn Swallows, & a couple Red-winged Blackbirds*. At Reed Lake, we saw: *a few Canada Geese Mallards 2 Double-crested Cormorants 1 Northern Harrier American Coots 2 Semipalmated Plovers 3 Killdeer 16 Black-necked Stilts (including 5 young... 4 with one pair, plus 1 with another pair-- my first BNST since 2007, at Herbert) lots of American Avocets (adults & young) Spotted Sandpipers several Willets Lesser Yellowlegs Marbled Godwits Sanderlings Semipalmated Sandpipers Baird's Sandpipers Wilson's Phalaropes Red-necked Phalaropes many many peeps... couldn't ID all of them (lots of heat waves) several Franklin's Gulls (incl. juveniles) a few Ring-billed Gulls (incl. juveniles) at least 5 California Gulls Barn Swallows House Sparrows* In the pond between the TransCanada Highway and the service road just west of Morse, we saw *Mallards, 1 Black-crowned Night Heron (my first BCNH since 2007!), American Coots, & Eared Grebes*. On our return trip home, we saw *2 Mallards (at Waldeck), 1 Pied-billed Grebe (at Waldeck), 3 Swainson's Hawks, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 2 unidentified Hawks, & Franklin's Gulls*. Oddly enough, we did not see any Blackbirds in our travels that day, with the exception of the 2 RW Blackbirds at Herbert. - Mary Ann and Larry, Swift Current, SK 50° 17' 00" N - 107° 48' 00" W http://dudrl.sasktelwebsite.net
Subject: Swift Current area (northwest to Success)
From: M A <dudra.m AT sasktel.net>
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:30:22 -0600

The drive to and from work is also yielding a good number of hawks now... *several Northern Harriers, Swainson's Hawks, & Red-tailed Hawks* are sitting on hay bales, fence posts, power poles, and/or flying. There also *at least 3 or 4 flocks of 200-300 Franklin's Gulls per flock* during the drive to and from work each day!!* Pronghorn* are starting to form larger groups... there are still some singles, but we're starting to see small herds of 2-25 or 30 now. Out at work, we have 'the usuals' as well... *1 or 2 Swainson's Hawks Franklin's Gulls a few Killdeer a number of Mourning Doves Western Kingbirds Eastern Kingbirds **1 Empidonax flycatcher **Black-billed Magpies American Crows American Robins European Starlings Red-winged Blackbirds Western Meadowlarks Brewer's Blackbirds Brown-headed Cowbirds Common Grackles & House Sparrows *... as well as *several Richardson's Ground Squirrels & Red Foxes*. August 18, *2 Barn Swallows* were in hot (and noisy) pursuit of a *Merlin*!!! Speaking of the Barn Swallows, they are now busy feeding their second batch of nestlings... looks like there are at least 5 young in the nest. They hatched about 10 or 12 days ago. August 17, we had *2 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (females /or immatures)* out at work. They were checking out our summer student's flower garden (particularly the blooming Nasturtiums!) We only seen the hummers the one day. This week, we were noticing something new in the backyard at work... *Northern Pocket Gopher diggings*!!! It is very nice to see so many sloughs and dugouts filled with water... Some spots haven't had water in them in years, not even right after the spring melts. The waterfowl and shorebirds should have had a good summer this year! It doesn't take much of a rain now to have water laying around... the local water tables certainly benefited from all the moisture! - Mary Ann and Larry, Swift Current, SK 50° 17' 00" N - 107° 48' 00" W http://dudrl.sasktelwebsite.net
Subject: Swift Current
From: M A <dudra.m AT sasktel.net>
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:23:49 -0600

