Where are Best Places to Photograph Birds near Saskatoon, Canada?

Canada Bird Photography Tours

We offer private bird photography tours out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Saskatoon is situated where two major North American bird flyways meet making it ideal for bird photography tours. During the breeding season in June and July about 150 bird species occur within grassland, wetland and woodland habitats. This list is augmented during the migration months of May, August and September when boreal and arctic nesting warblers, flycatchers, vireos and shorebirds are plentiful.

NEW. One person in your group may choose to use our special professional bird photography blind (tent). This TRAGOPAN Hokki V3 blind is ideal for obtaining images of shorebirds, water birds or dancing grouse at birds eye level for a unique perspective. The low profile of our blind means the birds ignore you and there is minimal shadow cast by the blind. Click Here to view a review video about this bird photography blind.

Canada Bird Photography Tours — Tragopan Bird Photography Blind

Our bird photography tours are excellent Mother’s Day gifts; Father’s Day gifts; birthday gifts, graduation gifts, anniversary gifts and special gifts for photographers, birders, birdwatchers or anyone interested in birds and nature.

Tour Guide

Tour Guide: Stan Shadick. Click for more information about your bird photography tour guide.

Testimonials about our Bird Photography Tours

CLICK to listen to Calgary Naturalist Brian Keating on CBC Calgary Radio giving an on-air review of a tour he booked with us.

Global TV News Report: Click Here.

“I drove to Saskatoon and met Stan Shadick who arranged for me to observe lekking Sharp-tailed Grouse. Stan set up a blind for me, enabling me to take photos in the early morning hours (04:10 to 08:00, Wednesday, May 5). It was a birding thrill for the year. ” (L. C.)

“This morning is fantastic and I am looking forward to another fruitful morning tomorrow. ” (J.D.)

That was such a great trip! Thanks so much for the use of the blind and sharing your general knowledge and expertise. (J. Lee

Atul, Margaret and I wanted to thank you for a wonderful 2 day tour. We saw many many sandhill cranes in the field. Both photographers were very happy; you had so many great suggestions about where to see birds. (C.R.)

Gift Certificates Available Now for Bird Photography Tours

These half-day bird photography tours makes an excellent birthday gift, anniversary gift, graduation gift or special gift for a birder, birdwatcher or anyone interested in nature.

Click here for information about gift certificates for any of our 2024 birding and bird photography tours.

How to get to Saskatoon, Canada

Air: Saskatoon International Airport (YXE) is served by Flair, Air Canada, Westjet and their U.S. partners United and Delta.

Air Canada Star Alliance partners also include Aegean, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels, Copa, Croatia, EgyptAir, Ethiopian, EVA, Lot, Lufthansa, SAS, Shenzhen, Singapore, South African, Swiss, TAP, Thai, Turkish, United.

Westjet international partners include AeroMexico, Air France, Air Transat, Azores, Cathay Pacific, China, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta, Emirates, Hainan, Hong Kong, Japan, KLM, Korean, LATAM, Philippine, Quantas, Virgin Atlantic, Xiamen.

Train: Saskatoon’s Train Station is served by Via Rail’s Canadian train serving Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Jasper and Vancouver.

Bus: Saskatoon – Edmonton and Saskatoon – Regina bus service

Car: Saskatoon is located on Canada’s Yellowhead cross-country highway plus 6 other major highways connecting with all cities in Canada and USA. If you drive, you do not need to rent a car for our tours.

Entering Canada

CLICK HERE for government regulations for entering Canada.
My recent fully vaccinated international clients tell me there are no significant delays at the border provided they have fully completed the ArriveCan app in advance.

Covid Safety Policy on Tours

Your tour leader is fully vaccinated.
Clients must normally drive themselves in their own personal or rented vehicle. The leader will often drive in a separate vehicle. We will use cell phones to communicate between each other during the tour.
This policy may change when public health orders change or when Covid case numbers decrease.
Please contact us before booking tour if you have any special requests with regard to this policy. In certain cases, if requested, leader may be willing to ride in client’s vehicle or drive client’s vehicle.

Complete List of Birding Tours

A complete list of all our tours is found here.
All proceeds support the work of Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation.

TOUR SUGGESTIONS REQUEST FORM

Send us your possible tour dates and we will get back to you with the best tour suggestions for that time period.

If you do not hear back from us within 24 hours, then please email: birdtours@sasktel.net or phone 306-652-5975.

Snowy Owl Tour

See the white ghosts of winter!

Join our experienced local birding guide for a drive through a rural farming district reputed by owl experts to have the highest concentration of wintering Snowy Owls in the world!

We may also choose to visit the best hangout for wintering ducks and geese and Bald Eagles in the province.

