Great Moose Jaw and Regina Birdwatching Tours and Workshops for 2024

Table of Contents

MOOSE JAW and REGINA BIRDWATCHING TOURS

Where are the Best Places to go Birding in Saskatchewan, Canada?

We offer a variety of private and group guided birding tours and bird photography tours across Saskatchewan.  The Moose Jaw and Regina birdwatching tours described here are easily accessible from those cities.
Custom tours and bird ID workshops available.

Our Moose Jaw and Regina birdwatching tours make excellent birthday gifts, Mother’s Day gifts, Father’s Day gifts, retirement gifts or anniversary birding gifts for birders interested in birds and nature.

Saskatchewan is located where two major North American bird flyways meet. During the breeding season in June and July about 150 bird species occur within our nearby grassland, wetland and woodland habitats. This bird list is augmented during the migration months of May, August and September when boreal and arctic nesting warblers, flycatchers, vireos and shorebirds become plentiful.

April – May Birdwatching and Bird Photography Tours and Workshops

June – August Moose Jaw & Regina Birdwatching Tours and Workshops

SEPTEMBER- OCTOBER BIRDWATCHING TOURS

Buffalo Park Birding TourDuck Mountain Park Birding Tour

Cypress Hills Tour

SE Saskatchewan Birding Tour

 

 

November – March Birdwatching and Bird Photography Tours

Monthly Newsletter

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

Testimonials about our Birdwatching Tours

CLICK to listen to Calgary Naturalist Brian Keating on CBC Calgary Radio giving an on-air review of a tour he booked with us.

Canadian Geographic Article. Click Here.

Global TV News Report: Click Here.

“I drove to Saskatoon and met Stan Shadick who arranged for me to observe lekking Sharp-tailed Grouse. Stan set up a blind for me, enabling me to take photos in the early morning hours (04:10 to 08:00, Wednesday, May 5). It was a birding thrill for the year. ” (L. Corkum)

That was such a great trip!  Thanks so much for the use of the blind and sharing your general knowledge and expertise. (J. Lee)

“We really appreciated your tour last Wednesday; [Our young grandson] loved it!! He also told us he learned alot.  I believe you have inspired him to continue his passion of birding.  Thanks again for the wonderful guiding! (D. Dear)

Gift Certificates Available Now

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

Click here for information about gift certificates for any of our 2023 Moose Jaw and Regina birdwatching tours.

Birdwatching tours

Multiple Tours Discount

Can’t decide which Moose Jaw and Regina birdwatching tours to take?

Check out our multiple tours discount described here.

QUESTIONS?

EMAIL birdtours@sasktel.net to book a birdwatching tour, to order a gift certificate or with any questions.
Please include your name and a contact phone number and other pertinent information.

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. Please wear a mask and maintain physical 2 meter distancing when walking outside or viewing birds through the spotting scope that I will set up.
  4. This policy may change when public health orders change or when Covid case numbers decrease.
  5. 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.

Complete List of Birding Tours

Scroll Down to view our full list of upcoming Moose Jaw and Regina birdwatching tours including our popular fall Whooping Crane tour and custom tours.
All proceeds support the work of Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation.

Tour Suggestions Request Form

Send us your possible tour dates and we will get back to you with the best tour suggestions for that time period.

You may also list a landline or type NONE.

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


Bald Eagle Viewing Tour

See eagles perching in a  tree like Christmas decorations! Join Stan Shadick for a 5-hour private self-driving birdwatching tour from Saskatoon to view a location where many Bald Eagles congregate before migrating south.  We should also see many kinds of ducks and other water birds.

Fees: $490 for your party of 1 – 4 persons.


November 10 – 25

Bald Eagle photo by Nick Saunders

See our Bald Eagle Tour page for booking and tour details.


Chaplin Shorebirds Tour

Shorebirds galore! Extended 12 hour birdwatching tour from Saskatoon visiting the best shorebird habitats in Saskatchewan at Chaplin Shorebird Reserve and other nearby hotspots.

Endangered Piping Plovers are often found here. Other shorebirds often include Red Knot, Sanderling, Wilson’s Phalarope, Red-necked Phalarope, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Marbled Godwit, Hudsonian Godwit, Stilt Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet, Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer.

Driving Distance: 650 km
Fees: From $690 for your party of 1 – 4 persons in a single vehicle.


mid May – August
Full-Day Tour
Group Tour: July 23, 2023

Piping Plover by Nick Saunders

See our Chaplin Shorebirds Tour page for booking and tour details.


Cypress Hills – Grasslands Birdwatching Tours

See the birdlife of Saskatchewan birder’s favourite birding region. Join a small group of birders on a 6-day / 5-night guided birdwatching tour to the Cypress Hills  and Grasslands National Park regions of SW Saskatchewan.

Some of the special unique birds of this region include MacGillivray’s Warbler, Dusky Flycatcher, Red-naped Sapsucker, Poorwill, Pacific Wren, Violet-Green Swallow. We also look for rare Cordilleran Flycatcher and Bullock’s Oriole found in the park in 2020. We plan to visit the west, central and east blocks of this birding hotspot.

