Bobolinks in field, near Muenster, Saskatchewan

I saw my first pair of Bobolinks today when I walked the grid road mile (times four) around St. Peter's Abbey. Their songs are so joyful— these, like many birds, remind me of exuberant human laughter!

Bobolink, perched on stalk of dock.   © SB 

One swooped down onto a stalk of dock, while the other... Well, it disappeared from my view, as I was focused on the more sedate Bobolink (if such a word could possibly fit these happy, clown-like birds), trying for a picture of it far off across the pasture. I was also trying to test how close I could creep without startling this stunning little blackbird, with its yellow cap and white wing and back feathers.

These birds have an amazing annual migration, flying from across North America down to Paraguay. I'm glad I got closer today than in my last Bobolink photo attempt, last summer at Grasslands.

Bobolink, in flight over the field, displaying feather colours.  © SB 

What is this? A Bobolink
Location: Near Muenster, Saskatchewan, Canada
Photo date: July 8, 2014

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Baltimore Orioles in Regina Backyard: Our First Ever

I was called downstairs for a surprise this morning:

Three Baltimore Orioles were on our bird feeders — the first we've ever had in our Regina, Saskatchewan, backyard.

Early Morning: Baltimore Oriole on one of our Regina bird feeders. © SB

(We even had a special feeder hung for them one year, a sign of our somewhat misguided, though eternal, optimism.)

What astonishingly, brilliantly orange birds Baltimore Orioles are!

What is this? Baltimore Orioles. 
Location: Backyard, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.   

Photo date: May 20, 2014.   

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Bright Red House Finch — with Mate! (Is It Spring?)

It must be Spring: A brilliantly scarlet House Finch arrived in our Regina, Saskatchewan, backyard this week — along with a more subdued, brown-streaked female. A mating pair!

Male House Finch in fresh spring colours. © SB

A pair of House Finches! © SB

(Spring, indeed, with several feet of snow still covering our garden... Well, I can hope...)


What are these? House Finches 

Location: My backyard, Regina, Saskatchewan
Photo dates: March 15, 2014. 

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Colourful Ring-Necked Pheasant on Saskatchewan Road

Ring-necked pheasants top the list of picture suggestions I receive when people find out that I take photographs of birds along rural roads, in parks, and around my backyard.

And finally, I saw one, on Seven Bridges Road to Lumsden, a small town in the Qu'Appelle Valley north of Regina, Saskatchewan. This Prairie bird was immature, and lacked the vibrant blue head and neck feathers older males sport — but its facial skin was bright red, its tail elegantly long, and its body feathers, wonderfully rusty red and gold.

Immature male Ring-necked Pheasant,
showing red face markings.  © SB

And then today, driving along the old highway north from Regina, I saw a mature male Ring-necked Pheasant, with a stunning blue, red and white head, and gorgeous body feathers. He was shy, though, and marched into the trees as soon as he saw me... Which is exactly what the younger pheasant did last month...

Male Ring-necked Pheasant, walking away from the camera... © SB

And here's the younger, immature male Ring-necked Pheasant, 
posing (less-than-totally helpfully) in the shade © SB

And yes, I'll keep looking for a mature male who will stand still in bright sunlight and pose for me, his feathers rainbow sparkling... (On roads and in parks, at least; unlike Gray Partridges, Pheasants are not going to appear in my suburban yard...) But for now, at least, I've got two Saskatchewan Ring-necked Pheasants. 


What are these? An immature male Ring-Necked Pheasant, and a mature male Ring-Necked Pheasant.

Location: Along Seven Bridges Road and the old highway from Regina to Lumsden, Saskatchewan 
Photo dates: September 9, 2013, and October 14, 2013. 

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Pronghorn Antelopes: Saskatchewan's TransCanada Highway

Mature male Pronghorn Antelope beside the TransCanada Highway. © SB

West of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, yesterday, we saw more than two dozen Pronghorn Antelope along the TransCanada Highway.

These very fast moving (up to 100 km/hour) mammals have excellent camouflage — tan fur against tan grasses.

And they can be elusive.

Sometimes, a drive west from Regina along the TransCanada yields sightings of several; sometimes, none.

The Pronghorn is a native North American animal, evolving from other mammals that have been here more than 25 million years. (Now that is a long time! And my source is The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan, whose researchers have a much better sense of long time than me.)

And so Pronghorn Antelopes are one-of-a-kind, the only surviving members of their family.

