Whooping Crane and Sandhill Crane Tours: 4 exciting options ♿

Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours

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

Select the date for your crane tours

  • View rare Whooping Cranes and photograph large flocks of Sandhill Cranes near Saskatoon, Canada.
  • All proceeds support the local Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation charity.

NEWS FLASH: Whooping Cranes are already in the Saskatoon region. Over 120 individuals have been seen on our tours. Private tours available on many dates.

Available Tour Dates

Book your tour now.
Scroll down page to fill out Reservation Request Form.

  • Public 1-day Whooping Crane Group Tour:
    Sat. October 12, 2024 (Spots for 5 vehicles currently available)
  • Private 1-day Whooping Crane Tours available: October 13, 16, 23, 24, 25, 2024
  • Private 2-day Whooping Crane & Sandhill Crane Tours available: October 23-24, 2024
  • Public Sunrise Sandhill Crane Photography Sessions: September 6 – October 11, October 15 – 31, 2024 (Limited to 3 photographers per session.)
  • Public Sunset Sandhill Crane Photography Sessions: September 8 – October 11, October 15 – 31, 2024 (Limited to 3 photographers per session.)
  • Public Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop: October 12 – 14, 2024

Saskatchewan Crane Tours Video

Crane Tour Review Video – CELLPHONE FORMAT

CBC Radio Review of Whooping Crane Tours
CLICK PICTURE to watch Crane Tour Review Video by CBC Radio on a CELLPHONE

Crane Tour Review Video – Computer Format

CLICK PICTURE to watch Crane Tour Review Video by CBC Radio on a COMPUTER

Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours Phone 306.652.5975

 

ALL BIRDING TOURS

Saskatchewan Whooping Crane Tours
and Sandhill Crane Tours

  • Private 8-hour Whooping Crane Viewing Tours
    $690 per party of 1 – 4 persons in 1 vehicle
  • Private 2-day Whooping Crane and Sandhill Crane Tours
    BEST DEAL
    Good opportunities of viewing both species
    $1330 per party of 1 – 4 persons in 1 vehicle
  • Public 8-hour Whooping Crane Group Viewing Tour
    Sat. September 28, 2024
    $490 for 1 person / $590 for 2 – 4 persons in 1 vehicle
    Car pooling option available to share costs
  • Public 3-hour Sunrise and Sunset Sandhill Crane Photography Group Sessions
    From $390
  • Sunset Photography Sessions also available as an add-on to Whooping Crane Tours.
  • Prince Albert National Park Full-Day Add-On Bird Tour
    Good chance for viewing and photographing boreal forest birds including Spruce and Ruffed Grouse, Black-backed, Three-toed, Pileated Woodpeckers, Boreal Chickadees and others.
    From $590
  • Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary Full-Day Add-On Tour
    Good chance to view Canada’s largest concentration of Sandhill Cranes at Canada’s first bird sanctuary.
    Many water birds occur here.
    From $690
  • Local Guide has 50 years experience leading Saskatchewan Whooping Crane tours!
  • Drive your own vehicle for best viewing opportunities (no crowded vans)
  • Best selection of tour dates
  • Partial Tax Receipt
    (All proceeds support 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

2 Whooping Cranes with Sandhill Cranes
Cranes by Nick Saunders

 

SNOW GEESE FLOCK

We frequently find flocks containing more than 100,000 birds!

Snow Geese by Bob Godwin.

Whooping Crane and Sandhill Crane Tours in 2024

Private  Whooping Crane Tours:  Mid September – Late October

2024 Private 1-day Whooping Crane Tours available: October 13, 16, 23, 24, 25

2024 Private 2-day Whooping Crane and Sandhill Crane Tours available: October 23-24
This tour option is the best value and has been chosen by most participants in previous years.

2024 Public Whooping Crane Budget Group Tours:

  • Sat. October 12, 2024 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Spots for 5 vehicles currently available)

WHOOPING CRANE TOUR HOURS

1-Day Tours 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM
2-Day Tours 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM + optional 3-hour evening extension on day 1 until 6:30 PM

Self-Drive Escorted Birding Tour

Advance Booking Required
Scroll down for Fees and Registration.

