Grasshopper Sparrow - crown stripe and yellow glow

I continue to be amazed by the varieties of Sparrows we see here in Saskatchewan. And so today, a Grasshopper Sparrow, singing its insect-like buzzing song at Grasslands National Park.

One of my favourite Sparrow photos: A Grasshopper Sparrow singing
into the quiet early morning of Grasslands National Park, SK  © SB

Grasshopper Sparrow, with a bright white crown stripe,
pale buffy face and belly, with a slight yellow tinge. © SB

What is this? Grasshopper Sparrow (Bruant sauterelle)

Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan
Photo date: June 24, 2012.

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Common Nighthawk: neither nocturnal, nor a hawk

Sunset, and the Common Nighthawk flies. © SB

The Common Nighthawks swept up from their rail fence roosts in the late afternoon to soar over the Frenchman River campground in search of insects.

And that was a very good thing, as there were perhaps 17 million mosquitoes per square inch that evening. And so the Nighthawks dined well. (Although perhaps less well than their voracious prey. Not that mosquitoes are overly fond of me, but I'm told by camping companions that they were vicious.)

During the days we stayed at Grasslands National Park, I came to love their eerie, sharp Meemp, meemmp calls, and to look forward to their booming dives. Or, maybe it's as they pull out of the dive that they boom. Regardless, this swift, slim birds can be startling LOUD!

Bark bird: A Common Nighthawk resting during the day on a rail fence. © SB

To identify Common Nighthawks in their early morning and late afternoon flights, look for a dark form with a bright white stripe about one third of the way up from the tips of their wings. You might also notice the white V of neck feathers. 

To identify Common Nighthawks during the day, cross your fingers and look for bumps on logs... Their bark-patterned feathers offer them excellent camouflage!  

And despite their name, Common Nighthawks are neither strictly nocturnal, nor closely related to hawks. But they are fairly common, and can be found across North America.

Common Nighthawk in flight  © SB

  

Daytime, and two Common Nighthawks rest on the fence
around the Frenchman River Campground at Grasslands National Park. © SB

What are these? Common Nighthawks (Engoulevent d'Amérique)

Location: Frenchman River Campground, Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.
Photo date: June 13 and 14, 2016.

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Baird's Sparrow in Grasslands National Park SK

The ochre-coloured sparrow on the red rock surprised me — a Baird's Sparrow, out in the open. The only Baird's I'd seen before had been somewhat hidden in a shrub. But this was at Grasslands National Park, in this bird's natural habitat, and the rock was some distance away. So why be surprised? Just enjoy.

What is this? A Baird's Sparrow
Location: Grasslands National Park, near Val Marie, Saskatchewan. 

Photo date: June 22, 2015.

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Loggerhead Shrike in Grasslands National Park

Watch it. This Loggerhead Shrike is watching you...  © SB

I've been intrigued by Loggerhead Shrikes ever since I heard about their food collecting habits...

They skewer their prey, which can range from insects to rodents, to thorns or barbed wire.

Seriously, what's not to like about a songbird with the heart of hawk?

The only place I've seen a Loggerhead Shrike is in Grasslands National Park, where they favour some of the fences, and — or so I've been told — thorn trees.

These are serious little birds. Stocky, scowly and very cool.

Loggerhead Shrike in profile, showing off its hooked beak.  © SB

Loggerhead Shrike, with moth.  © SB

What are these? Loggerhead Shrikes
Location: Grasslands National Park, near Val Marie, Saskatchewan.
Photo dates: Top: June 14, 2016; next two: June 22, 2015.

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Clay-coloured Sparrow in Grasslands nesting grounds

Clay-coloured sparrow, 

with crisp white and brown markings © SB

Clay-coloured Sparrows pass through our yard in Regina, Saskatchewan, every May.

I look forward seeing these small, crisply marked birds, and so it was lovely to hear their familiar buzzing when we visited Grasslands National Park in June.

