Canada – Saskatchewan Spring Birding Grand Tour: May 13-19, 2026

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

See both eastern and western North American birds during the migration season on our Saskatchewan Spring Birding Grand Tour.

Canada Saskatchewan Spring Birding Tour
May 13 – 19, 2026

Level of Difficulty: Easy – Moderate

Mostly driving tour. Most walking trails < 2 km and are fairly level.
Some slopes to access riverbank lower trails.

Guiding Fee
USD $3575 per vehicle with 1 – 4 persons
CAD $4950 per vehicle with 1 – 4 persons
UK £2635 per vehicle with 1 – 4 persons

Join our Spring Birding Tour to Saskatchewan, Canada during the migration season. Saskatchewan is located near the centre of North America where several bird migration flyways meet. Consequently, this bird-rich province of Canada is home to nesting birds from both eastern and western North America.

The timing of the stops on this tour are designed to find Red Knots, White-rumped Sandpipers and other migrant shorebirds and sparrows. Breeding shorebirds should include Black-necked Stilt, American Avocets and White-faced Ibis. We should also find Ferruginous Hawks, Swainson’s Hawks, Golden Eagles and other raptors.

Saskatchewan is well known as the duck factory of North America because most species of waterfowl nest in our abundant wetlands.  Many shorebirds, pelicans, rails and grebes also nest in our lakes and sloughs. We will visit many hotspots for water birds including Porter Lake,  Chaplin Lake and Reed Lake Important Bird Areas.

The great expanses of arid prairie grasslands attract many special ground-nesting birds. We will observe unique prairie birds at Grasslands National Park,  as well as shorebirds at Chaplin and Reed Lakes plus visit many Saskatoon region birding hotspots.

We have included a 3-day overnight tour to Grasslands National Park in order to look for Burrowing Owls, Long-billed Curlews, Chestnut-collared and Thick-billed Longspurs plus other prairie birds. For the remainder of this tour, we have planned many day trips and half-day birding trips out of Saskatoon so that you do not need to change hotel rooms often.

If you don’t have time for the full Canada Saskatchewan Birding Tour, ask us about joining us for parts of this fantastic tour.

Note minor changes to itinerary may be made for weather or logistical reasons.

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Special Birds of Interest

During this Canada – Saskatchewan Spring Birding Tour, we expect to observe over 100 species.

A few special birds may include

• Ruddy Duck
• Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Gray Partridge
• Western Grebe
• American White Pelican
• White-faced Ibis
• Golden Eagle
• Broad-winged Hawk
• Swainson’s Hawk
• Ferruginous Hawk
• Prairie Falcon
• Red Knot
• Black-necked Stilt
• American Avocet
• Willet
• Marbled Godwit
• Long-billed Curlew
• Upland Sandpiper
• Wilson’s Phalarope
• Franklin’s Gull
• California Gull
• Forster’s Tern
• Burrowing Owl
• Say’s Phoebe
• Western Kingbird
• Loggerhead Shrike
• Blue-headed Vireo
• Black-billed Magpie
• Mountain Bluebird
• Sprague’s Pipit
• Yellow-breasted Chat
• Spotted Towhee
• Lark Bunting
• Lark Sparrow
• Baird’s Sparrow
• Le Conte’s Sparrow
• Nelson’s Sparrow
• Chestnut-collared Longspur
• Thick-billed Longspur
• Western Meadowlark
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Bobolink

CLICK HERE for a complete Saskatchewan checklist.

Participants in the Saskatchewan Spring Birding Grand Tour should plan to arrive in Saskatoon, Canada today.

Saskatoon International Airport (YXE) is served by these airlines: Air Canada, Westjet, Flair, Porter and their numerous partners including United and Delta.

7:00 PM Optional 1-hour birding visit to Saskatoon Weir.
We should see pelicans and other waterfowl.
Meet in the riverbank weir parking lot northeast of intersection of Spadina Crescent and Duchess Street.
Google Map Pin: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FrpmxxTDoVPvRE6o8

Overnight: Park Town Hotel, Saskatoon
Supper on your own. Many restaurants in downtown Saskatoon.

8:15 AM Depart hotel after breakfast.
8:30 AM  We then drive SW making stops at grassland and other bird hotspots to search for any grassland birds.

Lunch on the road.

Supper at Saskatoon hotel.

Overnight: Park Town Hotel, Saskatoon

Breakfast on your own at hotel.

8;30 AM We depart hotel and will spend the morning exploring Porter Lake and nearby habitats in search of waterfowl and migrating shorebirds.

Lunch at a Saskatoon restaurant

In the afternoon we will visit Beaver Creek Conservation Area, where we will hike a trail along the creek in search of woodland songbirds.

Supper on your own at hotel.