We haven't had too much in the way of 'new excitement' in our yard, the past couple weeks during the so called "Dog Days of Summer". Rain seems to be an almost every day or so occurrence around here! Right now we have smoke...but even that isn't as bad as it was yesterday. We have been seeing 'the usuals'.... with a lot of baby activity continuing in our yard and immediate neighbourhood! We have been seeing and enjoying: 200+ Franklin's Gulls (flying over the neighbourhood most days) a few Rock Pigeons (flying over) 2 Mourning Doves 1 female Downy Woodpecker (just showed up this morning) a least 2 or 3 Northern Flickers (including 1 young) 5 Western Kingbirds (including 3 young) 2 Eastern Kingbirds 1 Empidonax flycatcher (likely the Least Flycatcher... there's been at least one around all summer) 3 or 4 Black-billed Magpies 5 or 6 American Crows Purple Martins 1 or 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches at least 2 House Wrens lots of American Robins (with young of varying ages/ stages) 2 Gray Catbirds (1 young) 20 or so Cedar Waxwings (including at least 12 young) at least 2 Yellow Warblers Common Grackles 2 young Baltimore Orioles House Finches (including a number of young) Pine Siskins (with a number of young) at least 2 pairs of American Goldfinches plus at least 2 recent fledglings too many House Sparrows (with several young) & 2 Nuttall's Cottontails (1 young, 1 adult) The Purple Martins have all fledged now... most (or all?) returning to the gourds to roost each night. There were at least 4 nesting pairs so with 4 or 5 young per gourd, we have at least 20 young. There have been at least 10 - 12 adults around all summer so the yard gets quite noisy when they all come in to roost at the last light of day. Not a bad year for nesting right in our yard... 2 pairs of Tree Swallows, at least 4 pairs of Purple Martins, and 1 pair of House Wrens all successfully fledged their families. We also had several other species nesting next door on either side of us and some in the neighbours nearby and across the street. The chokecherry trees are in berry now, so the Robins and Cedar Waxwings are gorging themselves!! Even the Flickers, Catbirds, Grackles and House Finches are taking part in the feasting. There are still some Saskatoons left as well, so life is good right now if you're a fruit-loving bird! Early morning (5:00AM) August 16, I stepped outside and listened to 2 Common Nighthawks as they hunted over the neighbourhood. This past week, I also heard Coyotes howling two different mornings (around 4:30-5:00AM) -- they sounded fairly close to the City. August 19, there were at least 60-70 Blackbirds on a couple lawns on the street along the far north edge of the City (Battleford Trail) when I was coming home from work. Late yesterday afternoon, there were also at least 10 Common Grackles on the next door neighbour's front lawn. The Swainson's Hawk pair continue to hang around near the highway intersection on the north end of the City. I am waiting to see the 2 young hawklettes (nesting in some trees near that intersection) our bander friend banded a month or so ago. The 2 Northern Harriers continue to hunt over the pasture just to the north of Battleford Trail, and sometimes are hunting right along the north edge of that street!! Cool!! All week, there have been 5-10 American Crows hanging along Battleford Trail -- on front lawns and on light standards. There have also been 2 Swainson's Hawks sitting on power poles along 11th Av NW every day when I go to work in the morning, and often when I am returning home in the late afternoon. We are noticing the absence of native sparrows... haven't seen nor heard the Clay-colored nor the Chipping Sparrows for awhile now. We are still waiting for our Hummingbirds... haven't had one in our yard yet this summer (or at least not while we've been home or watching.) We put up a bat house this year but have not seen any activity around it yet (other than Robins and Purple Martins using it as another place to perch on!) - Mary Ann and Larry, Swift Current, SK 50° 17' 00" N - 107° 48' 00" W http://dudrl.sasktelwebsite.net
Subject: Connecticut Warbler...
From: "gwapple2001" <gswap AT sasktel.net>
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:44:17 -0000

