Best Birding Hotspots of SE Saskatchewan Tour from Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw or Weyburn, Canada: 2024

Best Birding Hotspots of SE Saskatchewan Tour

GROUP BIRDING TOUR TO SE SASKATCHEWAN:

June 16 – 19, 2024

TOUR FOLLOWS OUR CYPRESS HILLS – GRASSLANDS PARK BIRDING TOUR

Escorted self-driving tour

IDEAL BIRDING TOUR FOR RESIDENTS OR VISITORS TO

  • SASKATOON (Tour continues from Cypress Hills tour which starts in Saskatoon)
  • SWIFT CURRENT (1 h 40 m to Mankota)
  • REGINA (2 h 15 m to St. Victor Park)
  • MOOSE JAW (1 h 40 m to St. Victor Park)
  • WEYBURN ((1 h 50 m to St. Victor Park)

MANKOTA starting point: 1:00 PM
ST VICTOR PARK starting point: 4:00 PM

SE Saskatchewan Birding Tour Description

Join a special 4-day / 3-night SE Saskatchewan birding tour to the Willow Bunch, Souris River and Moose Mountain Park regions of western Canada.  We will visit the favourite birding hotspots of Saskatchewan’s keenest birders.

This Best Birding Hotspots of SE Saskatchewan is the final tour in the Saskatchewan Birding Hotspots Series offered by Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours.

In the Willow Bunch Area, we will search for woodland songbirds as we explore St Victor Petroglyphs Park and Jean Louis Legare Regional Park.  In the surrounding area, we might find a Long-billed Curlews or possibly a nesting Golden Eagle.

Some of the special unique birds along the Souris River include Eastern Wood-Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Eastern Bluebird, Orchard Oriole and Lazuli Bunting. We also look for a rare Chimney Swifts, Red-headed Woodpecker or Black-headed Grosbeak.

In SE Saskatchewan’s Moose Mountain Park, we will watch and listen for Broad-winged Hawk, Great Crested Flycatcher plus loons, pelicans and a good variety of warblers.

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.

See sidebar for a list of potential species of interest in SE Saskatchewan.

A checklist of Saskatchewan birds may be downloaded HERE.

Transportation: All participants will travel to SE Saskatchewan in their own personal or rented vehicle. Masks will be worn birding stops.

Accommodation Options. Both camping and hotel accommodation options are available.

SE Saskatchewan Birding Tour Itinerary

Weather conditions may result in changes to this planned itinerary.

Day 1

Tour starts at St. Victor Petroglyphs Provincial Historic Park about 4 pm. We will view these indigenous petroglyphs and watch for woodland songbirds.

Some of our planned birding stops include the following sites in SE Saskatchewan.

Day 2

We plan to spend the day making frequent birding stops in the grasslands of the Big Muddy valley region of SE Saskatchewan.

  • In the morning, we will hike some trails in bird-rich Jean Louis Legare Regional Park named after Jean Legare,  a fur trader and friend of Sitting Bull.
  • Visit Saskatchewan’s spectacular Castle Butte (roads permitting). Rock Wrens are possible at this scenic spot.
  • Big Muddy Grasslands
  • Rafferty Dam
  • Overnight at a motel in Estevan, SK
  • Explore Souris Valley watching for rare Chimney Swifts.

Day 3

We plan to drive along the Souris River valley between Estevan and the US border in SE Saskatchewan watching for grassland and woodland birds. We plan to visit

  • Roche Percee
  • Souris River
  • Supper and overnight accommodation in Estevan.
    Campers may stay at a park campground.

Day 4

Today we will hike several easy trails within SE Saskatchewan’s Moose Mountain Park looking for woodland songbirds.

We will return home in the afternoon.

Transportation

Participants on these tours need to drive their own personal or rented vehicle. RVs and vehicles pulling trailers are not permitted on this group tour. This tour may not be suitable for owners of full electric vehicles due to the distances travelled. EV charging stations exist at Val Marie and at a Canadian Tire store in Estevan.

