The CBC in Weyburn was held on Saturday, December 19/2009. Our total was 20
species. Fifteen people showed up for the count which made it nice with five
cars going out. We missed spotting some usual bird species like Great-horned
Owl, Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin and Black-capped Chickadee.

Species reported:

Merlin - 1
Gray Partridge
Ring-necked Pheasant
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Eurasian Collared-dove
Rock Pigeon
Snowy Owl
Golden Eagle
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Dark-eyed Junco
Black-billed Magpie
Horned Lark
European Starling
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Common Grackle - 1
House Sparrow

It was a fun day.

Val T - McTaggart

Yesterday (Dec 19) was the annual Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Christmas Bird Count...

The morning was partly cloudy, and the afternoon it was cloudy.
Temperatures ranged from a high (at 9:30AM) of -2.5C  to a low (at
4:00PM) of -6.ºC. According to Environment Canada, wind speeds were WNW
26 km/hr at 9:00AM and NW 15 km/hr at 4:00PM.

The three of us (Larry, Ryan and Mary Ann) tallied up 15 bird and 9
mammal species for the day.

At our own feeder, we had an unprecedented (for this time of year, in
our yard) 18 Pine Siskins!!!  They sure love the niger seed.  The most
welcome guest at our feeder is the Black-capped Chickadee.  We don't
usually get many BCCH, so the one that has been visiting us on a regular
route is most welcome!!  (I think it follows our Nuthatches to the best
feeding places.)

If any record is broken, it is likely the one for the Eurasian
Collared-Doves!! (Between the three of us, we had 102 plus 2 Mourning
Doves sitting with the largest flock - I even heard the MODO's!
Nice!!!)  Other than that, the unofficial consensus is the HOSPs are
taking over:(

The feeder /yard watchers and a couple of our people out counting had
not yet submitted their day's results by the time we all left, so all I
have to share are the partial results of our annual CBC. No goose, hawk,
falcon, junco, grosbeak, & crossbills species were seen by those
reporting last evening.  Hopefully some reports to come in will include
at least some of these.

Location: Swift Current (Saskatchewan)
Observation date: 2009 Dec 19
Number of bird species: 24 (so far... all results not yet received)

BIRD SPECIES
Mallard - 3
Gray Partridge - 48
Ring-necked Pheasant - 18
Sharp-tailed Grouse - 53
Bald Eagle - 1
Great-Horned Owl - 4
Snowy Owl - 3
Rock Pigeon - 257
Eurasian Collared-Dove - 116
Mourning Dove - 6
Downy Woodpecker - 2 (heard only)
Northern Flicker - 4
Black-billed Magpie - 97
Horned Lark - 35
Black-capped Chickadee - 17
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 46
White-breasted Nuthatch - 3 (heard only)
American Robin - 2
European Starling - 8
Snow Bunting - 174
Pine Siskin - 32 (including 1 heard only)
Common Redpoll - 15
House Finch - 12
House Sparrow - 945

MAMMAL SPECIES
Mink - Tracks only (1)
Weasel species - Tracks only (1)
American Badger - 1 plus 13 diggings
Coyote - 1 plus Tracks (1)
Red Fox - Tracks only (1)
Richardson's Ground Squirrel - 2
Eastern Gray Squirrel - 18
Mouse species - Tracks only (1)
Nuttall's Cottontail - 3 plus Tracks (1)
White-tailed Jack Rabbit - 1 plus Tracks (4)
Mule Deer - 15 (plus 2 in our yard when we arrived home from the count
tally-up early last evening)
White-tailed Deer - 51
Deer species tracks - Tracks only (42)




- Mary Ann and Larry, Swift Current
50° 17' 00" N - 107° 48' 00" W
http://dudrl.sasktelwebsite.net

I just got back from the Craven CBC and here is the list of the birds my group
saw (sorry no numbers)

Magpie
Raven
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Wood pecker
Northern Flicker
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Grey Partridge
Snow Bunting
BC Chickadee
Blue Jay
House Sparrow
Rock Dove
Junco


Brett
Regina

Donna Haugen, Stan and Jan Shadick found the following 18 species of birds on
the South and River Sectors of Clark's Crossing CBC on Dec 19 2009.

Cackling Goose - 1
Canada Goose - 60
Mallard - 1
Common Goldeneye - 5
Bald Eagle - 1
Northern Goshawk - 1
Gary Partridge - 7
Sharp-tailed Grouse - 1
Rock Pigeon 17
Snowy Owl - 1
Hairy Woodpecker - 3
Black-billed Magpie - 51
Common Raven - 6
Black-capped Chickadee - 11
American Robin - 2
Cedar Waxwing - 16
White-winged Crossbill - 17
House Sparrow - 46


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ron Jensen and I just finished up our sector of the Clarke's Crossing count,
incorporating the town of Warman and a little bit of surrounding countryside.
With hoar-frost on every tree in sight, it was to be a very quiet and almost
eerie day with very little activity.
Calling it quits at 4:30 with fading, overcast light, we finished up with 13
species ( 3 more than we originally guessed we'd find ! )

The problem seemed to be a definite lack of feeders in town. There were a few,
with the occasional one unoccupied.
We struggled all morning to find even one Magpie, but got plenty in the
afternoon.
No Horned Larks or Snow Buntings were in the open country, nor were there Blue
Jays in town, or Starlings at feed-lots.