Fellow Birders, Sorry for the late posting, but since it was only yesterday, that's something for me! Sandra and I were out late at Folkfest on Thursday night. It was our first time at the event in nearly 20 years, and we had a fun time with our old neighbours Guy and Susan. We started at the German pavilion. Following last fall's tragic arson of the Concordia Club, it is outside under tents this year. While sitting outside enjoying a Beck's beer, I managed to see a Swainson's Hawk, at least two Eastern Kingbirds and several Franklin's Gulls! Another highlight here was a random Don Weidl encounter! For those of you who may not know, Don is a long-time friend and excellent birder that was part of our Costa Rica adventure back in 2008. We then made the short drive to the Exhibition grounds where the Ukrainian, Caribbean, Philippino, Scottish and Greek pavilions are located. We ended up closing them down at 2300 and had lots of fun. After getting up yesterday morning (Aug. 20), I had to sit on the computer and get concert tickets for our daughter Morgan. [Typical Wapple Sidebar: For those not in the loop, she and Brandon are in London (ON!) attending a National Lutheran/Anglican youth gathering for a few days.] She was very happy to learn (when I texted her), that I was able to get the tickets for one of her fave bands. After that, I was out in the yard for close to an hour of weeding, deadheading flowers, etc. and of course watchin' for birds. In spite of the distinct smoke smell and haze, there was a fair amount of activity, especially in our heavily-laden Schubert Cherry trees (Robins, Cedars, etc.). However, there was some disappointment in the lack of warblers which I was hoping for. However, just before I went in at 1045 my attention was drawn to the east side of the yard. Well to be honest it was my neighbour's yard! There was a familiar metallic "chink" resonating from the other side of the fence. While I was confident the bird in question was a Northern Waterthrush I wanted to make sure. I walked across the deck, and then stood on the bench portion so I could have a good angle looking down into Barry's yard. Indeed I soon discovered that there was not one, but two waterthrushes! Eventually both birds appeared, giving me some awesome looks down to 4 metres. They even walked along the fence a few times, tail bobbing and calling constantly. After a couple of minutes of alternate fence walking and foraging in Barry's apple tree, they were joined by a silent third yellowish bird deep in the branches. With some patience (and frustrating half-looks!), the skulker finally decided to co-operate and popped into view. It turned out to be a first fall Connecticut Warbler---a bonus year bird!!! From distances down to 3 m, the bird alternately perched and foraged in the apple tree for several minutes, before making a brief flight down onto the ground underneath our Ninebark shrub. From there, it worked its way west between the shrub and the north fence. I soon lost sight of the CONW amongst the Lily-Of-The-Valley jungle beneath our seven Brandon Cedars that border the fence. Upon reviewing the various books in my library as soon as I got back in the house, the bird most closely resembled the fall (a) bird illustrated on Pg. 87 in Dunn and Garrett's excellent Peterson Warbler guide. For the record, while every birder has their own standards, I count a species as a "yard" bird if it is seen or heard from our property, whether the bird is in the neighbours trees and never 'technically' enters our lot, or is observed flying over. Obviously, some birds (for example Red-tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, Sandhill Crane and Common Nighthawk) have never perched in our yard proper, but are on the list as "fly-overs". Most of the other passerines on the list---which I promise to add up some day before I die!---have eventually made their way onto our property. Other species present in or around the yard today (up to 1215 hrs) included: Merlin - 1; Blue Jay - 2; Purple Martin - 5+; B-c Chick - 5+; R-b Nut - 1; Am Robin - 10+; Ced Wxwg - 15+; O-c Warb - 1; Yellow Warb - 1; Chip Sprw - 2; Purple Finch - 2; Pine Siskin - 5+; Am Gold - 5+ and House Sprw - 5+. Cheers, Guy, S'toon
Subject: Trossachs
From: "Val T" <val_doyle_thomas AT hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 02:33:55 -0000

We've been so slack in our birding commitments this year. We drove to Trossachs area tonight and were happy to once again see an Eastern Phoebe in the same area for the fourth year now and also a Gray Catbird. There are lots of Eastern Kingbirds along the fencelines. The sloughs west of there contained mainly Blue-winged Teal and quite a few Pied-billed Grebes. Northern Harriers numbered about six on our drive. We saw quite a few other things. The BC smoke is really noticeable. It made for a nice red sun show. Val and Doyle T - McTaggart
Subject: Matador Area
From: "zedbander" <danzaz AT sasktel.net>
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:12:34 -0000