Carpooling

If you would like to share the costs of a SE Saskatchewan group tour with other interested birders, then complete the Carpooling Section of the Registration Request Form below or email the tour name, your name, phone number and email address to birdtours@sasktel.net

SE Saskatchewan Tour Fee

June 16 – 19, 2024 Birding Hotspots of SE Saskatchewan Public Group Tour Fee: CAD $1490 (about US $1110, £950)  for a party of 1 – 4 persons travelling in a single vehicle. Note fee is the total fee for your party (not a per person fee).
Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Trip begins in Mankota.

Please book your tour as soon as possible. Accommodation options are very limited in the remote areas visited on this tour.

Tax Receipt. You will receipt a tax receipt for 50% of the tour fee.

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

Pre Tour Options

June 4 – 6, 2024 3-DAY Duck Mountain Park Public Group Tour Fee: CAD $2490 (about US $1825, £1445) for a party of 1 – 4 persons travelling in a single vehicle.
Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Trip begins in Saskatoon at 8 am on June 5 and returns about 6 pm on June 8.

June 7, 2024 Redberry Lake Group Tour Fee: CAD $390 (about US $285, £225) for a party of 1 – 4 persons travelling in a single vehicle.
Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Trip begins in Saskatoon at 8 am.

June 8, 2024 PM Last Mountain Lake Public Group Tour Fee: CAD $490 (about US $350, £285) for a party of 1 – 4 persons travelling in a single vehicle.
Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Trip begins in Saskatoon at 8 am.

June 9 – 16, 2023 8-day Cypress Hills – Grasslands Park Public Group Tour Fee: CAD $4990  (about US $3650, £2900) for a party of 1 – 4 persons travelling in a single vehicle. Note fee is for your entire group (not a per person fee).
Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Trip begins in Saskatoon about 8 am on June 10 and ends at Mankota, Saskatchewan about noon on June 17.

Post Tour Option

June 20 – 21, 2024 2-Day Prince Albert National Park Group Tour Fee: CAD $1190  (about US $890, £760) for a party of 1 – 4 persons travelling in a single vehicle. Note fee is for your entire group (not a per person fee).
Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Trip begins in Saskatoon about 8 am.

Multiple Tours Discount

Check out our multiple tours discount described here.

SE Saskatchewan Birding Tour Reservation Request Form

Reservations: Complete the form below or email: birdtours@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 306-652-5975.

The number of participants accepted on this group tour is limited.

Questions: please email birdtours@sasktel.net or phone 306-652-5975 during evenings.

If you do not have a cell phone, enter your land line.
Mailing Address needed for tax receipt.
Check ALL that apply.
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.

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

 

SE Saskatchewan Birding Tour
Castle Butte

Covid Safety Policy on SE Saskatchewan Bird Tour

  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 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.

Some Potential SE Saskatchewan Birds of Interest

  • Ring-necked Pheasant
  • Ruffed Grouse
  • Sharp-tailed Grouse
  • Red-necked Grebe
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Broad-winged Hawk
  • Ferruginous Hawk
  • Golden Eagle
  • Black-necked Stilt
  • White-faced Ibis
  • American Avocet
  • Upland Sandpiper
  • Long-billed Curlew
  • California Gull
  • Franklin’s Gull
  • Eastern Screech-owl (rare)
  • Burrowing Owl
  • Eastern Wood-Pewee
  • Willow Flycatcher
  • Yellow-throated Vireo
  • Northern Rough-winged Swallow
  • Eastern Bluebird
  • Chestnut-collared Longspur
  • Field Sparrow
  • Lark Sparrow
  • Lark Bunting
  • Baird’s Sparrow
  • Lazuli Bunting
  • Yellow-headed Blackbird

Can I bring my pet dog on this tour?

No. Dogs are not permitted on group tours to SE Saskatchewan.

Gift Certificate Available Now

This SE Saskatchewan Birding tour makes an excellent 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.

How to Get to Saskatoon

Air: Saskatoon International Airport (YXE) is served by 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.

Monthly Newsletter

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Tour Guide

STAN SHADICK:  Guide for Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours

Stan Shadick – Tour Leader

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 was 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.

Other Tours

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

Duck Mountain Park Birding Tour

Beaver Creek Tour

Cypress Hills Tour