Spring Migrants

While on a recent look along the river while checking to see if the American Dipper was still around ( it is ) I found these two new birds for the year.
A Myrtle race Yellow-rumped Warbler & a Hermit Thrush.
I was wondering when they'd show up and now, more should start appearing every day...

Yellow-rumped Warbler



Hermit Thrush

Gardiner Dam Birding

A friend and I recently visited Gardiner Dam, Broderick Reservoir and the neighboring countryside.
Most Duck and Grebe species are back now in fairly good numbers, as are the Geese and Swans, plus a few shorebirds.
We had a pretty great trip, and found 73 species in total.

Here are some photos from the day...( as usual , click to see full size versions )

Snow Goose/Greater White-fronted Goose & Ross's Goose - The diminutive Ross's Goose can be seen to the right of the picture :



Snow Geese:



Tundra Swan:



Canvasbacks:



Northern Harrier:




American Tree Sparrow:



White-tailed Jack Rabbit:

River Birds

More new species are arriving every day and migration seems to be in full swing.
I'm playing catch up time right now, as I have taken so many photos and will post new one's every other day.

So, here are some photos from the river last week, followed by a recent list of new year birds...

Common Loon - There were 10 of these on the river, the most I have seen here in the city.



Mallard



Green-winged Teal



Canada Goose



Ring-billed Gull



American Robin



Here are some new species I have seen over the past few days :

Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Loggerhead Shrike
Red-breasted Merganser
Hooded Merganser
Pied-Billed Grebe
Western Grebe
Eared Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Lesser Scaup
Ring-necked Duck
Common Loon - 25
Tundra Swan
American White Pelican
Ross's Goose - 10 ( new for the year )
Hermit Thrush
Eastern Phoebe
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Tree Swallow
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Mourning Dove
American Avocet
Willet
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Marbled Godwit
Long-billed Curlew
Savannah Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Purple Finch

Short-eared Owl

Last night , myself and two friends headed out in chilly conditions to partake in an Owl survey.
The weather over the past few days had been very windy, so last night we were treated to only minimal gusts of 4k and sometimes less, but it was actually below freezing!
The sky was clear, the stars were bright and it was pretty much perfect!
On the way up to our location, as the sun had just gone down and the sky was a beautiful pink colour, I noticed something sitting on a signpost, and was elated to see it was a Short-eared Owl, a species I have rarely seen, let along photographed.
Infact ,I did not see one at all last year.
As the night went on, things got better as we found yet another Short-eared Owl and 4 Great Horned Owls.

We found some more new birds for the year :

Lesser Yellowlegs
Wilson's Snipe ( calling )
Blue-winged Teal
Canvasback
Ruffed Grouse ( drumming )

Mammals were :

Coyote
Beaver
White-tailed Deer
Mule Deer


Short-eared Owl

Two from the Backyard

Well, it seems as if the Junco's have already moved on. We had them in our yard for about 5 days, but I got to enjoy them while they were here, and I'll see them again up north next month anyway.
We have had a pair of American Crows visiting us for the past couple of days, taking shelled peanuts meant for the Blue Jays, and also some American Robins have stopped by for a drink.

Some friends and I visited the river last night and both the American Dipper and Slaty-backed Gull put in an appearance, the Gull didn't show until 8:30pm though, in near dark.

The gull ended up being a lifer for all of us , so we toasted the fact at a downtown pub before heading home.

I didn't bother taking photos of the Gull last night as it was mostly sleeping .

Here are two pics from the yard :

Dark-eyed Junco (Pink-sided)



American Robin

Some recent photos

Here are some new photos taken along the river , and a couple from a drive out to Goose Lake on the weekend.

Northern Shrike



American Beaver



Richardson's Ground Squirrel



Horned Lark




Western Meadowlark

American Dipper

Yesterday, I spent most of the afternoon and early evening birding with my friend around Goose Lake ,then finishing up at Pike Lake, we then decided to check the Gull roost opposite the QE2 power plant.
It wasn't long before we found a dark backed gull among the many other usual species.
This particular gull has been the subject of much debate, but the general feeling is that it is now a Slaty-backed Gull , Saskatchewan's 3rd ever.
The highlight for me though was an American Dipper that was hopping along the rocks along the west shore.
This is Saskatoon's 2nd sighting , the last one being in 1997. 9 have been seen in total in Saskatchewan.
This bird is now 259 on my Saskatchewan list and a lifer. I hope to reach over 300 someday :-)
Dipper's are usually found along fast-flowing mountain streams, so the trickling water here must have been enticing.
The bird was very active, bobbing up and down, as it jumped from rock to rock, and occasionally dipping its head into the water.
This species, is equipped with an extra eyelid called a "nictitating membrane" that allows it to see underwater, and scales that close its nostrils when submerged. Dippers also produce more oil than most birds, which may help keep them warmer when seeking food underwater.
I would have loved to have seen it swim, but for now , this is the best sighting I have had for a long time..