Then, as we walked along a trail by the old Belza place, a high-contrast Clay-coloured Sparrow landed on a stalk beside us and sang.

It watched as we passed, ruffled its feathers in the wind, and sang again. As much as many of us would call bzzzzzz or tssssip a song....

Clay-coloured sparrow, ruffled by the wind in the grasslands © SB

What is this? A Clay-coloured Sparrow.

Location: Near Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.

Photo date: June 24, 2015.

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Western Willet in Grasslands National Park

This Western Willet chose a roadside slough as its nesting place in Grasslands National Park, and each time we turned that corner, we watched for it — or its fledging offspring — on the gravel.

This mottled shorebird breeds mainly in inland areas in the Prairies and Mid West, then winters along the coasts of North and South America. Though fairly dull on land, in flight, Western Willets have a stunningly bold black and white wing pattern, which (I hope) one day I will (I hope) capture... (And yes! Click the link!)  But birds in flight can be little trickier than one standing on a rock...

Western Willet watching us, and watching its young fledgling. © SB 

Fledgling Western Willet, hiding in the grass. Gotta love camouflage. © SB 

What are these birds? An adult and a young Western Willet - Chevalier semipalmé

Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada Prairie Passages Tour

Photo date: June 26, 2013. 

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Baird's Sparrow in Grasslands National Park

Far off in bushes at the edge of the grasses, a rare and elusive Baird's Sparrow...

Towards the left, the Baird's Sparrow © SB

What is this bird? A Baird's Sparrow 
Location: Grasslands National Park, near Val Marie, Saskatchewan. Prairie Passages Tour

Photo date:  June 26, 2013.

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Bobolinks: Songbirds From Saskatchewan to Paraguay

Bobolink on a stalk of dock... 
How much farther away could it be? © SB

I've been looking for Bobolinks for a couple of years — clear, up-close, well-lit, easy-to-photograph-with-feather-detail Bobolinks, not just checklist Saskatchewan grasslands birds.

But so far, they've eluded me, and I see them only when I'm a passenger in a fast car, or they are far off in twilight marshes or deep into atmospherically distorted distant reeds.

A recent trip to Grasslands National Park continued that pattern: When Bobolinks landed, they landed far from me.

I become more interested in Bobolinks on that trip when I learned that these songbirds are among those that migrate annually between North and South America... (Yes, the same population, the exact same birds, share the ribbons of grasses that stretch along our hemisphere.)

And while we see them in Saskatchewan as fairly solitary birds in dramatic black, white and yellow breeding plumage, in Paraguay, Bobolinks appear in massive flocks of brown-sparrow-striped birds in drab winter camouflage.

Crop of the Bobolink picture   © SB

"The Bobolink is amazing because of the colour — it is completely different here," says Dr. Alberto Yanosky, the biologist who heads Guyra Paraguay, that country’s leading organization for biodiversity research and conservation. (It's also a Birdlife International affiliate.) "You may very easily say that they are different species, but they are the same."

Yanosky, recently named the 2013 Latin American winner of the National Geographic Society/Buffett Award for Leadership in Conservation, was in Saskatchewan for the June Prairie Passages Tour of our publicly owned grasslands. 

"We say that they decided to breed here, but they are our birds, that we lend them to you," he says. "And you think that it is on the other side, that they are your birds, and they go south to avoid winter here."  

I'm happy to share the Bobolinks and our other grassland birds including Swainson's Hawks, Upland Sandpipers, Common Nighthawks and Wilson's Phalaropes ... I only wish they would land closer to my camera! 

What is this bird? A male Bobolink, in breeding plumage.

Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada Prairie Passages Tour

Photo date: June 25, 2013. 

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Loggerhead Shrike on Teepee Pole, Saskatchewan

High on a teepee pole, a Loggerhead Shrike.