I haven't been seeing Cooper's Hawks this summer - not too surprising since they don't seem to nest here every year. Stoffel saw just a couple of accipiters in his travels all over the province tagging vultures in August. However, a female Cooper's Hawk, in good condition (547 grams with fat deposits), showed up here yesterday - with partially moulted wing feathers and orange eyes, most likely a second year bird. Both nests of Swainson's Hawks in our yard have finally fledged. The nest of three were out of the nest two weeks ago, while the nest of two in the conifer were roosting elsewhere on Monday. Yesterday, one of the east pair adults dropped a gopher onto the round bale where 4K (male) and 5K(female) were roosting. 5K immediately claimed the gopher and spent the next hour picking away at it, ignoring the baler which passed close by several times. Unfortunately, two of the chicks, one from each nest, have disappeared already - those first few days of flying are especially dangerous and West Nile is deadly for young Swainsons. Last night I watched a juvenile Swainson's (unbanded) as it jumped down off a fencepost about a mile from our yard and came back up to its post with a fairly large Garter Snake. After not ever having seen a Swainson's Hawk with a snake before, this is the sixth snake this year that I've seen a SWHA catch or eat in a nest. Do they always catch a lot of snakes, or is there an abundance of snakes this year? I don't know. Anyway, the hawk worked enthusiastically at the thickest part of the snake and bit the head a couple of times, but after five minutes the snake was still alive, as the hawk apparently was not yet strong enough to kill the snake quickly. For a couple of weeks after the kestrels fledged, all five of the juveniles hung around together along the fencelines near the south dam. The little male and one of the females are still there, but there is no sign of the other three females. The adult female is back on territory near the nestbox, but I haven't seen the adult male. I don't know if this is normal dispersal behavior or whether something has happened to them. I tend to blame West Nile a lot for disappearances at this time of year, but I think these little nasty-biting mosquitoes that have shown up lately may be culex tarsalis. Dan Matador, Sk
Subject: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:59:59 -0000

Morning all. We just had a male RTHU in our backyard..and I shamefully have to admit , I have not had a chance to put out a feeder yet !, So I'll do that before I hit the sack. Cheers, Nick Saskatoon
Subject: Re: Northern Parula
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:51:27 -0000

Sorry you couldn't relocate Ryan. Who knows where it might be by now. Today our yard had visits from a few migrants: Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1 female at the Elder shrub Least Flycatcher - 1 Tennessee Warbler - 2 Orange-crowned Warbler - 1 Cheers, Nick S'toon --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, "Ryan Dudragne" wrote: > > This evening after work I searched the area for about an hour and failed to relocate the bird in question. It was pretty quiet, except for one uncooperative Dendroica warbler, a Pine Siskin, a couple of pigeons, robins and a mixed flock of House Finch/Sparrow. > > Best of Birding, > > Ryan Dudragne > Saskatoon, SK > > --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, "nikovich71" wrote: > > > > Good morning all, > > > > At the intersection between 8th St.and Saskatchewan Crescent, while trawling one of the back-alleys 2 days ago, I saw an adult male Northern Parula. This was made most evident to me by the orange throat band , distinct white eye crescents and yellow-throat. > > At first glance I thought I was looking at a Magnolia Warbler, but looking through my guides to cross-off certain field marks, the only thing this could have been would be a male Parula. > > The bird had been bathing in a rain puddle and quickly flew to the top of the tree canopy. > > I have never seen this species before so it made for a nice lifer during a pretty barren couple of weeks of not actively birding! > > > > There might be a slither of hope that it is still around. Many of the alleyways in that part of Sask Crescent have fountains and swimming pools, which I'm sure helped attract many of the Warblers I saw that day. > > > > Cheers, > > > > Nick > > > > http://www.saskbirder.com > > >
Subject: Re: Northern Parula
From: "Ryan Dudragne" <pl8guy AT sasktel.net>
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:28:26 -0000