Overnight at Park Town Hotel, Saskatoon

Breakfast on your own at hotel.

8:10 am Depart hotel and join a morning bird walk through Chief Whitecap riverbank park trails in search of songbirds.

Lunch on your own at hotel.

1:15 pm: we drive SW of Saskatoon to explore the bird life at Goose Lake.

Supper on your own. Many restaurants in downtown Saskatoon.

Overnight Park Town Hotel, Saskatoon

8:00 AM Check out of hotel after Breakfast.

8:30 AM Meet any other participants joining us for the Grasslands National Park tour. Today we will spend mid-day looking for shorebirds near Chaplin Lake and then drive to Grasslands National Park.  Pack a lunch to eat on the road.  We will stop at Swift Current to get supper food for the road.
We will make stops at:

• Douglas Provincial Park
• Chaplin Lake – Piping Plover
• Reed Lake – American Avocet, Red Knot and many shorebirds
• Francis Lake – White-faced Ibis and Black-necked Stilt
• Pack a lunch to eat on the road
• Val Marie Reservoir Bird Sanctuary
• Check in to overnight accommodation in Val Marie for first of 2 nights
• Evening visit to Prairie Dog colony to look for Burrowing Owls.

7:30 AM Breakfast at hotel

We plan to bird in Grasslands Park for much of the day.  Some planned stops include:

• Val Marie town
• Top Dogtown trail
• Frenchman River Valley
• Larson Interpretive Trail
• Little Breed Creek Prairie Dog town
• North Gillespie Road (if dry)
• Rosefield Ecotour route

Overnight at motel for second of 2 nights

7:30 am Breakfast in hotel

• We will spend most of the morning in Grasslands National Park.
• Lunch in Mankota restaurant
• Possible Afternoon visit to Reed Lake or Saskatchewan Landing Park on way back to Saskatoon

Breakfast on your own at hotel.

8:30 am Morning bird walk through a Saskatoon riverbank park trails in search of songbirds.

Lunch on your own at hotel.

After lunch, we drive SE of Saskatoon to explore the bird life in various prairie lakes.

5:00 PM Return to hotel in Saskatoon where tour ends.
Supper on your own. Many restaurants in downtown Saskatoon.

Overnight ParkTown Hotel, Saskatoon

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, Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours, 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”.

Stan has volunteered as a regional coordinator for the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas project and helps with their bird identification workshops. He regularly contributes sightings to e-bird and currently holds the e-bird record for the most bird species seen in Saskatchewan.

Stan volunteers his time leading Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours so that all proceeds benefit the work of Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation.

Fees for Saskatchewan Spring Birding Grand Tour

Guiding Fee: CAD $4950 per vehicle with 1 – 4 persons (about USD $2750; UK £2050) due at time of booking.
**SAVE $300** if you have room in your non-smoking vehicle to transport leader throughout tour from Saskatoon and back.

Car Rental: You may need to rent your own vehicle from the Saskatoon airport.

Accommodation: You need to book your own accommodation. A list of motel dates and phone numbers will be sent to registered guests. If you prefer, the leader will book your accommodation using your credit card.

Meals: you need to pay for your own meals.

Park Entry Fees: You need to pay for your own park entry fees.

TAX RECEIPT: A tax receipt for 50% of the tour guiding fee will be issued to the person paying for the tour.

CANCELLATION POLICY: Refunds less a $50 administration fee will be given if cancellation notice received 14 days before date of tour.
No refunds if cancellation notice received less than 14 days before date of tour unless another client takes your place.

Gift Certificates Available Now

This Saskatchewan Spring Birding Grand Tour makes an excellent Easter gift, birthday gift, anniversary gift, graduation 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.

Insurance

We recommend that you purchase travel medical insurance to cover emergency medical expenses during your Saskatchewan Spring Birding tour.
We also recommend Trip Cancellation and Interruption insurance.

Travel insurance with trip cancellation and interruption benefits can reimburse you for non-refundable, pre-paid trip costs (up to the amount of your plan limits) should your participation in the trip be canceled or interrupted for a covered reason. According to our cancellation policies, your payment to us will become non-refundable if you cancel your participation after the deadlines outlined in our policies.

In general, Trip Cancellation insurance reimburses you for non-refundable expenses if you are unable to join the tour. Trip Interruption reimburses you for the unused portion of your tour if you have to leave part-way through a tour and it also covers some additional unexpected expenses incurred during your travel (e.g. additional hotel of flight costs due to weather delays or other delays that are not covered by your airline).

Registration Request Form for Canadian Residents

Saskatchewan Spring Birding Grand Tour Reservations

Reservations: Complete the form below or email: birdtours {at) sasktel.net and provide names of clients, their addresses and requested type of tour and tour date.
Full payment due at time of booking. Payment instruction will be emailed to you after registration form is received. You may also phone Stan Shadick at 306 then 652 next 5975.