Highlights were :

Pine Siskin
House Finch
Common Redpoll
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Flicker
Great Horned Owl
Hairy Woodpecker
Common Raven

Cheers,

Nick

Saskatoon

The Good Spirit Lake C.B.C. took place on 17th December. The 67th consecutive
count at Good Spirit. The weather was excellent--sunshine, light wind and temps
in the minus teens. Only one problem--the birds did not co-operate. Only 11
species, the lowest number since 1970 when we also had only 11 species. This
year the only species of note was an immature Bald Eagle.

Species seen:

Bald Eagle      1
Downy Woodpecker   3
Hairy Woodpecker      2
Blue Jay                        2
Black-billed Magpie   36
Common Raven          47
Black-capped Chickadee   24
White-breasted Nuthatch       3
Bohemian Waxwing             23
Pine Grosbeak        1
House Sparrow      13

Our mammal count also totalled 11 species. The highlight?  Four moose including
a large bull with a massive rack of horns.

Merry Christmas to everyone and best wishes for 2010.
                                                                                                    
Joyce & Bill Anaka (Yorkton & Good Spirit Lake)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I forgot to a add a female Red-breasted Merganser that Guy spotted while Ron and
I were at another location getting the Snowy Owl and Cedar Waxwings.

Cheers,
Nick

Greetings folks,

Here is a brief summary of results by our team, comprised of Myself, Guy Wapple,
Ron & Jeff Jensen.

Of course we both had the same foggy weather all morning , and this hampered
much of what we could see.

The highlights ( no numbers yet ) :

Brown Creeper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Cedar Waxwing
Common Redpoll
Snow Bunting
Horned Lark
Great Horned owl
Snowy Owl
Bald Eagle
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Gray Partridge
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Redhead
Lesser Scaup
Common Merganser
Glaucous Gull ( seen by all )

One thing of note was not just the lack of winter finches, but also the lack of
Canada Geese, that must have been hiding elsewhere all day.
I saw one small flock of 20 birds as I hiked to the river from Coldwell Park.

On Wednesday , Myself, Guy W, Ron J and Ryan D partook in the Harris Count,
where we exceeded the average ( usually around 15 or 16 ) and managed to find 20
species.
Highlights were a Golden Eagle , Snowy and Great Horned Owl, a lone Pine
Grosbeak in the townsite and a couple of Pine Siskin.

Cheers,

Nick

Saskatoon

Hello,

Marten Stoeffel, Greg Fenty and I were one of 3 parties organized by Guy
Wapple for the Gardiner Bird Count held on Friday, December 18.
During the morning we were disappointed by the lack of songbirds in farm
lots and the absence of most other birds due to foggy conditions.
At noon, our party had found only 8 species with Starlings and some
Great Horned Owls being our best birds.

Birding picked up in the afternoon.

Our first afternoon highlight was a Glaucous Gull that flew to Power
Station outlet while we were all enjoying lunch.
We later found a Golden Eagle by the church. Once the fog finally
cleared, we suddenly spotted several Ravens, Bald and Golden Eagles plus
a Gyrfalcon.
After much effort, we finally located 2 very dark Snowy Owls

Hopefully the weather will be good for tomorrow's Clark's Crossing Bird
Count and Sunday's Qu'Appelle Dam Bird Count.

Stan Shadick

Hello at 5:10 PM I picked up a Great Horned Owl on a power pole at Rainbow
Bridge

Greg in Regina

--- In Saskbirds@yahoogroups.com, K M <dragonflypondsk@...> wrote:
>
> Good morning. There was a great horned owl on a lightpost on Courtney Ave this
morning around 8:30am. Went back to get a pic but it was long gone.  However,
saw lots of weasel tracks and a burrow as well as 2 red foxes in the field just
past Rochdale on Courtney. Kim M Regina
>
>
>       __________________________________________________________________
> Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to Yahoo!
Answers and share what you know at http://ca.answers.yahoo.com
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Good morning. There was a great horned owl on a lightpost on Courtney Ave this
morning around 8:30am. Went back to get a pic but it was long gone.  However,
saw lots of weasel tracks and a burrow as well as 2 red foxes in the field just
past Rochdale on Courtney. Kim M Regina


       __________________________________________________________________
Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to Yahoo!
Answers and share what you know at http://ca.answers.yahoo.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Just after lunch yesterday I spotted a rather bedraggled Harris' Sparrow at our
black sunflower feeder. It ate for about a minute then flushed into shelter with
the House Sparrows and House Finches. I did not see it again as a Sharp-shinned
Hawk spent quite a bit of the afternoon hunting in our area and all but the
Black-capped Chicadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches stayed in Hiding. Gordon in
Saskatoon.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Morning Birders:

I drove around the Boundary Reservoir roads, Fisherman's Road and along the
river south of town yesterday morning.