Fall is said to be a good time to see them (when the herds gather). I was hoping for great antelope encounters on our drive — and was not disappointed.

The first group of Pronghorn Antelopes were far away on a rise of land, and the third and fourth groups were only distant white and brown specks... But the second group of five of these wonderful, wild Prairie animals was clear, bright and alert, and fairly close to the highway.

Young male Pronghorn Antelope, with stubs of horns. © SB

Distant Pronghorn Antelope, on a Prairie bluff.   © SB

What are these? Pronghorn Antelope. 
Location: West of Swift Current, Saskatchewan.
Photo date: October 6, 2013.

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American Kestrels: Tiny Falcons in Regina

American Kestrel watches my neighborhood
from the top of a tree. © SB 

This evening, several American Kestrels flew over our Regina, Saskatchewan, house and landed on the highest tips on the neighbours trees.

At least, I thought these mighty little birds were Kestrels, based on their size and markings.

But they are difficult to see when they fly fast and far, and so it wasn't until my camera captured the proof that I believed my first identification.

Kestrels are a small falcon — and not the first falcons I've seen in Regina. (There are also Peregrine Falcons that nest on City Hall.)

These birds are also (to my eye) a gorgeous mix of black, slate blue, reddish and pale spotted feathers. But yes, they are raptors; and yes, they hunt...

Pair of American Kestrels, near Lumsden, Saskatchewan.
(The male, left, has far more blue-gray, 
than the female, right.)  © SB 

American Kestrel on a power wire.  © SB 

What are these? American Kestrels 

Location: Saskatchewan, Canada: In Regina, and near Lumsden.  

Photo date: September 8, 2013, and April 21, 2012. 

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Cedar Waxwing Courting Ritual: Pass the Insect

It's my bug, but if you love me,
you can have it... © SB

I recently saw several Cedar Waxwings near Regina, Saskatchewan, which reminded me of a courting ritual I saw this spring...

Pass the Insect.

The ritual began when a Cedar Waxwing with a bug in its beak attracted the attention of a second Cedar Waxwing, which flew down to land on the branch beside it.

The two birds then proceeded to pass the bug back and forth for several minutes until (I think) one of them ate it. All About Birds says they'll do the same with other small items, such as fruit or petals. 

Birds in Motion! Cedar Waxwings courting/feeding in an endless loop.. 

And now, in slo-mo...

The bug lure is working... The second Cedar Waxwing is landing... © SB

The bug changes beaks. © SB

Um, yum! A bug - Cedar Waxwing love. © SB

Time to share the bug love again. © SB

Back to the beginning. Start again. © SB

What are these bird? Cedar Waxwings.

Location: Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada  

Photo date: May 28, 2012.

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Western Kingbirds: Grey and Yellow Flycatchers near Regina

Fencepost with Western Kingbird  © SB

Today, a few pictures of Western Kingbirds — attractive yellow and grey flycatchers.

At this time of year, I've taken to calling them grid road birds, because that's where I see usually Western Kingbirds in Saskatchewan.

(Yes, right on the gravel, looking for bugs. My photographs, though, show them on fences and trees, as that's where the Western Kingbirds fly when I drive by.)

The first time I noticed Western Kingbirds, I was surprised by how bright their lemony yellow bellies are. And for me, that's their most noticeable characteristic. The bird guides, though, also talk about their white tail edges — which may disappear when worn, as well as their robin-like flight, dark lores, and short, square-tipped tails.

Western Kingbird on barbed wire, showing off its white tail feathers © SB

Western Kingbird on alert, waiting for me to drive on by. © SB

What are these bird? Western Kingbirds.

Location: Around Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada  

Photo date: First photograph, July 31, 2013; second, June 29, 2012; third, July 26, 2012.

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Mount Carmel, Saskatchewan: High land, with a wide, wide view

Our Lady of Mount Carmel: Mary at the shrine 
near Humboldt, Saskatchewan © SB

I was recently in the Humboldt, Saskatchewan, area and visited Mount Carmel, the site of a Roman Catholic shrine to Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Even living on the Prairies, I think of the land as flat. But much of it is mildly — or even at time, wildly — rolling.

And the closer you drive to this hill, the higher it looms... and the further you climb, the more you see...

From its heights, wide vistas open.

This lovely place was originally called spathanaw watchi, or "hill of the far view" in Cree.

