Spring / Summer Birding Big Day Tour – 4 great options

Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours

Email: birdtours [at] sasktel.net
Phone: 306 [then] 652 [then] 5975

Birding Big Day Tour
or Big Morning Tour

May through early September

Self-Drive Birding Big Day Tour near Saskatoon, Canada

WHERE TO FIND THE MOST BIRDS ON A BIG DAY?

BIRDING BIG DAY TOUR DESCRIPTION

  • Let our experienced birding guide Stan Shadick lead you to the best bird-rich locations near Saskatoon, Canada to find as many bird species as possible on your chosen Birding Big Day (or morning).
  • Click here for the official ABA Big Day Rules
  • Starting about 6 am, we will visit some woodland habitats looking for warblers, flycatchers, woodpeckers and other songbirds.
  • We will later drive to pastures where we will stop to look or listen for Sprague’s Pipits, Baird’s Sparrows and other grassland songbirds.
  • In the afternoon, we will drive to a variety of sloughs and prairie lakes in search of shorebirds, ducks, grebes, pelicans, herons and other water birds.
  • In the evening, we will may choose to visit special locations for rails, Nelson’s Sparrows and other nocturnal birds.
  • During good big days we may find over 100 species of birds between dawn and dusk!

COVID SAFETY POLICY ON BIRDING BIG DAY TOURS

  1. Your tour leader is fully vaccinated. For everyone’s health and safety, participants must bring a paper copy showing their personal proof of full Covid vaccination.
  2. Clients must normally drive themselves in their own personal or rented vehicle. The leader will usually drive in a separate vehicle. We will use cell phones to communicate between each other during the tour.
  3. This policy may change when public health orders change or when Covid case numbers decrease.
  4. 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.

BIRDING BIG DAY TOUR TIMES

BIG MORNING TOUR TIMES: 6:00 AM – 12:00 NOON

8-hour BIG DAY TOUR TIMES: 6:00 AM – 2:00 PM

12-hour BIG DAY TOUR TIMES: 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM

16-hour BIG DAY TOUR TIMES: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Evening tours are recommended only in late May and June to listen for Yellow Rails and other marsh birds.

BIRDING BIG DAY TOUR FEES

BIG MORNING (6-HOUR) PRIVATE TOUR FEE:
CAD $390
for groups of 1 – 5 persons. 

BIG DAY (8-HOUR) PRIVATE TOUR FEE
CAD $490 for groups of 1 – 5 persons.

BIG DAY (12-HOUR) PRIVATE TOUR FEE
CAD $590 for groups of 1 – 5 persons.

BIG DAY (16-HOUR) PRIVATE TOUR FEE
CAD $690 for groups of 1 – 5 persons.

Above fees include guiding services only..
The person paying for the tour will receive a tax receipt for 50% of the tour fee.
Meals, transportation and accommodation are NOT included.
Trip begins in Saskatoon.
Masks to be worn during tour when outside vehicle.

CANCELLATION POLICY: Refunds less a $50 administration fee will be given if cancellation notice received 30 days before date of tour. No refunds after that date.
No refunds if cancellation notice received less than 30 days before date of tour unless another client takes your place.

BIRDING BIG DAY TOUR RESERVATIONS

RESERVATIONS: Fill in the following form or send us your full name(s), mailing address, email address and requested tour dates.

E-mail: birdtours@sasktel.net
Phone: 306-652-5975

Use landline if you don’t have a cell phone.
Mailing address needed for tax receipt.
Smoking is allowed only inside your own personal vehicle. No smoking is permitted outside during birding stops or hikes.

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

Birding Big DayTour
Spotted Towhee
by Nick Saunders

GIFT CERTIFICATES

This Birding Big Day tour makes an excellent birthday gift, anniversary gift, graduation gift, mother’s day gift, father’s day gift, retirement gift or special gift for a birder, birdwatcher or anyone interested in nature.

GIFT CERTIFICATES: Click here for information about purchasing a gift certificate for this tour or any of our other tours.

OTHER BIRDING and PHOTOGRAPHY TOURS

Other Tours include:

MULTIPLE TOURS DISCOUNT

Can’t decide which tour to take?

Check out our multiple tours discount described here.

All proceeds support the work of Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation charity.

Monthly Newsletter

Learn about special offers and new tours.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the monthly electronic Newsletter from Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours.

 

BIRDING BIG DAY TOUR GUIDE

TOUR GUIDE: Your guide has many years of experience finding and observing birds throughout Saskatchewan. For over 30 years, Stan Shadick has been a birding guide for nature tours around Saskatchewan and other parts of the country that have been organized by Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation, Nature Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan Extension Division.

Stan is past president of Nature Saskatchewan as well as past president and current field trip chairman for the Saskatoon Nature Society. He is a co-editor of the reference publication “Birds of the Saskatoon Area” and contributed significantly to the recently published “Birds of Saskatchewan”. He is currently a regional coordinator for the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas project and helps with their bird identification workshops.

Stan regularly contributes sightings to e-bird and currently holds the e-bird record for the most bird species seen in Saskatchewan.

Other Tours and Workshops: Click here to see a complete list of our upcoming tours and workshops.