Whooping Crane and Sandhill Crane Tours Description

Grain fields near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada have become the best dependable viewing location in the world to view rare Whooping Cranes, the tallest bird in North America. As local birders, we know the best historical places to search for these spectacular birds.

All proceeds support Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation charity.

For many years, our Saskatchewan Whooping Crane tours led by Stan Shadick have found groups of 10 – 30 birds feeding during fall migration. In 2018, we found a single flock in excess of 150 whoopers! In 2019 and 2020, there were several flocks totaling over 100 individuals. In 2021, between 30 and 100 individuals were present during our tours between September 17 and October 24.

The population recovery of the endangered Whooping Crane has become a tremendous success story for wildlife conservation. The Canadian population of these birds once dipped as low as 15 individuals. In January 2023, the population estimate was 550 birds. In summer 2023, 95 nests were counted on their breeding grounds in Wood Buffalo National Park and about 30 young cranes were counted at the end of summer.

In 2024, we are planning both 1-day and 2-day custom private tours from mid-September through late-October to look for Whooping Cranes and/or Sandhill Cranes. We also plan 3-hour late afternoon private Sandhill Crane tours.

These 2 species of cranes are usually found in different locations. We often find Sandhills in flocks of 500 to several thousand. We will also be on the lookout for large flocks of Canada, Cackling, Snow, Ross’s and Greater White-fronted Geese as well as ducks, swans plus songbirds including Harris’s Sparrow and Rusty Blackbird.  We regularly find several roosting flocks containing over 100,000 Snow Geese! You may view the birds using our high quality spotting scope.

Most of our out of province guests prefer to book our 2-day tour for the best chances for observing both Whooping and Sandhill Cranes. The 2-day tour option also provides a second chance to view more Whoopers on the second day at additional locations.

This tour is ideal for low-mobility clients because they may remain in their vehicle during this driving tour.

Because cranes sometimes move to different locations on different dates, we cannot guarantee finding whoopers on any tour. Nevertheless, Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours has always found Whooping Cranes on every previous Whooping Crane Viewing tours.

What to Wear

What to Wear. In case of an early snowfall or cool wet weather, bring a winter coat, raincoat, hat, gloves and long underwear. Bring your binoculars and a scope (optional). Cameras are optional.

Testimonials

Click to hear Calgary Naturalist Brian Keating on CBC Calgary giving his review of a recent Whooping Crane tour he booked with us.

Thanks again for a terrific couple of days of birding” (Ian T)

We had such a fantastic time and learned so much from you. We will be back for other tours in the future”  (Paulette M)

Once again thanks Stan. Many long lasting memories.” (Bob P)

We just wanted to thank you again for a most enjoyable tour last week.  The whooping cranes, of course, were the highlight, but we also found your history of the cranes quite fascinating.  Over the years, we had heard some of the recovery story, but the original breeding across the prairies was a surprise. And we hadn’t heard about all of the early attempts to help the recovery. As you said, it would be great to see breeding resume in Saskatchewan, and possibly other areas as well.

We also appreciated the opportunity to see several species that only appear in southern Ontario as “rarities” or “accidentals”. Always nice to see birds we haven’t seen in a long time.

Thanks again for all your patient help and guiding.” DJ & SJ

Transportation

Participants on these tours need to drive their own personal or rented vehicle. RVs and vehicles pulling trailers are permitted on private tours but are not recommended. Owners of full electric vehicles should phone 306-652-5975 to discuss whether their range is sufficient for this tour. The driving distance may be about 400 km for Whooping Crane tours and 100 km for half-day Sandhill Crane tours. EV charging stations are available in several Saskatoon hotels.

The guide may drive in a separate car and communicate by cell phone.
If you prefer, you may request the guide to ride in your non-smoking vehicle.
Saskatoon meeting location will be given to registered participants.

Carpooling

If you would like to share the costs of a 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

When are the best dates to view Saskatchewan Whooping Cranes?