And patches of native plants remain on the hill, with Dotted Blazingstar, Fleabane, Purple Prairie Clover, Ascending Milk Vetch, Wild Flax, and Silverleaf Psoralea.

In 1921, the land was donated for a shrine and annual pilgrimages up the slopes of Mount Carmel began in 1923.

The statue of Mary, made of white Italian marble, is framed by lightening rods to draw the sky fire of our prairie summers away from her and her baby.

She stands calmly, holding up the child and looking down at the field-stone chapel.

I stand quietly, looking up at her, and then down across fields of yellow-blooming canola and the faraway lakes strung along the horizon.

Looking west down the hill from the statue towards the chapel, and off into the distance beyond. © SB

The view looking east, down from Mount Carmel across fields and lakes. © SB

What is this? The shrine, statue and surrounding views of our Lady of Mount Carmel. 

Location: North of the settlement of Mount Carmel, near Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada

Photo date: July 24, 2013. 

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American Coots in Saskatchewan Sloughs

Bright orange baby coot, in not-camo...   © SB

The first time I saw a very young American Coot swimming in a slough, I was astonished by its colour.

The bright yellow, orange and red feathers, beak and skin of this water bird are exactly the opposite of camouflage...

And I wondered: Does its discreet black and white parent need these vibrant colours to find it?

Even at a slightly older age, these young birds look bizarrely speckled and tufted.

(The tufts are perhaps because its feathers are ever-so-slightly matted by the algae and other stuff typically found in slough water...)

The adults, in contrast, are sedately attired... although their behaviour is somewhat less that sedate. (Hence the term, silly old coot.)

Beautiful birds, all the same.

Adult and young American Coot  © SB

Grumpy-looking baby Coot  © SB

Slightly older, still young, Coot. © SB

Is this adult American Coot (could it be?) smiling at me? © SB

What are these birds? American Coots — Foulque d'Amérique — adult and young.

Location: Various sloughs and wetlands in Saskatchewan, Canada. 

Photo date:  Summer 2012 and 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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Blue-winged Teal: White mask, blue wings

A pair of Blue-winged Teals   © SB

Long after I learned to identify Blue-winged Teals by the white half-mask across the male's face, I finally saw blue wing flashes on these prairie ducks.

The blue is visible when they fly — as long as you're at the right angle to see it...

It's also visible at times (but not, to me, often) when Blue-winged Teals float and feed in their preferred shallow, marshy ponds.

The first photograph above shows a clear sideview of a male's blue and green wing markings; the one below also shows the blue on a female's wing.

A pair of Blue-winged Teals, with blue wing flashes showing. © SB

What are these?  Blue-winged Teals

Location: Along Rte 99, near Craven, Saskatchewan, and near Yellowgrass, Saskatchewan.

Photo date: May 25, 2013, and June 16, 2012. 

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Yellow-headed Blackbirds in Slough near Regina SK

Yellow-headed Blackbird, on reeds near Regina, SK  ©SB

Yellow-headed Blackbirds creak and dart among the reeds at a slough not far from my house in Regina, Saskatchewan.

On a recent drive, I listened to their rasping screeches and croaks, and realized that far more Yellow-headed Blackbirds were singing than I could see.

But those I could see were beautiful, their vibrant yellow, gold and amber feathers shining in the sun, their black suits, stark and sombre.

The males, that is.

The females are more subdued in colour, a blurry yellow with brown, the better to blend in the reeds and mud in the nest.

(I've only seen females in early spring — perhaps before their actual nest sitting?)

And as for a slough, that's a natural water-filled area, more shallow and reed-filled than a lake.

Female Yellow-headed Blackbird, in the slough  ©SB

Yellow-headed Blackbird ©SB

What are these?  Yellow-headed Blackbirds

Location: Slough north of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Photo date: May 25, 2012. 

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Mourning Dove at Condie in a Shapely Brown Dress

I'd like a dress that flows like the back of this Mourning Dove, feather waist cinched, soft shawl collar flaring, brown narrow hips, and long long long long sleeves that go on and on and on and on...

(Edwardian? Victorian? I'm not clear on my period fashions.)

The Mourning Dove's eyes I could master with different glasses, but that's not the look that I'm going for. Green eyes, I have; googly rims, I don't need.

With this casual elegance, no need for a chair. Any old post or barbed wire will do.

A svelte and elegant Mourning Dove. © SB

What is this?  Mourning Dove
Location: Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, Saskatchewan.

Photo dates: May 28, 2013.