At first, this small bird was on a fence post beside the road. And then (as soon as cars stopped and camera came out), it flew to the far side of the new campground in Grasslands National Park. Finally, it landed on the top of a pole, and sang.

Loggerhead Shrike on a teepee pole in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada

What is this bird? A Loggerhead Shrike 
Location: Grasslands National Park, near Val Marie, Saskatchewan. Prairie Passages Tour

Photo date:  July 26, 2013.

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Lark Bunting in breeding plumage

One of my favourite Saskatchewan grassland birds is the Lark Bunting — perhaps because the males look so formally attired in their crisp black and white breeding plumage.

The female Lark Buntings are also lovely, with an intricate brown feather pattern.

These small songbirds were fairly common in the Val Marie, Saskatchewan, area during our recent Prairie Passages Tour of pastures and grasslands. Especially lovely to see, knowing that come winter, they'll change from this bright plumage to more drab brown feathers again. (And leave Saskatchewan to fly south to Mexico for the winter.)

Male Lark Bunting in breeding plumage   © SB

What are these birds? Lark Buntings  —  male in breeding plumage.
Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan. 

Photo date:  June 26, 2013.

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Burrowing Owls: Sentries in Fields and Prairie Dog Towns

Study the eyes of this Burrowing Owl. So watchful and attentive. © SB

Okay, maybe I do have a true favourite among grasslands birds: The Burrowing Owl.

We saw at least three pairs of Burrowing Owls — two nesting in Grasslands National Park, and one not far from the park on the Prairie Passages Tour of Saskatchewan pastures and grasslands earlier this summer.

I love the way they stand guard over the area around their burrows, whether in the middle of a Black-tailed Prairie Dog town, or on fence posts in the park and along nearby roads.

So small. So serious. And, in Saskatchewan, so endangered.

Once again, the habitat they need is being lost, along with vital companion species, including the gophers and prairie dogs that dig the burrows they use.

(I recently finished Rock Creek, a beautiful memoir based in Southern Saskatchewan. In it, poet Thelma Poirier says: "Burrowing owls. A misnomer. More fittingly they could be called borrowing owls'. They borrow the burrows of ground squirrels." Indeed.)

Close-up of a Burrowing Owl,
standing guard over its nearby burrow. © SB

As an example of their declining numbers, the website for the Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre in Moose Jaw, SK, says that the population trend for Burrowing Owls around Regina, SK, in the last ten years "points straight down." The site continues:

Agricultural crops don't provide the habitat that burrowing owls require, so the owls are restricted to the small fragments of prairie that remain as cattle pastures. In much of southern Saskatchewan, these small cattle pastures are the last remaining refuge for burrowing owls. The horses and cattle are beneficial to the owls, as they keep the grass short by grazing and provide nest-lining material (manure!) for the owls.

So what a treat, to see these owls near Val Marie!

Wider shot:  Burrowing Owls are another Prairie Dog town resident.
The nesting burrow must have been nearby, 
as we saw a pair of owls here. © SB

What are these birds? Burrowing Owls.
Location: In and near Grasslands National Park, Val Marie, Saskatchewan. 

Photo date:  July 25, 2013.

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Long-billed Curlews: A Species of Concern in Saskatchewan

Long-billed Curlew.   © SB

Early morning, and a Long-billed Curlew landed right behind our van on the EcoTour Road through Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan.

This graceful bird with the long, down-curving bill was lovely to see, especially as Long-billed Curlews — Canada's largest shorebird — are a Species of Special Concern in Canada, and their global population is also in decline.

The reasons for the decline of Long-billed Curlews are linked to land-use, and the increasing presence of agriculture; pesticides may also play a role.

Here's what Environment Canada has to say about Long-billed Curlews:

Habitat loss, both on the breeding and the wintering grounds, remains the largest current threat to the species' populations as native grasslands in Canada are lost to agriculture, development, and invasive species, and the wetlands and grasslands used by wintering birds face similar threats.  