This evening after work I searched the area for about an hour and failed to relocate the bird in question. It was pretty quiet, except for one uncooperative Dendroica warbler, a Pine Siskin, a couple of pigeons, robins and a mixed flock of House Finch/Sparrow. Best of Birding, Ryan Dudragne Saskatoon, SK --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, "nikovich71" wrote: > > Good morning all, > > At the intersection between 8th St.and Saskatchewan Crescent, while trawling one of the back-alleys 2 days ago, I saw an adult male Northern Parula. This was made most evident to me by the orange throat band , distinct white eye crescents and yellow-throat. > At first glance I thought I was looking at a Magnolia Warbler, but looking through my guides to cross-off certain field marks, the only thing this could have been would be a male Parula. > The bird had been bathing in a rain puddle and quickly flew to the top of the tree canopy. > I have never seen this species before so it made for a nice lifer during a pretty barren couple of weeks of not actively birding! > > There might be a slither of hope that it is still around. Many of the alleyways in that part of Sask Crescent have fountains and swimming pools, which I'm sure helped attract many of the Warblers I saw that day. > > Cheers, > > Nick > > http://www.saskbirder.com >
Subject: Northern Parula
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:10:32 -0000

Good morning all, At the intersection between 8th St.and Saskatchewan Crescent, while trawling one of the back-alleys 2 days ago, I saw an adult male Northern Parula. This was made most evident to me by the orange throat band , distinct white eye crescents and yellow-throat. At first glance I thought I was looking at a Magnolia Warbler, but looking through my guides to cross-off certain field marks, the only thing this could have been would be a male Parula. The bird had been bathing in a rain puddle and quickly flew to the top of the tree canopy. I have never seen this species before so it made for a nice lifer during a pretty barren couple of weeks of not actively birding! There might be a slither of hope that it is still around. Many of the alleyways in that part of Sask Crescent have fountains and swimming pools, which I'm sure helped attract many of the Warblers I saw that day. Cheers, Nick http://www.saskbirder.com
Subject: Buck Lake
From: tsb2001 AT sasktel.net
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:32:53 -0600

I rarely travel to Buck Lake as what is currently happening there with the turf farm makes me angry. Because of the extraordinary precipitation this year, this kettle remains at last year low levels instead of being completely drained. These are 'some' of the numbers and species observed this evening. 70+ Killdeer (This is one of best locations for fall gatherings of this species near Regina. It is quite possible that there were at least 100 birds here. Because of the taller vegetation around the edge, I may have missed many birds.) 2 Semipalmated Plovers. 400++ Phalarope species. There may have been 500+ birds here as they were active in flight and were also scattered covering much of this wetland. The vast majority of these were Wilson's based upon their distinctive more uniform greyer basic plumage, size including longer bills and necks, and very obvious clean white rump observed when in flight.. These birds were active at times flushing in groups and flying about at times and then resettling.. There were a few Red-necked Phalaropes in the mix. Check the plumage differences between these species including the differences in rump pattern. 16 Dowitcher species with a least two vocal distinctive plumaged very probable hendersoni Short-billed Dowitchers in the mix. 7 Least Sandpipers 1 Greater Yellowlegs 1 Lesser Yellowlegs 2 Upland Sandpipers 2 Spotted Sandpipers 15 Snow Geese. These birds are cripples remaining from the spring hunt. 1 Western Kingbird 2 Great Horned Owls-duetting at dusk from a traditional nesting spot, a wooded farmyard near the Lake. Enjoy your birding Bob L Regina [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Re: Black-necked Stilts nest at Reed Lake
From: s w <plantman108 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:39:42 -0700 (PDT)

Thanks Bob. I had just noticed the one family group with 4 juv. the day I was there. Steven Weir Regina,Sk ________________________________ From: "tsb2001 AT sasktel.net" To: Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com Cc: Alan Smith ; Greg Kratzig Sent: Tue, August 17, 2010 7:45:35 PM Subject: [Saskbirds] Black-necked Stilts nest at Reed Lake Â On August 10, Myrna and Joel Preibe report a sighting of two family groups of Black-necked Stilts (each with four juveniles) west of the dike road at Reed Lake along the north side.. I am uncertain if these were reported earlier by Steven or Stephane or others? Bob L Regina [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Shorebird counts and nesting distribution
From: Gyorgy Szimuly/WorldWaders <gyorgy.szimuly AT worldwaders.org>
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:03:53 +0200