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American Dog Tick on Dandelion flower - Ick!

And now, a look at the dark side of prairie nature — an American Dog Tick (or Wood Tick) I saw today while I was out taking photographs of Dandelions and Early Blue Violets at the Condie Nature Refuge near Regina, Saskatchewan.

And yes, just seeing this image makes me itch! (I wore lovely light-coloured clothing and offered very little exposed skin to make myself as tick-safe as possible... If I look at this before I go out next time, though, I'll consider adding several additional helpings of DEET!)

American Dog Tick on Dandelion flower, waiting a meal... © SB

The marking on this tick's back indicate that this one is a Dog Tick, aka Wood Tick, and given its size, it's likely a female. Dog ticks aren't the species that carry the agent that causes Lyme disease, though I'm not convinced that any good can come of a tick bite! (For more on that, see tick-borne diseases at the link to CDC, below.)

Black-legged Ticks, or Deer Ticks, are the culprit for Lyme disease — although SaskHealth says they represent only about three per cent of Saskatchewan's ticks. Overall, the risk of contracting Lyme disease here in Saskatchewan is apparently low — but not zero. (You can read more on the Government of Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health Lyme Disease page.)

If you want to learn lots more about ticks — and really start your skin crawling — the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's Stop Ticks page is a good place to start. CDC also has information on Tick Removal. (Hint, tweezers really are best). And, Madisson County in New York also has a comprehensively itch-inducing tick page, with links to a Tick Bite Locator.

(For those asking — no, I did not get any ticks or tick bites today. As far as I yet know... And I may now need a second shower. Seriously, I'm way too suggestible to read this stuff, even the parts I've written myself! So this is it! Time to post and share the joy with others.)


What is this? An American Dog Tick, aka, a Wood Tick.

Location: Condie Nature Refuge, North of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  

Photo date: May 22, 2013.

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Baltimore Orioles in Regina: High in Wascana Park Trees

Baltimore Oriole near the tree top. © SB 

High in Regina trees near sunset last night, I saw five Baltimore Orioles — four males, one female.

(Perhaps there were more female Baltimore Orioles, but they are not as easy to see, being a soft yellow rather than the fiery torch orange of the males — a colour that's even brighter in red sun rays.)

I was at Wascana Park, Regina, Saskatchewan, in and around the bird pond by the Conexus Arts Centre, and what a gathering of birds!

Canada Geese, Double-crested Cormorants, Eastern and Western Kingbirds, Robins, a Brown Thrasher, three kinds of Warblers (Yellow, Yellow-rumped and Orange-crested), various sparrow and lots of Red-winged Blackbirds.

But the Baltimore Orioles were my favourite, live energy glowing and crackling at the tops of the tree! I love that orange flash!

Baltimore Oriole feeding
on (insects in?) old leaves. © SB 

Baltimore Oriole - male. © SB 

Baltimore Oriole - female.  © SB 

A reader posted to say that these birds are called Northern Orioles... Perhaps in some places, but recent printings of my guides continue to use the name, Baltimore Orioles. 

Cornell's All About Birds has this to say:

"The Baltimore Oriole hybridizes extensively with the Bullock's Oriole where their ranges overlap in the Great Plains. The two species were considered the same for a while and called the Northern Oriole, but in the 1990s, after genetic studies, they were separated again."

So, Baltimore Oriole is the name I'm using here. 


What are there? Baltimore Orioles
Location: Wascana Park, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  

Photo date: May 18, 2013.

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Brown Thrashers: Will they nest in my backyard again?

Brown Thrashers are the First of the Season bird of the day in my Regina, Saskatchewan, backyard. I saw a flash of rust-brown in the lilac trees, and then it flew away — but my luck held and it soon came back to peck at seeds strewn by House Sparrows on the ground.

Last year, a pair of Brown Thrashers nested somewhere nearby. For several days, we saw an adult keeping watch on the top of the garage, and then one morning, an adult walked the fledgling across the yard to the seeds. So cool to see the young birds greed and grey eyes! (The adults's eyes are stunning gold.)

I hope there is a nest again. And if there is, I hope I see the young Brown Thrashers this year, too.

Brown Thrasher - look at those elegant legs!   © SB

Brown Thrasher, posing for backyard photo © SB

I'd love to know what the Brown Thrasher is looking at... © SB

What is this? A Brown Thrasher.
Location: Backyard, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  

Photo date: May 17, 2013.

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