Driving Distance: 1400 km
Fee: From $2590 for your party of 1 – 4 persons in a single vehicle.


June 10-17, 2023

Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park Trails

See our Cypress Hills Tour page for booking and tour details.


Duck Mountain Park Group Birdwatching Tour

See the birdlife of Saskatchewan’s eastern forests. Join a small group of birders on a 4-day / 3-night guided birdwatching tour to the Duck Mountain Provincial Park on the Manitoba border.

Some of the special unique birds of this region may include Trumpeter Swan, Black-backed Woodpecker, Nashville Warbler, Great Crested Flycatcher,  Winter Wren, Nashville Warbler. Golden-winged Warbler is possible. We plan to visit all of this park’s birding hotspots.

Driving Distance: 1000 km
Fee: $1290 for your party of 1 – 4 persons in a single vehicle.


June 5-8, 2023

Duck Lake Birding Tour
Blackburnian Warbler by Nick Saunders

See our Duck Mountain Park Tour page for booking and tour details.


Forest Winter Birdwatching Tour

Extended Full Day Birdwatching and Owl Photography Tour to Prince Albert National Park and Area.

Good opportunities for bird photography!

Join our experienced local birding guide for an Extended Full Day Drive to Boreal Forest habitat in Prince Albert National Park and adjacent areas. Visit best areas for finding and observing majestic Great Gray Owls and fearless Northern Hawk Owls. See Pine Grosbeaks, Redpolls and other winter finches. 1-day and 2-day tours available.

Total Driving Distance: 700 km (1-day tour)
Fees: from $790 for a party of 1 – 4 persons.

 

 


Private Tours: November through April

Group Tour: February 19 – 20, 2023

Full-Day Tours

Two-Day Tours

Great Gray Owl by Nick Saunders

See our Forest Winter Tour page for booking and tour details.


Grasslands National Park Group Birdwatching Tour

See the birdlife of Canada’s best grassland park. Join a small group of birders on a 2-day / 1-night guided birdwatching tour to Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan.

Some of the special unique birds of this region include Burrowing Owl, Long-billed Curlew, Thick-billed Longspur and Chestnut-collared Longspur. We also look for rare Greater Sage-Grouse and Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, which are  found nowhere else in Canada. We plan to visit the birding hotspots in the west block of the park

Driving Distance: 900 km from Saskatoon
Fee: From $1290 for your party of 1 – 4 persons in 1 vehicle


May – June
Multi-Day Tours

May 20 – 22, 2023

Grasslands National Park

See our Grasslands National Park Tour page for booking and tour details.


Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary Tour

Visit the First National Bird Sanctuary to be established in North America!

Ducks galore! Watch the mating antics of male ducks in spring or cute families of ducklings later in summer. Join our experienced local birding guide for a full day (8-hour) drive to visit the birding hotspots at Last Mountain Lake.  An optional 3-hour evening extension is possible.

See unique grassland and wetland birds during this birdwatching tour. Visit deep lakes for diving ducks and pelicans. Also visit shallow ponds for viewing dabbling ducks and grebes. Listen to the varied musical offerings of wetland sparrows, rails and other marsh songbirds.

Driving Distance: 450 km
Fees: From $490 for your party of 1 – 4 persons in a single vehicle.


Mid-April to October
Full-Day Tour

Group Tour: July 16, 2023

Marbled Godwit
by Nick Saunders

See our Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary Tour page for booking and tour details.


Pelican Photography and Viewing Tour

Watch flying pelicans, which have the greatest wingspan of any Saskatchewan bird. Join Stan Shadick for a 7-hour self-driving birdwatching tour to view a location where hundreds of pelicans congregate before migrating south. We should also see many other kinds of ducks and other water birds. Round-trip driving distance about 300 km. This trip is ideal for photography of pelicans in flight. Fees: $590 per group.


Prince Albert National Park Group Birdwatching Tour

See the birdlife of Saskatchewan forested national park. Join a small group of birders on a 2-day or 3-day guided birdwatching tour to the Prince Albert National Park regions of SW Saskatchewan. We may also visit historic Fort Carleton Provincial Park.

Some of the special unique birds of this region include Spruce Grouse, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Barred Owl, and many species of warblers. We plan to visit the best nature trails and birding hotspots in this region.

Driving Distance: 700 km
Fee: From $790 for your party of  1 – 4 persons.


Quill Lakes Birdwatching Tour

Visit the multitude of birds at Canada’s largest salt water lake on this birdwatching tour.

Birds galore! The Quill Lakes region is the best place in Saskatchewan for observing Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons and Black-crowned Night Herons.

During the peak of the shorebird migration, about 200 thousand individuals have been counted in a single day! During this time, several percent of the world populations of White-rumped, Baird’s, Least and Stilt Sandpipers occur here along with significant numbers of Hudsonian Godwits, dowitchers and American Avocets.

Driving Distance: 500 km
Fees: $490 – $690 for your party of 1 – 4 persons.


Mid-April to August
Full-Day Tours

Budget Group Tour: May 18, 2023

Black-crowned Night Heron
by Nick Saunders

See our Quill Lakes Birding Tour page for booking and tour details.


Best Birding Hotspots of SE Saskatchewan Tour

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.