These birds, which breed in short-grass prairie and other grasslands, have already been extirpated from Manitoba, our neighbouring province to the east.

On this early summer day, the first of the Prairie Passages Tour of grasslands and pastures around Val Marie, Saskatchewan, we saw three Long-billed Curlews — the one on the road, and two others that made forays through the park's Black-tailed Prairie Dog towns, foraging for food.

Grace in action: A post-sunrise treat to see their heads gracefully bobbing across their small island of protected grass.

Long-billed Curlew forages in the Prairie Dog town. © SB

What are these? Long-billed Curlews 

Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.
Photo date: June 25, 2013

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Common Nighthawks: Birds Disguised as Bark

Common Nighthawk: Feathers mimic bark  © SB

Now this bird is amazing: The Common Nighthawk has such intricate camouflage feather markings that once it lands, it almost disappears.

(We first saw it — but almost didn't — perched and sleeping on a fence post in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.)

The camouflage works so well that All About Birds says that the insect-eating Nighthawks make no nest; with these markings, even the young are hard to find.

On our recent Prairie Passages Tour of grasslands and pastures in SW Saskatchewan, several people commented that it seemed the Val Marie, Saskatchewan, area was like a Common Nighthawk sanctuary.

They talked about seeing large groups resting on trees (which I missed...), and we saw several buzzing the early morning skies for bugs.

I was so happy when this Nighthawk was found roosting in plain view at the new GNP campground!

Easy to see in a close-up shot... Trickier in person, at a distance.   © SB

What is this? A Common Nighthawk

Location: Campground, Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.
Photo date: June 26, 2013.

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Chestnut-collared Longspurs on Pasture Rocks in Saskatchewan

Chestnut-collared Longspur, singing in early morning. © SB

Early morning, and Chestnut-collared Longspurs are singing from rocks and sagebrush in a pasture near Grasslands National Park, in southern Saskatchewan.

These small songbirds seem to like a very specific habitat... I only saw them in this one small area, with sagebrush and these rocks.

Their limited habitat — and land-use competition for it — may explain why Chestnut-collared Longspurs are now entered as "threatened" on the Canadian federal government's Species At Risk lists.

In general, they prefer native pastures, followed by other grazed grasses and hayland, and in Saskatchewan, Chestnut-collared Longspurs are more often found on pastures than on hay or cropland.

That's significant, as their breeding territory and distribution is very limited, from southern Alberta to southern Manitoba, south to westcentral Colorado, and east through North Dakota and South Dakota to western Minnesota. (Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Chestnut-collared Longspur, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center.)

From a distance or in flight, these prairie birds look, well, brown. Just like so many other little birds. But in breeding season, the males sport crisp black vests and vibrant chestnut collars. And start the morning, singing.

Chestnut-collared Longspur, displaying its chestnut collar.  © SB

Sagebrush: Another singing spot for Chestnut-collared Longspurs. © SB

Closer view of the Chestnut-collared Longspur on sage.© SB 

Seen on the Public Pastures-Public Interest 2013 grasslands/pastures Prairie Passages Tour with Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson. For more on the tour and updates on the work of PPPI and the future of the PFRA pastures, see Trevor Herriot's Grass Notes, and Pasture Posts.

What are these? Chestnut-collared Longspurs.
Location: Near Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.
Photo date: June 25, 2013.

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Bison in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan

Bison at Grasslands National Park. 
Grazing is important to this fragile grassland ecosytem, 
whether done by bison or cattle, as the animals contribute
nutrients and create varied bird habitats. © SB

I saw dozens of bison in Grasslands National Park, Southwest Saskatchewan, on a recent visit to the area.

While some herds were only distant hillside specks, several bison bulls loitered on the native prairie along the park's main Ecotour Road, watching — or ignoring us — from a distance.

(Bison are powerful, fast and agile, and can quickly change directions, so best to keep your distance. Cute as some of these photos may be, bison are neither tame nor cuddly animals. And yes, I had a long lens for these photographs.)

