Wild Raptor Tour – a great natural experience in 2024

Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours

 

WILD RAPTOR TOUR

NEXT EVENT:

Monday, September 2, 2024
2 PM – 5 PM
Wild Birds Unlimited Store parking lot
2600 8 St E #330A, Saskatoon, SK S7H 0V7
$95 per vehicle with 1 – 4 persons

Self-Drive Escorted Tour

Raptor Tour Description

Join Stan Shadick and other fellow raptor enthusiasts for a 3 hour driving tour in search of wild raptors near Saskatoon.

For the September tour, we expect to find many Swainson’s Hawks that have fledged their young. These prairie nesting buteos fly north from Argentina to spend the summer with us. We may also find Turkey Vultures, Northern Harriers, Kestrels and Merlins. We might also find a rare Peregrine Falcon.

We should also encounter several Red-tailed Hawks, another buteo that breeds in well-treed areas surrounding Saskatoon.  Individuals in this species occur with a wide variety of plumages. Although most birds have reddish tails, some have brown tails and some have mainly white tails. Most have light coloured bellies but we might see some dark morphs with very dark bellies.

We will travel in a convoy of no more than 6 vehicles (including leader) along back-country gravel roads so that we can safely stop to view any raptors we encounter. We will likely use your cellphone to communicate between vehicles during the tour.

This tour makes an excellent Easter gift, birthday gift, anniversary gift, graduation gift for a birder, birdwatcher or anyone interested in nature.

Advance Registration Required.

Tour Fee

Fee: $95 per vehicle with 1 – 4 persons.  All members of your party must travel in a single personal or rented vehicle in the car convoy. Registration limited to 7 vehicles in the convoy plus the leader.

TAX RECEIPT: A tax receipt for 50% of the tour fee will be issued to the person paying for the tour providing you pay LSWR directly via e-transfer.

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.

RESERVATIONS – Wild Raptor Tour

OPTION 1 – September 2 tour booking via Eventbrite

CLICK HERE to use a credit card to book your September 10, 2023 tour now via Eventbrite.
Note: Tax receipt is NOT available using this option. Note: Please do NOT fill in form below.

OPTION 2: September 2 tour booking using form 

Please complete the form below or send us your full name(s), mailing address with postal code, phone number and email address .

E-mail: birdtours@sasktel.net

Phone: 306-652-5975

We will email you e-transfer payment instructions after your form is submitted.

Use landline if you don’t have a cell phone.
Mailing address needed for tax receipt.
Select all that apply. Payment instructions will be emailed to you after form is submitted.
Smoking is allowed only inside your own personal vehicle. No smoking is permitted outside during birding stops or hikes.

 

 

 

Northern Harrier
Northern Harrier
by May Haga
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
by May Haga
Swainson's Hawk
Swainson’s Hawk
by Nick Saunders

Can I bring my pet dog on this tour?

Dogs are not permitted on this wild raptor tour unless they stay inside your vehicle.

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.

Tour Leader: Stan Shadick. Click for more information about your tour leader.

Other Birding Tours

Birding Tours: 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.

Monthly Newsletter

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

Gift Certificates Available Now

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

May – September Raptor Tours

During a late spring or summer wild raptor tour, we expect to find numerous Swainson’s Hawks. This large buteo breeds in open country near Saskatoon. They are now feeding and gathering into groups to prepare for their incredible long migration south to their wintering grounds in Argentina. Most individuals occur in the light colour morph but we will watch for any rare dark morph birds.