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.

Driving Distance from Saskatoon: 1300 km
Fee: $1490 for your party of 1 – 4 persons in a single vehicle.


Best Birding Hotspots of Souris River Tour

See the birdlife of Saskatchewan birder’s favourite birding region. Join a small group of birders on a 3-day / 2-night guided birdwatching tour to the Souris River Valley region of SE Saskatchewan.

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.

Driving Distance: 1300 km
Fee: $1290 for your party of 1 – 4 persons in a single vehicle.


Whooping and Sandhill Crane Viewing Tours

See Canada’s most majestic bird. In recent years, the grain fields near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada have become the best dependable viewing location in the world during fall migration to view rare Whooping Cranes, the tallest bird in North America. 1-day and 2-day tours available.

In 2018, we found a single flock in excess of 150 whoopers! During more recent tours we have observed several flocks totaling over 50 individuals. As local birders, we know the best historical places to take our birdwatching tours in search of these spectacular birds.

Driving Distance: 300 – 400 km per day.
Fees: From $490 per person or $590 for your party of 2 – 4 persons in a single vehicle.


Mid September – Late October

Full Day Tours

Multi-Day Tours

These tours start in Saskatoon.

Budget Group Tour: October 1, 2023

Whooping Crane – Photo by Bruce Acton

See our Whooping and Sandhill Crane Tour page for booking and tour details.


Fall Warbler ID Workshops

Become a Better Birder. During fall migration, warblers occur in a wide variety of colourful plumage patterns. You can learn to use field marks to identify warblers too!

Join in our series of workshops designed to improve your skills at identification of warblers and vireos in the Canadian Prairies or anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains. Our workshops are arranged by migration date. Each series will focus on a small group of warblers and vireos found at a particular time of year. For each set there will be one evening online session lasting about 1.5 hour. A Bonus optional outdoor morning field trip is available to birders visiting or residing in Saskatoon. Fees: $35 – $65 per person.


Birding By Ear Workshops

Become a Better Birder. Expert birders identify most birds in any habitat using song identification. Some birds can only be safely identified by voice. You can learn to identify bird songs too!

Join in our spring series of sets of online plus optional outdoor workshop pairings designed to improve your skills at identification of common bird songs in Saskatoon’s parks. Our online workshops are arranged by habitat. Each series will focus on a small group of songbirds found in a given habitat at a particular time of year. For each set there will be one evening online session lasting about 1 hour followed by an optional 1-hour outdoor morning or evening field trip a day or 2 later.

Useful for birding anywhere from Alberta to Ontario and adjacent states.

Fees: $35 – $95 per person.


May

2-hour online workshops

Optional 1 hour outings

See our Birding by Ear online workshop page for booking and workshop details.


Greenwater Lake Birdwatching Group Tour

Join a 3-day / 2-night guided birdwatching tour to visit Greenwater provincial park famous for its abundance of warblers, finches, flycatchers, woodpeckers and other forest songbirds. Saskatchewan’s Greenwater Provincial Park is located in a mixed forested region about 270 km east of Saskatoon.

The lakes and wetlands within this park attract many water birds including various ducks, rails, herons and many duck species. A remote area in this park is well-known as a breeding site for Trumpeter Swans. We will keep our eyes peeled for this special bird on any of the park’s accessible ponds.


Spring and Summer

Blackburnian Warbler
by Nick Saunders

See our Greenwater Lake Tour page for booking and tour details.


Dancing Grouse Viewing and Photography Tours

Join our experienced local birding guide for a  3 or 4-hour early morning or late evening self-driving birdwatching tour to view the spectacle of dancing Sharp-tailed Grouse near Saskatoon. Listen to the excitement of the sounds and dance moves of Saskatchewan’s original dancers. Many of the traditional indigenous dances were inspired by this display. The birds are more active near sunrise than near sunset.

During the early morning photography tour, you will drive onto a private pasture for a close-up view of the birds dancing near sunrise. You may view and photograph the performance from your high-clearance vehicle. One member of your group has the option of using our professional photography blind on site to obtain images of the dancing birds from a birds-eye level near the ground.
Total Driving Distance: 15 km from north end of Saskatoon.
Private Sunrise Bird Photography Tour Fee: $390 for your group of 1 – 4 persons in a single vehicle.

The evening driving tour will visit a location on a public road near sunset where you may view the birds as they arrive at their lek roughly 200 meters from the road. Binoculars recommended.
Total Driving Distance: 120 km from Saskatoon.
Private Sunset Bird Viewing Tour Fee: $290 for your group of 1 – 4 persons in a single vehicle.


Custom Private Birdwatching Tour

Want a guide for birding in other Saskatchewan localities?

Have a list of birds that you would like to see?

Hire Stan Shadick for your private escorted birdwatching tour. Rates are just $65 per hour and 50 cents per km.

Email your special requests to birdtours@sasktel.net and provide your name, contact information and preferred dates.

Tour Guide: Stan Shadick. Click for more information about your tour guide.


Year round Birdwatching Tours

Yellow-headed Blackbird
by Nick Saunders

Other websites that have generously advertised our birding tours.