  • Whooping Cranes can normally be observed near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada between September 20 and October 20. Whooping Cranes might also be found earlier and later than these dates.
  • Best Whooping Crane tour dates for warm weather and scenic fall colours are September 20 – 28.
  • Best Whooping Crane tour dates for maximum numbers of cranes are usually October 7 – 22.
  • Best Whooping Crane tour dates for best photography conditions (minimum heat haze): October 10 – 22.
    Note: We cannot guarantee you will obtain great photos. Our first priority is to avoid harassing the birds. How close we can get is unpredictable.

Why book a Whooping Crane Viewing tour with Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours?

  1. LOCAL EXPERIENCE. Your guide has over 30 years experience in leading birding tours to observe these magnificent birds. Although Whoopers often move to different locations at different times of the day and on different days of the week and during different years, he will lead you to the most likely spots to find them.
  2. ETHICS. Your guide will show you how to use special techniques to observe nearby Whooping Cranes responsibly without disturbing these endangered birds. A spotting scope may be used to observe birds that are far away from the vehicle.
  3. LEARN ID TIPS. You can learn how to use field marks and sounds to identify the cranes, swans, geese (up to 5 species), ducks, grebes, eagles and other raptors, longspurs plus many songbirds. Your guide will take you to the best locations for finding these species during your tour.
  4. LEARN ABOUT CONSERVATION. You will learn about the history of Whooping Crane Conservation in North America and the current conservation issues facing these birds. The Canadian Wildlife Service has played an important role in this conservation success story. Your guide is an experienced researcher of wild birds and has received awards for his activities in the wildlife conservation movement.
  5. BEST VEHICLE FOR OBSERVING. We believe that your personal or rented vehicle will usually provide a better observing experience during your tour than the crowded expensive vans offered by some out-of-province companies. Often dark tinted van windows cannot be rolled down to provide optimal conditions for viewing and photography.
  6. WILDLIFE CHARITY. Because your tour leader volunteers his time to lead these tours, all of your tour fee is used by our local wildlife rehabilitation center to help pay the cost of food, medicine and hiring of summer students needed to care for injured birds and small mammals harmed by human activities.
  7. TAX RECEIPTS. You will receive a tax receipt for 50% of the tour fee.

Tax Receipts

Can you photograph Whooping Cranes during our tours?

YES. You are welcome to bring your camera on our tours.

During our tours, we ensure that the Whooping Cranes are not harassed by our actions. We stay on public roads and do not trespass on private fields. Because Whooping Cranes are often alarmed if they see humans walking in the open, we take special precautions to avoid such disturbance. If the birds are relatively close to a road, then we require our guests to remain inside their vehicle or hide behind trees or vehicles, when attempting to obtain photos.

Sometimes guests with good experience in bird photography can obtain excellent photos or videos using telephoto lenses. Sometimes a combination of heat haze, weather conditions and distance to cranes may not permit suitable photographic conditions. For this reason, we do not advertise our Whooping Crane tours as photography tours. Often conditions for photography improve during cooler days in mid to late October.

Can I bring my pet dog on this tour?

Dogs are permitted on private tours but cannot be let out of the car when we are near cranes. Dogs are not permitted on group tours.

Sandhill Crane Photography

Thousands of Sandhill Cranes gather near Saskatoon, Canada during fall migration.

Sandhill Crane Photography Sessions

Sandhill Crane Photography Sessions

Each session is limited to a maximum of 3 participants.
These sessions will be led by Boyd Coburn and/or Stan Shadick.
Advance Registration is required.