Dear Birders, Thanks to the kind moderators I had a chance to follow birding news and reporting from birders of Saskatchewan. Me, as a completely outsider, in geographical meaning only, could get a nice picture of your activity and birds. Thanks for it. When I started to develop the WorldWaders database (http://www.worldwaders.org) for shorebirds, I dreamed to have so many active users and collaborators who help to grow this global initiative big. some of you have already joined and I am more than grateful for that. You made an excellent job. The journey is long but our supporters help to spread the word and help to include more and more sites and more and more species. Mapping shorebirds globally is a huge challenge but we are ready to face this task. It is clear now that every effort is worth. Here I make another try to encourage you, who spend endless hours in the field to share your shorebird records with us, with the WorldWaders database, both for nesting and non-breeding shorebirds. I know in the growing eBird era (which I am personally supporting and contributing) the community is divided but some might take a few minute by case to submit records. Please join us and help to make a better world for shorebirds. Thanks for listening (I really hope it is not considered as an advertising!). Our project detail can be read here: http://www.worldwaders.org/index.php?modul=ujmadar Kind regards, Gyorgy Szimuly (Szimi)/WorldWaders __________ Tata, Hungary Website: http://www.worldwaders.org Project enquiry: projects AT worldwaders.org Skype: worldwaders.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=118733871495865 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Black-necked Stilts nest at Reed Lake
From: tsb2001 AT sasktel.net
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:45:35 -0600

On August 10, Myrna and Joel Preibe report a sighting of two family groups of Black-necked Stilts (each with four juveniles) west of the dike road at Reed Lake along the north side.. I am uncertain if these were reported earlier by Steven or Stephane or others? Bob L Regina [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: Re: Warbler Movement today
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:05:08 -0000

Oh, and thanks Val :-) I'm taking 4 Elderberry Shrubs with me when I move don't you worry ! --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, "nikovich71" wrote: > > Greetings folks, > > This morning I checked out 3 local parks and several back alley's to see what was around. > I noted many of the 'regulars' , such as Brown Thrasher, Clay-colored and Song Sparrow and Gray Catbird were in short supply. These species must already be starting to leave as there were only 2 or three individuals present. > > As for Warblers, I found 5 species : > > 1 resplendant male Magnolia Warbler, drying itself off after a bath in a puddle on Saskatchewan Crescent. > > 2 Yellow-rumped Warblers > > 9 Orange-crowned Warblers - a 'mini-wave' all in the same backyard with a pond on 2nd St. > > Tennessee Warbler - 1 > > Yellow Warbler - 3 at Gabriel Dumont Park > > > All in all, it was pretty quiet out there, except for a few notables including : > > Belted Kingfisher - 1 along the west river bank at Diefenbaker Park > > Spotted Sandpiper - 2 at Gabriel Dumont > > A significant gull population of probably 700 birds, gathering on the east side of the river overlooking Gabriel Dumont Park. > Species included Herring, Ring-billed and California. > > > Cheers, > > Nick > > Saskatoon > > http://www.saskbirder.com >
Subject: Warbler Movement today
From: "nikovich71" <nikovich71 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 08:50:13 -0000

Greetings folks, This morning I checked out 3 local parks and several back alley's to see what was around. I noted many of the 'regulars' , such as Brown Thrasher, Clay-colored and Song Sparrow and Gray Catbird were in short supply. These species must already be starting to leave as there were only 2 or three individuals present. As for Warblers, I found 5 species : 1 resplendant male Magnolia Warbler, drying itself off after a bath in a puddle on Saskatchewan Crescent. 2 Yellow-rumped Warblers 9 Orange-crowned Warblers - a 'mini-wave' all in the same backyard with a pond on 2nd St. Tennessee Warbler - 1 Yellow Warbler - 3 at Gabriel Dumont Park All in all, it was pretty quiet out there, except for a few notables including : Belted Kingfisher - 1 along the west river bank at Diefenbaker Park Spotted Sandpiper - 2 at Gabriel Dumont A significant gull population of probably 700 birds, gathering on the east side of the river overlooking Gabriel Dumont Park. Species included Herring, Ring-billed and California. Cheers, Nick Saskatoon http://www.saskbirder.com
Subject: Re: Warbler Migration...Saskatoon
From: "Val T" <val_doyle_thomas AT hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:03:03 -0000

