Pike Lake Birding Tour – 2 great options ♿

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Pike Lake Birding Tour

Self-Drive Birding and Walking Tour

Estimated Return Driving Distance: 90 km

Private Tours

Private Tours: January through mid September
plus November – December

Public Tours

Public Group Tours:

From $140 per vehicle with 1 – 3 persons
Advance Registration Required

3-hour Pike Lake Birding Tours

  • Sun. September 15, 2024 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Sandhill Cranes in flight
Young Sandhill Crane flying with parent by Atul Sharma

5-hour Fall Sandhill Crane Tour

From $240 per vehicle with 1 – 3 persons.

  • Tue. September 17, 2024 1:30 PM – 6:30 PM
    This extended group tour will look for songbirds and water birds at Pike Lake Park and then view the late afternoon roost of migrating Sandhill Cranes in the nearby region.
Pike Lake
Pike Lake

Where to find birds at Pike Lake?

Pike Lake Birding Tour Description

  • Let our experienced birding guide show you the best bird-rich locations between Saskatoon and Pike Lake Provincial Park.  During this 3-hour Pike Lake birding tour, we will walk some trails and visit a variety of bird habitats inside and outside of the park.
  • Both novice and experienced bird watchers are welcome.
  • A loaner pair of binoculars may be available if requested.
  • The leader will bring a spotting scope to allow you to view the birds under high magnification.
  • Pike Lake was originally part of the South Saskatchewan River but became a lake when the river carved a shorter course creating this oxbow lake.
  • Pike lake is home to nesting ducks, grebes, herons and other water birds.
  • Marshes along the original river channel provide habitat for nesting Sora and Virginia Rails, Marsh and Sedge Wrens, Nelson’s Sparrows plus Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. A fen next to Pike lake often attracts LeConte’s Sparrows, American Bitterns plus rare Yellow Rails which are heard during late evenings.
  • Sandy grasslands near Pike lake attract Sprague’s Pipit, Savannah and Baird’s Sparrows plus Western Kingbirds and Upland Sandpipers.
  • Humid woodlands along the old river valley provide habitat for nesting Veeries, American Redstarts, hummingbirds, owls, flycatchers and other songbirds.
  • Possible birds to be seen in all seasons during hikes include Ruffed Grouse, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Horned Owl, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-billed Magpie, Common Raven.
  • Some additional possible birds to be found in summer include Red-necked Grebe, Wilson’s Snipe,  Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, Western Kingbird, Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos,  Baltimore Oriole, Spotted Towhee and Common Yellowthroat.
  • During songbird migration during May and late August – mid September, we may also find Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white, Tennessee, Orange-crowned, Cape May, Bay-breasted, Palm, Wilson’s and Yellow-rumped Warblers and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
  • Good opportunities for bird photography.
  • This tour between April and September may be suitable for low-mobility clients if they can use a wheel-chair over level trails and grass fields with some bumps.

Pike Lake Birding Tour Times

HALF-DAY TOURS

November – March Tours: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

April – September Tours:
Morning Tours:
8:30 AM – 12:30 PM;
Afternoon Tours 1:30 PM – 5:30 PM.
Evening Tours (June only): 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

6-hour Private tours

Morning Tours: 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Afternoon-Evening Tours: 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Evening tours are recommended only in early June to listen for Yellow Rails and other marsh birds.
The 6-hour tours allow me to show a greater variety of bird habitats in the Pike Lake region.

Public Washrooms located in campground during summer months.

Transportation

Participants on these tours need to drive their own personal or rented vehicle. RVs and vehicles pulling trailers are permitted on private tours Owners of trailers should park their trailer at the park campground before joining tour. Owners of full electric vehicles should have sufficient range for this tour if they charge up at Saskatoon.

Pike Lake Birding Tour Fee

Private Half Day (4-hour) Pike Lake Birding Tour Fee:
CAD $290
per vehicle with a party of 1 – 4 persons(about US $215, £185). 
Fee includes 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 at your Saskatoon hotel or residence or you can join at Pike Lake park.
Masks to be worn during tour when outside vehicle.
SAVE $50 if you have room in your vehicle to transport leader during tour from Saskatoon and back.

Private 6-hour Pike Lake Birding Tour Fee:
CAD $390 per vehicle with a party of 1 – 4 persons (US $290, £250) .
Fee includes 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 at your Saskatoon hotel or residence or you can join tour at Pike Lake Park.
SAVE $50 if you have room in your vehicle to transport leader during tour from Saskatoon and back.

Public 3-hour Group Pike Lake Birding Tour Fee: CAD $190 per vehicle with a party of 1 – 4 persons (about US $140, £110).
Fee includes 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 at your Saskatoon hotel or residence or you can join at Pike Lake park.
SAVE $50 if you have room in your vehicle to transport leader during tour from Saskatoon and back.

Public Extended 5-hour Group Pike Lake Birding Tour Fee: CAD $290 per vehicle with a party of 1 – 4 persons (about US $210, £160).
Fee includes 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 at your Saskatoon hotel or residence or you can join at Pike Lake park.
SAVE $50 if you have room in your vehicle to transport leader during tour from Saskatoon and back.

TAX RECEIPT: A tax receipt for 50% of the tour fee will be issued to the person paying for the tour provided payment is made by e-transfer to LSWR@sasktel.net.

Tax Receipts

 

 

 

 

 

CANCELLATION POLICY: Refunds less a $50 administration fee will be given if cancellation notice received 60 days before date of tour. No refunds after that date.
No refunds if cancellation notice received less than 60 days before date of tour unless another client takes your place.

Pike Lake Birding Tour Reservation

RESERVATIONS: Fill in the following form or send us your full name(s), mailing address, email address and requested tour dates. Full payment due at time of booking. Payment instruction will be emailed to you after registration form is received.

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.
Select all that apply.
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.

White-breasted Nuthatch
Pike Lake Birding Tour
Ruffed Grouse by Nick Saunders

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CLICK HERE to sign up for the monthly electronic Newsletter from Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours.

Testimonial

“Thank you again for the awesome tour. We had such a great time and appreciate all we learned from you yesterday!” (C.K. March 2022)

Can I bring my pet dog on this tour?

Dogs are permitted on private tours provided they are kept on a leash at all times. Dogs are not recommended because they may scare away some of the birds we wish to see. Dogs are not permitted on group tours.

Gift Certificates Available Now

This tour makes an excellent birthday gift, anniversary gift, graduation 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.

Birding at Pike Lake

Other Birding and Bird 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.

A campground and rental cabins are available in Pike Lake park.

TOP QUALITY BINOCULAR OFFER

Do you want a better pair of binoculars for birdwatching?

Great for viewing water birds and songbirds atop trees.

CLICK HERE for information about the
Kite Optics 16X42 Image Stabilized Binoculars

Covid Safety Policy on Tours

  1. Your tour leader is fully vaccinated.
  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 driving portion of 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.

 

 

PIKE LAKE BIRDING 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.