Also wonderful:

A chance to hear bison expert Wes Olson talk about the herds and animals he has managed in the park for many years.

(Not so wonderful: On Wes's retirement, his position apparently is not to be filled, thus leading to a significant loss of knowledge. Seriously — Wes is an amazing guy; check out his website.)

Bison, on a distant hill.
At this time of year, most groups near the Ecotour Road
through Grasslands park are comprised of bulls, mainly young ones. © SB 

Experts says to stay clear of bison if their tails are elevated
- they are ready to charge, or discharge. -
This bison had the latter in progress;
I was some distance away, in a truck.  © SB

One Bison bison bison, three cowbirds. © SB

Bison expert Wes Olson described birds' nests made of strands
 - and shed clumps - of bison hair.
It's great insulation and the smell repels predators. © SB

Bison with Brown-headed Cowbird (formerly Buffalo Bird) on its back.
Bison expert Wes Olson explained that the bison's weight is evenly balanced,
front to back, with the centre at the point of its hump/front legs.
Hence its ability to quickly pivot and change directions. © SB

Bison expert Wes Olson telling stories
to our group about the bison he knows so well. © SB

Seen on the Prairie Passages tour of PFRA and other publicly owned grasslands, with conservationists, authors, and photographers, including Margaret Atwood, Graeme Gibson, Alberto Yanosky (Executive Director of BirdLife affiliate Guyra Paraguay), and Ian Davidson (Exec. Dir., Nature Canada). Organized by Public Pastures - Public Interest. For more on the tour, see Pasture Posts and Trevor Herriot's Grass Notes.

What are these? Bison and a bison expert.
Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.
Photo date: June 25, 2013.

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Spotted Towhees in Grasslands: I have a message for you

To all Spotted Towhees in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan:

There is no need for you, or any other birds, to hide behind bare shrubby branches when I drive by.

This is the only picture I have of you large sparrows, and it barely captures your brilliant rust, white and black colouring.

Spotted Towhee beside the Frenchman River   © SB

That said, my thanks for waiting on this bush, beside a bridge over the Frenchman River, until I was able to take this single shot.

And yes, I love your bright red eyes.

Seen on the Prairie Passages tour of PFRA and other publicly owned grasslands, with conservationists, authors, and photographers, including Margaret Atwood, Graeme Gibson, Alberto Yanosky (Executive Director of BirdLife affiliate Guyra Paraguay), and  Ian Davidson (Exec. Dir., Nature Canada). Organized by Public Pastures - Public Interest. For more on the tour, see Pasture Posts and Trevor Herriot's Grass Notes.

What is this? A Spotted Towhee.
Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.
Photo date: June 25, 2013.

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Rock Wren on a grasslands rock, southwest Saskatchewan

A Rock Wren — a small Western songbird  —  on southwestern Saskatchewan prairie grasslands, high above the Frenchman River.

Pale grey-brown songbird, the Rock Wren.   © SB

We listened to bison expert Wes Olson, counted wild flower species (new to me: Indian Breadroot and Clustered Broomrape), and enjoyed the dry prairie wind and sunshine.

And then birder extraordinaire Trevor Herriot spotted this Rock Wren.

On a rock, of course, with prairie grasses at the base and buttes beyond the river in the distant background.

The wind blows through the grasses above the valley,
below the rock of the Rock Wren. © SB

Seen on the Prairie Passages tour of PFRA and other publicly owned grasslands, with conservationists, authors, and photographers, including Margaret Atwood, Graeme Gibson, Alberto Yanosky (Executive Director of BirdLife affiliate Guyra Paraguay), and  Ian Davidson (Exec. Dir., Nature Canada). Organized by Public Pastures - Public Interest. For more on the tour, see Pasture Posts and Trevor Herriot's Grass Notes.

What is this?  A Rock Wren. 

Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.

Photo date: June 25, 2013.  