Congratulations and good to hear from you Nick. I think you should take the Elderberry shrub with you!! :-). We have two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the feeder today, male and female. I'm going to scout around the yard and see what there is. Barn Swallows are still feeding young in our barn (you know, what they were named after) - finally a pair got it right and didn't use the quonset! The other pairs this summer were in the quonset, garage and over the door off the bedroom at our house. We have a couple of Merlins in the area and the Swainson's Hawk family from across the road are quiet visibly soaring over most days. Val T - McTaggart --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, "saskbirder" wrote: > > Greetings folks, > > I have not been ignoring Saskbirds, just been crazy busy , preparing for a house move, and now that we finally have a new house and a wonderful yard to move into next month, I can start doing some birding again on some of my upcoming days off. > > Unfortunately this weekend is NOT time off, so I just thought I'd report a few things seen in our old backyard when I woke up ( about half an hour ago! ) > > At the Golden Elderberry shrubs and Red Osier were a Tennessee Warbler and an Orange-crowned Warbler, happily devouring berries. > Blue Jays are starting to appear once more in big numbers and making quite the racket first thing in the morning. > Like others, we too have had a family of House Wrens in the yard, and many fly-overs from both Merlin and Sharp-shinned Hawk. > > Now that Warbler movement is afoot, it may be prudent to start trawling some local parks over the next few days. > > An Olive-sided Flycatcher was seen earlier in the week in town, as was a 'family' group of Say's Phoebe, which is quite unusual. > These were all reported by Craig & Lorienne Salisbury who were birding near the Stonebridge residential area of Saskatoon. > > Cheers, > > Nick > > Saskatoon >
Subject: King's Park Sunday
From: "rebel_xsrm" <rebel-xs AT hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 02:21:32 -0000

I did a tour around the King's Park area this afternoon to check for any early migrants.Things were still fairly quiet but had a couple nice sightings. A new species for the park for me was RB Grosbeak.I saw a male along with 2 females foraging for chokecherries along the path that skirts the Murray golf course.The old reservoir had several Black Terns and a few DC Cormorants,in the distance I spotted a GB Heron standing on the dam\spillway. Not much in the way of warbler movement as of yet but I ended up finding 3 Northern Waterthrush in the little bog.There was also what I believe to be a Willow Flycatcher skimming the surface for insects here.A Sora Rail made a dash across an open area before ducking into cover. Many of the usual suspects,Eastern and Western Kingbirds,House Wrens,Goldfinch,BC Chickadees,Mourning Doves,Least Flycatcher,Clay coloured sparrows and Vespers,Yellow Warblers,Cedar waxwings,1 Northern Flicker and 1 Swainson's Hawk.1 pair of Rednecked grebes in the wetland\construction area. I expect there to be a nice warbler movement through here once again the next few weeks,it was excellent last Fall. Rocky, Regina
Subject: around the yard
From: "Steven" <plantman108 AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 02:01:48 -0000

Greetings, Saturday afternoon, shortly after 1p.m., a Common Nighthawk dipped and dodged over the yard in chase of insects. Several times it dipped just over the tree tops. This morning a female Canada Warbler was foraging low in the lilacs along the side of the house. Two B.C.Chickadees were feeding in the same shrubs. Then this afternoon our first hummer of the late season showed up and has been feeding, preening and resting in the yard all aft. Great to see. Steven Weir Regina,Sk
Subject: Prairie Falcon as previously mentioned
From: Gordon Crockford <bgcrockford AT shaw.ca>
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 19:08:49 -0600