Sunrise 3-hour Sandhill Crane Photography Session Times:
5:30 AM – 8:30 AM September 6 – 12
5:45 AM – 8:45 AM September 13 – 22
6:00 AM – 9:00 AM  September 23 – 30
6:15 AM – 9:15 AM October 1 – 10
6:30 AM – 9:30 AM October 11 – 19
6:45 AM – 9:45 AM October 20 – 31

2024 Sunrise Sandhill Crane Photography Sessions Currently Available:
September 16 – 30
October 1 – 11, 15 – 30

Sunset 3-hour Sandhill Crane Photography Session Times:
5:45 PM – 8:45 PM September 6 – 7
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM September 10 – 15
5:15 PM – 8:15 PM September 16 – 21
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM September 22 – 28
4:45 PM – 7:45 PM September 29 – October 2
4:30 PM – 7:30 PM October 3 – 10
4:15 PM – 7:15 PM October 11 – 17
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM October 18 – 25
3:45 PM – 6:45 PM October 26 – 30

2024 Sunset Sandhill Crane Photography Sessions Currently Available:
September 16 – 30
October 1 – 11, 15 – 30

Scroll down for Fees and Registration.

Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop: October 12 – 14, 2024

Join a Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop led by Saskatchewan wildlife photographer Boyd Coburn in Saskatoon, Canada. Witness the thousands of sandhill cranes that visit out region every fall.

There will be 4 outdoor photography sessions with hands-on help with camera settings plus an indoor photo editing session. There will also be a special Whooping Crane tour for participants and a post workshop tour to famous Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary.

CLICK HERE for Workshop details.

Whooping Cranes in grain field

Whooping Cranes by Nick Saunders

Large flock of Whoopers

Part of a flock of 154 Whooping Cranes photographed by Bob Godwin.

Images taken on previous tours

Single Parent Whooping Crane family
Single Whooping Crane parent and chick by Bowman family
Whooping Crane Twins
Whooping Crane Family with twins by James Deng
3 adult Whooping Cranes
3 adult Whooping Cranes by Gordon Sick
Flying Whooping Cranes
Whooping Crane pair in flight by Atul Sharma
2 Sandhill Cranes
Sandhill Crane pair by Atul Sharma
Sandhill Cranes in flight
Young Sandhill Crane flying with parent by Atul Sharma

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 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.

Gift Certificates Available Now

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

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

 

Fees

Send your cell phone number by email to birdtours {at} sasktel.net, so that we can discuss the best payment option.

FEE for private 2-day Whooping and Sandhill Crane tour excluding transportation: CAD $1330 (about US $1000,  £770) for a party of 1 – 4 persons. Fee includes only guiding services (8 hours/day) of leader and shared use of spotting scope.  This fee is the total fee for your party. it is not a per person fee. Client must cover their transportation costs in their personal or rented vehicle. Guide may travel in a separate vehicle. We can communicate via cell phone. If you prefer, you may request guide to ride in the back seat of your non-smoking vehicle (better choice). Accommodation and meals are not included..  We will stop to pick up food for lunch.  This 2-day option is the best choice for observing both Whooping and Sandhill Cranes.

FEE for  private 1-day Whooping Crane tour excluding transportation:  CAD $690 (about US $520, £400) for a party of 1 – 4 persons. Fee includes only guiding services (8 hours/day) of leader and shared use of spotting scope. Client must cover transportation costs in their personal or rented vehicle. Guide may travel in a separate vehicle. We can communicate via cell phone. If you prefer, you may request guide to ride in the back seat of your non-smoking vehicle (better choice).  Accommodation and meals are not included. The 1-day tour will focus on looking for Whooping Cranes but likely will not find Sandhill Cranes.

FEE for 3-hour public Sandhill Crane Photography Session excluding transportation:  CAD $390 for 1 person (about US $290, £225) or CAD $490 for a party of 2 persons or $590 for a party of 3 or 4 persons. Fee includes only guiding services of leader and shared use of spotting scope. Client must cover transportation costs in their personal or rented vehicle. Guide may travel in a separate vehicle. We can communicate via cell phone. Accommodation and meals are not included. This 3-hour tour will focus on observing and photographing Sandhill Cranes near Saskatoon. This late afternoon tour may be added to your 1-day private Whooping Crane tour on the same day.

BUDGET TOUR FEE for October 12, 2024 public Whooping Crane group tour excluding transportation:  CAD $490 (about USD $380, £290) for 1 person or $590 (about USD $480, £390) per vehicle for a party of 2 – 4 persons travelling in a single car or truck. RVs are not suitable on group tours. Unlike the previous private “family” tours, participants in this 8-hour public tour will join a group of whooping crane enthusiasts in a small convoy of up to 6 vehicles.

