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.

Dates: October 12 – 14, 2024

Registration limited to 5 participants. Early booking suggested.

A post workshop tour to the famous Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary is also available.

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Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes near Saskatoon, Canada

The Saskatoon region is situated on the central flyway for migrating Sandhill Cranes in North America.

Every fall hundreds of thousands of sandhills stop in Saskatchewan for several weeks while they feed on spilled grain in fields.

Some Sandhill Cranes travel here from their nesting grounds in Canada’s boreal forest and arctic regions. Other cranes arrive here from Alaska and Russia.

These huge numbers of cranes make the Saskatoon region the best place in Canada for Sandhill Crane photography and observing.

Wheat fields near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada have also 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 find these spectacular birds.

For many decades, our Saskatchewan Whooping Crane tours led by Stan Shadick have dependably found the locations where these birds feed and rest during fall migration. Whooping Cranes normally raise at most a single young bird. During our 2022 tours, we found up to 3 families with twins!

The recovery of the endangered Whooping Crane population in Canada has become a tremendous success story for wildlife conservation. The Canadian population of these birds once dipped as low as 15 individuals but now exceeds 500 birds

Whooping Crane with outstetched wings — Whooping Crane Photo by Bruce Acton

Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop

Dates: October 12 – 14, 2024 (Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend)

Additional Sandhill Crane Photography sessions will be offered on other dates in September and October.

Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Workshop Hotel: TBA
Hotel booking information will be sent to registered participants.

Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop Instructor: Boyd Coburn

Host: Stan Shadick

Registration Limit: 5 Participants
Early Booking Recommended

Workshop Summary

2 Late Afternoon – Sunset Sandhill Crane Photography Sessions
2 Morning Sandhill Crane Photography Sessions
Hands-on Camera Settings Help during all Photography Sessions
1 Mid-day Indoor Sandhill Crane Photography Editing Session
1 Morning Whooping Crane Viewing Session (cameras permitted)
Participants should bring a digital camera with both long and short focal lengths.
Participants should bring a laptop computer equipped with their favourite photographic editing software.
Both novice and experienced bird photographers are welcome.
You need to plan to drive your own personal or rented vehicle to and from locations where we will be photographing and viewing cranes.
Bring good footwear plus a warm jacket / coat and hat in case of cool or rainy weather.
Carpooling will be encouraged at the start of each outdoor event.
Partial Tax Receipt (50%) will be given to all registrants. (The leaders volunteer their time so that all proceeds support Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation charity).

Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop Itinerary

Saturday, October 12, 2024

7:00 AM – 2:00 PM Whooping Crane Viewing Tour
The workshop begins with a special driving tour to view some families of rare and endangered Whooping Cranes. These cranes regularly stop to feed in grain fields. within about 100 km of Saskatoon. Your leader will bring a spotting scope to allow you to view these birds at high magnification.

During this tour, 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 good photos or videos using telephoto lenses. Sometimes a combination of heat haze, weather conditions and distance to cranes may not permit ideal photographic conditions. For this reason, we do not advertise this special Whooping Crane tour as a photography tour. Whooping Cranes normally feed in different locations than do Sandhill Cranes. We might not see any Sandhills during this Whooping Crane tour.

Carpooling is encouraged. Return driving distance may be roughly 280 km.

You should have breakfast before we depart and/or bring food with you for this tour.

2:00 PM – 2:30 PM Snack Break at the hotel.

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM Overview of Photographic Sessions.

3:00 PM – 7:00 PM Late Afternoon Sandhill Crane Photographic Session 1
Your instructor will guide you to locations on the west side of the South Saskatchewan River where we expect to be able to photograph Sandhill Cranes. We will visit the riverbank where cranes are roosting on sand bars. We will also stop on side roads adjacent to private fields where the birds are feeding. You may wish to bring a snack with you.
Return driving distance should be less than 100 km.

7:00 PM Supper Break

Sunday, October 13, 2024

6:30 AM – 10:00 AM Morning Sandhill Crane Photographic Session 1
Your instructor will guide you to locations on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River where we expect to be able to photograph Sandhill Cranes. We will visit the riverbank where many cranes will be observed in flight as they depart at early light. We should also later find some cranes feeding in fields. Return driving distance should be less than 100 km.

10:00 AM Break for Brunch and personal editing

12:30 PM – 3:00 PM Indoor Instruction Session about Editing Techniques.
Your instructor will discuss the use of various photographic software for editing images. The group may critique each other’s photographs.

3:00 PM – 7:00 PM Late Afternoon Sandhill Crane Photographic Session 2
Your instructor will guide you to locations on the west side of the South Saskatchewan River where we expect to be able to photograph Sandhill Cranes. We will visit the riverbank where cranes are roosting on sand bars. We will also stop on side roads adjacent to private fields where the birds are feeding. You may wish to bring a snack with you.
Return driving distance should be less than 100 km.