Thanks to Gord Taylor and family I was able to see the prairie falcon that he mentioned a few days ago near MacDonald's pasture . It stayed still a reasonable length of time so I was able to take a few pics. When it did take off it buzzed the slough and wreaked havoc on all the shorebirds in the marsh. There was also a black-crowned night heron sharing the fence posts with the prairie falcon and black terns. A pair of kestrels flew up and one of them dropped it's recent catch of a small rodent. At the 'headquarters' for the MacDonald pasture there was a single male merlin on the gate overlooking a badger that appeared to be sneaking up on the barnyard with kids and cats playing about.There were both Swainson's and red-tailed hawks along the fence line and a harrier right along the side of the road in the reeds was flushed up twice by me. And as I neared hwy 7 there was another lone male merlin on a fence post. A nice selection of raptors in that stretch of road but I couldn't find that ferruginous nest that we saw with Marten Stoffel in June on the field trip. I also saw a goshawk earlier in the day at Pike Lake so it was a good day for 'hawks'. Cheers, Gordon Crockford
Subject: Warbler Migration...Saskatoon
From: "saskbirder" <saskbirder AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:11:44 -0000

Greetings folks, I have not been ignoring Saskbirds, just been crazy busy , preparing for a house move, and now that we finally have a new house and a wonderful yard to move into next month, I can start doing some birding again on some of my upcoming days off. Unfortunately this weekend is NOT time off, so I just thought I'd report a few things seen in our old backyard when I woke up ( about half an hour ago! ) At the Golden Elderberry shrubs and Red Osier were a Tennessee Warbler and an Orange-crowned Warbler, happily devouring berries. Blue Jays are starting to appear once more in big numbers and making quite the racket first thing in the morning. Like others, we too have had a family of House Wrens in the yard, and many fly-overs from both Merlin and Sharp-shinned Hawk. Now that Warbler movement is afoot, it may be prudent to start trawling some local parks over the next few days. An Olive-sided Flycatcher was seen earlier in the week in town, as was a 'family' group of Say's Phoebe, which is quite unusual. These were all reported by Craig & Lorienne Salisbury who were birding near the Stonebridge residential area of Saskatoon. Cheers, Nick Saskatoon
Subject: The mob
From: James K Wood <jk.wood AT sasktel.net>
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 10:41:05 -0600

A Merlin in the garden this morning with a flock of 50 House Sparrows and seven Blue Jays, both exhibiting mobbing behaviour. The sparrows sat unusually close to each other in the 'Cedar' and gave a collective alarm cry, a very unchirpy low pitched shriek unlike anything I had previously heard from this species, and the jays just gave forth in a mixed chorus with their loud mixed repertoire from high in a dead Manitoba Maple in the back lane. Jim [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Subject: ducklings
From: "Bruce B" <bruce_northernlites AT yahoo.ca>
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:27:47 -0000

I'm surprised how many ducks with late broods I've seen on the water this week... a lot of ducklings just a few old. They must be a 2nd batch- I sure hope they make it! They are mostly Teals and Coots.. they must be counting on a warm September again!
Subject: Re: Northern Flicker Report
From: "Val T" <val_doyle_thomas AT hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2010 16:35:10 -0000

Well done Kathy. That is a very heartwarming ending. Val T - McTaggart --- In Saskbirds AT yahoogroups.com, Kate Johnson wrote: > > Took him to the small animal clinic in Saskatoon. Happy to say he had > a broken shoulder/collarbone, which will repair itself in about two > weeks. They will "rest" him till then and if possible release him > back out here. > > Kathy > > > > > > ~~ > > http://goldengrainfarm.blogspot.com > a letter out > > Upcoming in Wadena: > Doc MacLean Darker Ways Blues Tour 98 Second St NE > 7:30 p.m. Wednesday October 13th Tickets: $15 >
Subject: Northern Flicker Report
From: Kate Johnson <twoshoes AT yourlink.ca>
Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2010 09:38:08 -0600

Took him to the small animal clinic in Saskatoon. Happy to say he had a broken shoulder/collarbone, which will repair itself in about two weeks. They will "rest" him till then and if possible release him back out here. Kathy ~~ http://goldengrainfarm.blogspot.com a letter out Upcoming in Wadena: Doc MacLean Darker Ways Blues Tour 98 Second St NE 7:30 p.m. Wednesday October 13th Tickets: $15

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