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Burrowing Owls: Grasslands, Pasture and Imprinted

Potter, the Burrowing Owl,
poses in Moose Jaw. © SB

The easiest way to get a photo of a Burrowing Owl in Saskatchewan is to visit the Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre in Moose Jaw.

But, depending on background and timing, the resulting image (as shown at left) may not seem realistic...

For example, I adore Potter — last year's newborn and newly imprinted Burrowing Owl — but the photograph of him standing on a sheet-covered chair, with a bird poster behind, does not look at all like a Burrowing Owl in the wild!

Ditto, my shot of Potter, the Burrowing Owl in a floral arrangement, or this same little Burrowing Owl drifting off to sleep. Or my photograph of Potter sitting in someone's glowing red hair and head-swivelling in flowers. 

But pictures in natural settings are so much more challenging. Burrowing Owls are only about eight or ten inches tall, so they can easily hide in grasses or simply be too far away for a camera to capture. 

They are also most visible when nesting, but that is a critical time when they should not be disturbed. 

Back to photography... As examples of shooting a tame, imprinted Burrowing Owl, zoom in on the details of Potter, above.

And then try the same, with these totally wild Burrowing Owls in their natural prairie settings, first at Grasslands National Park and then on a privately-owned pasture southeast of Regina.

Burrowing Owl beside burrow in Prairie Dog Colony,
Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan  © SB

Family of Burrowing Owls in Saskatchewan pasture,
southeast of Regina. (Two on dock stalk,
one to the left, half-hidden in the grass.)   © SB  

I spent close to an hour chatting with the owner of the pasture, who'd offered to point out the burrow location after I told him I'd seen the owls on nearby fence posts and these stalks of dock. (And yes, he has officially reported this nesting site and is now receiving support — aka, frozen white mice — to feed the Burrowing Owls... I stayed far out by the road for the pictures, but he drives right up to the burrow near the dock to drop off their extra food. They're never visible when he wheels by, but he says the food he leaves for them quickly disappears.)

The owls in  GNP also receive similar dead/frozen/rodent sustenance to help broods of this endangered species survive. (I was surprised by how few nests there were in the park... Perhaps 12? This truly is a precious threatened bird.)


What are these birds? Burrowing Owls

Locations: #1, Potter: Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; #2, owl in the grass: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (at second Black-tailed Prairie Dog Colony); #3, three owls with stalks of dock: Pasture, southeast of Regina, Saskatchewan. 

Photo dates: #1, September 4, 2011; #2, June 23, 2012; #3, July 23, 2012. 

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White-Tailed Deer at Grasslands National Park

This White-tailed deer watched from the wildflowers as we drove along the Frenchman River Valley Ecotour through Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan this summer.

White-tailed deer.  © SB

What is this deer? White-tailed deer

Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.

Photo date:  June 23, 2012.

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All images are copyright and may not be used without permission. Thanks! 

I don't know where I am, but I like it...

Eagle Butte -- I'm not sure what's where, but I love this sign. © SB

Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada: Propped in the sand before the final climb up to 70 Mile Butte, there is a wonderfully rustic sign.

Reading it at first, I thought I must be standing on Eagle Butte — but maps in the GNP Visitors' Guide indicate Eagle Butte is some distance north.

The arrows on this sign are also intriguing. What lies 0.7 km in one direction, and 8.8 km in another?

The posts stood beside Yarrow plants, and a feet away, Prairie Roses grew in barren-looking sand, and I didn't care where I was, or what this sign meant, beyond the obvious: You are now in the land of buttes, dry grasses and erosion — surrendered ranches in the wild old West. 

I wish all Parks Canada signs were so evocative. I hope this one is not replaced with a cold metal plate.

What is this? A sign high on the climb up Grasslands' 70 Mile Butte, so called because it's visible from at least 70 miles away. 
Location: Grasslands National Park. 
Photo Date: July 27, 2011. 

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