7:00 PM Supper Break

Monday, October 14, 2024

6:30 AM – 10:00 AM Morning Sandhill Crane Photographic Session 2
Your instructor will guide you to locations on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River where we expect to be able to photograph Sandhill Cranes. We will visit the riverbank where many cranes will be observed in flight as they depart at early light. We should also later find some cranes feeding in fields.
Return driving distance should be less than 100 km.

10:00 AM Workshop Ends

Participants may check out of their hotel in preparation for departure home or plan to take the following optional post-workshop tour if they have pre-registered for it.

11:00 AM – 9:00 PM Post Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop Tour to Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary
You may optionally plan to join a group convoy on a special driving tour to visit the oldest federal bird sanctuary in North American. Over 100,000 Sandhill Cranes visit Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary each year. Near sunset, we plan to observe and photograph the arrival of many thousands of cranes as they return to the lake after feeding in distant fields. Bring food with you or we may plan to stop in a small town gas station to pick up food to be eaten in the field.
Advance registration required for this special 10-hour day tour.
Return driving distance should be about 400 km.

Leadership Fee for Last Mountain Lake tour is $390 per person.

Questions: please email questions to birdtours@sasktel.net and include your phone number and times when you may be contacted.

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How to get to Saskatoon

Air: Saskatoon International Airport (YXE) is served by Flair, 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, Saskatoon – Winnipeg 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.
The previous Covid vaccine requirements have been eliminated.
There are no significant delays at the border provided they have fully completed the ArriveCan app in advance.

Sandhill Crane Photography Instructor: Boyd Coburn

Boyd Coburn has over 30 years experience as a wildlife photographer in Saskatchewan. He is knowledgeable about operating cameras and processing and editing images. He claims he is always learning new techniques for imaging and post processing.

Boyd has a keen eye to find wildlife and the patience required to wait for the best opportunities for photography. He is passionate about being ethical when interacting with wildlife and their natural environment. He enjoys nature and is always looking for those uncommon birds and mammals that we don’t often see.

His approach to bird photography: “It is not always about getting the shot though, sometimes you miss the shot but get a spectacular experience.”

Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop Host: Stan Shadick

Host: Your Sandhill Crane workshop host 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 and bird photography 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 a past president of Nature Saskatchewan as well as a 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 regularly contributes sightings to e-bird and currently holds the e-bird record for the most bird species seen in Saskatchewan.

Fees for Sandhill Crane Photography Workshops and Photography Sessions.

FEE for 3-day Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop: CAD $1590 per person (about US $1190, £930).
Fee includes only leadership services. Clients must cover transportation costs in their personal or rented vehicle. Guide will travel in a separate vehicle. or ride in your vehicle, if your prefer. We can communicate via hands-fee cell phone when driving. Accommodation, transportation and meals are not included.

FEE for Post Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop Tour to Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary: CAD $490 per person (about US $360, £290). Fee includes only guiding services (10 hours/day) of leader and shared use of spotting scope. Clients must cover transportation costs in their personal or rented vehicle. Guide will travel in a separate vehicle. or ride in your vehicle, if your prefer. We can communicate via hands-fee cell phone. Accommodation and meals are not included. This 1-day tour will focus on Sandhill Crane photography when the cranes fly back to roost at the lake overnight. Accommodation, transportation and meals are not included.

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

TAX RECEIPT: A tax receipt for 50% of the tour fee will be issued to the person paying for the Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop.

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

Why book this Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop with us?

LOCAL EXPERIENCE. Your guides have over 50 years experience in observing and photographing birds in Saskatchewan. to observe these magnificent birds. Although cranes often move to different locations at different times of the day, they will lead you to the best spots to photograph them.
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.
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 plus many songbirds. Your guide will take you to the best locations for finding these species during this event.
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.
BEST VEHICLE FOR OBSERVING. We believe that your personal or rented vehicle will usually provide a better observing and photography experience 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.
WILDLIFE CHARITY. Because your Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop leaders volunteer their time, all of your fees are 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.
TAX RECEIPTS. You will receive a tax receipt for 50% of the fees.

2 Sandhill Cranes — Sandhill Crane pair by Atul Sharma

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 cameras and tripod. Binoculars and a scope (optional).

Whooping Crane Flock Photo by Bob Godwin

Transportation

Participants on this Sandhill Crane Photography Workshop need to drive their own personal or rented vehicle. RVs and vehicles pulling trailers are not recommended. Owners of full electric vehicles should phone 306-652-5975 to discuss whether their range is sufficient for these tours. The driving distance may be about 280 km for Whooping Crane tour and less than 100 km for half-day Sandhill Crane Photography Sessions. Round Trip driving distance for the post conference Sandhill Crane photography tour to Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary will be about 450 km. EV charging stations are available at several Saskatoon locations.

Carpooling

If you would like to share your vehicle with other participants then complete the Carpooling Section of the Registration Request Form below or email the workshop name, your name, phone number and email address to birdtours@sasktel.net