1-day and 2-day tours start about 7:30 am and returns to Saskatoon about 3:30 pm. 2-day tour includes an optional late afternoon extension on day 1 until 6:30 pm. The times for the 3-hour Sandhill Crane photography sessions are listed earlier on this webpage and vary with sunrise and sunset times.

Fee includes guiding services of leader and shared use of spotting scope . Client must cover transportation costs in their personal or rented vehicle. Guide may travel in a separate vehicle. If so, we can communicate via cell phone app. If you prefer, you may request guide to ride in your non-smoking vehicle.  Accommodation and meals are not included. The 1-day public tour will focus on looking for Whooping Cranes.

Private Prince Albert National Park 1-day Birding Tour Fee: CAD $790 (about US$575, £465) for your party of 1 – 4 persons travelling in a single vehicle.
This fee is the total fee for your party of 1 – 4 persons. It is not a per person fee.
Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Trip begins in Saskatoon at 8 am on day 1 and ends in the park about 4 PM.
Participants may then drive back to Saskatoon with the leader or stay overnight in a park motel.
** SAVE $200 **if you have room to transport leader in your non-smoking vehicle during tour from Saskatoon and back.

Private Full Day Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary Tour Fee: CA$790 (about US$580, £465) for a party of 1 – 4 persons Taxes included.
Fee includes guiding services only for 10 hour trip. The fee is the total amount for your group (not a per person fee). Client supplies their own transportation in personal or rented vehicle. Meals, transportation and accommodation are NOT included.
SAVE $100.  If you have space to transport leader in your personal or rented vehicle during tour from Saskatoon and back, then deduct $100 from the tour fee.

Tax ReceiptsTAX RECEIPT: A tax receipt for 50% of the tour 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 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.

All guiding fee proceeds will be donated to Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation.

Reservations

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.

2024 Crane Tour Reservation Request Form

If you do not have a cell phone, enter your land line.
Mailing Address needed for tax receipt.
2-DAY Whooping and Sandhill Crane TOUR DATE: Oct 23-24 1-DAY Whooping Crane TOUR DATES: Oct 5, 13, 16, 23, 24, 25 3 hour Sunrise Sandhill Crane TOUR DATES: September 10 – October 30 3-hour Sunset Sandhill Crane Photography Sessions Currently Available: September 10 – October 30 BUDGET Whooping Crane TOUR DATES: Sep 28, Oct 12

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

Whooping Crane Poetry

©️ Madeleine McLaughlin

Long necked
with legs like ruby stilts
the crane lifts it wings
to it’s side
and dances with little strides

Click here for balance of poem

 

How to get to Saskatoon

Air: Saskatoon International Airport (YXE) is served by Air Canada, Westjet, Flair, Porter 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.

SPECIAL DISCOUNT

Anyone who books any whooping crane tour during 2024 is eligible for a 20% discount off any Prairie Lakes Birding tour bookings between October 25 and November 7, 2024.

CLICK PICTURE for dancing grouse tour details.

Other Bird Photography Sessions

Click Picture for details.

Other Tours

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

Prince Albert National Park Birding Tour
CLICK PICTURE for details.
CLICK PICTURE for details.

Multiple Tours Discount

Can’t decide which tour to take?

Check out our multiple tours discount described here.

TOP QUALITY BINOCULAR OFFER

Do you want a better pair of binoculars for birdwatching?

Great for viewing Whooping Cranes

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

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.

ALL BIRDING TOURS
BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY TOURS
HALF-DAY PRIVATE BIRDING TOURS
FULL-DAY PRIVATE BIRDING TOURS
MULTI-DAY GROUP BIRDING TOURS
LOW MOBILITY BIRDING TOURS
BLIND / LOW VISION BIRDING TOURS
BIRDING BY EAR ONLINE WORKSHOPS
WARBLER ID ONLINE WORKSHOPS