Other possible birds to be seen during our birdwatching tour include Golden Eagle, Gyrfalcon, Prairie Falcon, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Gray Partridge, Snow Bunting, Common Redpoll, Common Raven, Bohemian Waxwing, Black-billed Magpie.

Half-Day Private Tours
Total Driving Distance: 150 km
Fees: $390 for a party of 1 – 4 persons.
Group Tour Fee: $290 for a party of 1 – 4 persons.

Full-Day Private Tours
Total Driving Distance: 400 km
Fees: $690 for a party of 1 – 4 persons

Forest Winter Owl Photography Tour: Great Gray Owl Quest

See the Great Gray Owl – Phantom of the Northern Forest!

Join our experienced local birding guide for a drive along roads through and near the boreal forest in search of Northern Hawk Owls and Great Gray Owls.

Some other possible birds to be seen during this winter bird photography tour include Ruffed Grouse, Spruce Grouse, Snow Bunting, Common Redpoll, Common Raven, Bohemian Waxwing, Black-billed Magpie, Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak, Boreal Chickadee.

Half-Day Private Tours
Total Driving Distance: 150 km
Fees: $390 for a party of 1 – 4 persons.
Group Tour Fee: $290 for a party of 1 – 4 persons.

Full-Day Private Tours
Total Driving Distance: 400 km
Fees: $690 for a party of 1 – 4 persons

Dancing Grouse Photography Tours

Join our experienced local birding guide for a 3 or 4-hour early morning or late evening self-driving birdwatching tour to view the spectacle of dancing Sharp-tailed Grouse near Saskatoon. Listen to the excitement of the sounds and dance moves of Saskatchewan’s original dancers. Many of the traditional indigenous dances were inspired by this display. The birds are more active near sunrise than near sunset.

During the early morning photography half-day tour, you will drive onto a private pasture for a close-up view of the birds dancing near sunrise. You may view and photograph the performance from your high-clearance vehicle. One member of your group has the option of using our professional photography blind on site to obtain images of the dancing birds from a birds-eye level near the ground.
Total Driving Distance: 15 km from north end of Saskatoon.
Private Sunrise Bird Photography Tour Fee: $390 for your party of 1 – 4 persons in a single vehicle.

The evening driving tour will visit a location on a public road near sunset where you may view the birds as they arrive at their lek roughly 200 meters from the road. Binoculars recommended.
Total Driving Distance: 120 km from Saskatoon.
Private Sunset Bird Viewing Tour Fee: $290 for your party of 1 – 4 persons in a single vehicle.

Prairie Lakes Birding Half-Day Tour

Ducks galore! Watch the mating antics of male ducks in spring or cute families of ducklings later in summer. Join our experienced local birding guide for a 4 hour self-driving birdwatching tour to visit some of the best bird-rich lakes in the Saskatoon region. Visit deep lakes for diving ducks and pelicans. Also visit shallow ponds for viewing dabbling ducks and grebes. Listen to the varied musical offerings of wetland sparrows, rails and other marsh songbirds. Your may photograph the birds from the roadside.

Driving Distance: 200 km
Fees: $290 for your party of 1 – 4 persons in a single vehicle.

Goose Lake Bird Photography Tour

Guided Self-Drive Birdwatching Tour

Goose Lake is a bird oasis that attracts large numbers of water birds including many species of ducks, geese, grebes, shorebirds, herons. Immense nesting colonies of Franklin’s Gulls and Eared Grebes nest here regularly. Prairie nesting shorebirds such as willets, American Avocets, Killdeer and Wilson’s Phalaropes are found throughout the spring and summer. Arctic-nesting plovers and sandpipers often appear in large numbers during May, July and August.

The surrounding pastures attract grassland birds including Western Meadowlarks, Sprague’s Pipit, Baird’s Sparrow. Sometimes, lucky birders might find Long-billed Curlew or Black-necked Stilts or White-faced Ibis or egrets or a Peregrine Falcon.

You may use our professional bird blind to photograph water birds near the shore.

Round-trip Driving Distance: 150 km
Fees: $290 per group.

Chappell Marsh Bird Photography Tour

Experience prairie songbirds and water birds during a short 2-hour hike over prairie trails. Chappell Marsh Conservation Area contains a large pond surrounded by wolf willow and buffaloberry shrubs and grassland. It is located just outside Saskatoon’s boundaries. The level hiking trails offer good opportunities for observing a variety of songbirds and wildflowers during this birdwatching tour.

During spring and summer months from mid-May through early-September over 80 species have been found at this location. Additional migrating songbirds may be seen in late May and late August / early September.

You may opt to use our professional bird photography blind to photograph birds near the shore of the marsh.

Driving Distance: 15 km
Fees: $130 per group of 1 – 4 persons.

Great Canada Bird Photography Tours in 2024

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Where are Best Places to Photograph Birds near Saskatoon, Canada?