• Tax receipt for 50% of fee available with this method of registration.

Payment Options

• E-transfer must be made at least 2 days before date of tour
• Canadian cheques must be received at least 10 days before date of tour
• USA checks must be received at least 6 weeks before date of tour
• Payment by credit card is accepted with a 3.5% processing fee

2026 Saskatchewan Spring Birding Tour Reservation Request Form

Please complete and submit the following form or email us your full name(s), mailing address, email address and requested tour dates.

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

Payment instructions will be emailed to you after you complete and submit the form below.

All fees support Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation.

My Name *

First

Last

Names of additional persons travelling in my vehicle during tour

My Email *

My Cell Phone *

If you do not have a cell phone, enter your land line.

My Mailing Address *

Complete Mailing Address needed for tax receipt.

I (We) would like to register for the following tour *

• May 13 – 19, 2026 Saskatchewan Spring Birding Grand Tour
• June 3 – 11, 2026 Eastern Saskatchewan Birding Grand Tour
• June 12 – 29, 2026 Saskatchewan Birding Grand Tour
• July 9 – 16, 2026 SW Saskatchewan Birding Grand Tour
• August 3 – 10, 2026 Saskatchewan Mid-Summer Birding Grand Tour
• August 24 – 31, 2026 Saskatchewan Late Summer Birding Grand Tour
• September 9 – 18, 2026 Saskatchewan Autumn Birding Grand Tour

Check ALL that apply.

I (We) would like to register for the following add-on tours before or after the above tour.

• June 9 – 11, 2026 Prince Albert National Park, Chief Whitecap Park & Blackstrap Lake Tour
• June 29, 2026 Goose Lake 4-hour Birding Tour starting at 1:30 PM
• June 30 – July 2, 2026 Carrot River Whip-poor-will Quest Birding Tour
• July 6 – 8, 2026 Prince Albert National Park 2-day tour plus Chief Whitecap Bird Walk and Blackstrap Lake Birding Tour
• July 17 – 18 Radisson & Redberry Lakes Bird Sanctuary Tour plus Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary Tour
• August 21 – 23, 2026 Grasslands National Park Birding Tour
• August 31, 2026 PM Ferry Birding Tour

Leader Transportation

• I can provide transportation for the leader in my vehicle at no cost to him.

Carpooling *

• I (We) have space in our vehicle to transport 1 participant willing to share transportation costs.
• I (We) have space in our vehicle to transport 2 participants willing to share transportation costs.
• I (We) prefer to ride in another person’s vehicle and will share transportation costs.
• I (We) cannot drive and need to ride in another person’s vehicle and will share transportation costs.
• I (We) do NOT wish to carpool.

Accommodation *

• I (We) wish to be sent a list of tour hotel options and will book my (our) own accommodation.
• I (We) request that the tour leader book my (our) accommodation using my credit card information.
• I (We) wish to camp during the tour.

Binoculars

• If available, I would like to borrow a pair of binoculars during tour.
• Please contact me to discuss the possibility of purchasing top-quality image-stabilized binoculars at a discount.

Smoking Restrictions *

• At least 1 member of my party is a smoker.
• All members of my party are non-smokers.

Smoking is allowed only inside your own personal vehicle. No smoking is permitted during meals, anywhere in shared accommodations or outside during birding stops or hikes.

Comment or Message

Submit

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

Instant Registration Form for USA and overseas residents

CLICK HERE for link to Instant Registration Form.

NOTE: Because it is still possible that there may be changes to the itinerary of this tour, we are not yet taking bookings. If you are interested in this tour, please email your name and tour name to
birdtours@sasktel.net
We will contact you when the tour itinerary has been finalized and we are ready to accept bookings.

Other Tours

• Beaver Creek Birding and Hiking Tour
• Canada Saskatchewan Summer Birding Tour
• Chaplin Shorebird Tour
• Chappell Marsh Birding and Hiking Tour
• Chief Whitecap Park Birding and Hiking Tour
• Dancing Grouse Photography Tour
• Donna Birkmaier and Hyde Parks Birding and Walking Tour
• Eagle Creek and Hills Birding Tour
• Goose Lake Birding and Bird Photography Tour
• Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary Tour
• Pike Lake Birding Tour
• Porter Lake Birding Tour
• Prairie Lakes Birding Tour
• Prairie Grasslands Birding Tour
• Souris River Birding Tour
• Van Scoy Lakes Birding Tour – 6 hours
• Whooping Crane Tour

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

Multiple Tours Discount

Can’t decide which tour to take?

Check out our multiple tours discount described here.

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