There's not a lot of bird activity other than on the open water.  However, there
are Am. Robins in quite a few locations, Black-billed Magpies, Snow Buntings,
Ring-necked Pheasants are quite numerous as usual.  We have the normal number of
House Sparrows around this area.  Also House Finches aren't in short supply. 
There was a Sharp-shinned Hawk near the water treatment plant.

There are thousands of Canada Geese everywhere, feeding, flying, on the water
and sleeping along the shorelines.  Along with these:  Mallards, Hooded
Mergansers (3), Common Goldeneye (~15), and 2-3 scaups.

The usual birds in and around my yard:  EC Doves (numbers vary), Northern
Flickers (2), Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, House Finches, Downy
and Hairy Woodpeckers, House Sparrows.  Barry Dies recently reported both Cedar
and Bohemian Waxwings in his backyard.

Good luck in the weekend CBCs
Kathy in Estevan



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It is typical for Snowy Owls to often be located southeast, south and southwest
and much less regularly  north of the City past the Condie Moraine. I think this
species has been missed possibly only once in the entire history of the Regina
CBC's. Jim Cummings and I rarely see them in our area of the Craven Count which
begins just north of Condie and extends to the edge of the Qu'Appelle Valley. We
did not see any yesterday during our quicker scouting trip drive. If they are
present during the Craven Count though our assigned segment of the circle will
be the one to have them.

We saw zero raptors and no Ravens. An American Crow was observed at a
traditional location on the Lewvan near Western Christian College during the
return drive. We counted a couple of Horned Larks south of Condie plus 240+ Snow
Buntings in two groups with one of 8 birds on the road near Condie and another
of well over 200 to the north of that location. We saw only one covey of 16 Gray
Partridge,  2 hen Ring-necked Pheasants and no Sharp-tailed Grouse. As further
evidence of the declining populations of House Sparrows we saw none at two
feedlot locations which typically have these. Other than a few Black-billed
Magpies we saw no other species during our quick driving trip through much of
our area. We did not walk any of the shelterbelts though just drove slowly past
them. There is much paranoia in the countryside near the City as home owners are
typically concerned about any strangers driving into their yards or pausing near
them.

I saw the same birds at Wascana Lake as Dan reported  with the addition of a
couple of Canada Geese. The male Canvasback appears to have left the remaining
smaller openings on the Lake.

Good birding
Bob L
Regina



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi

Took a short drive this afternoon and found 3 Snowy Owls in the Cinema 6 road
area south of Regina.  Also the single Common Merganser and Lesser Scaup along
with 100 Mallards were at the open water on Wascana.

Dan
Regina

I walked my route through AE Wilson Park today and what a nice change from a few
days ago.  We have some Juncos winter again this year at a feeder they were at
last year and are joined by a W-B-Nuthatch, which is rare for this area of town.
Partridges have returned to the park with a covey of 7 birds hanging around most
days.  This is in addition to our regular, House Sparrows, House Finches, R-B
Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers.  We also have the odd Flicker and Chickadee
that are hanging around as well.  Also I have seen a Crow a few times in the
area of Luther College/Government House area where one over-wintered last year. 
Apart from that I have not been able to bird much of late so I have nothing else
to report, but I am looking forward changing that with the Craven CBC this
weekend.

Brett
Regina

3--That's great news Bill.  Good to know they are still around.  I haven't seen
them in my yard at all for about a month, but then they could be coming when I
am not home.

Judy
Saskatoon

   ----- Original Message -----
   From: William Davenport
   To: Saskbirds
   Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2009 1:46 PM
   Subject: [Saskbirds]



   Donald Johnston just phoned to say that he has three ECDO's back in his yard
at the sunflower feeder.
   Bill
   Saskatoon

   [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Donald Johnston just phoned to say that he has three ECDO's back in his yard at
the sunflower feeder.
Bill
Saskatoon

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

All
  I should have said 'Boundary' not Rafferty Dam. The former does features open
water during winter and the latter does not. Thanks for mentioning that Kathy.
Much appreciated.

Good Birding
Bob L
Regina
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: tsb2001@...
   To: Saskbirds@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2009 7:58 AM
   Subject: [Saskbirds] My Fall/Winter Saskatchewan Sightings of Gyrfalcons (Part
2)



   I think better locations for seeing this species in Saskatchewan may include
the general vicinity of Gardiner, Rafferty, A.E. Campbell and Coronach Dams
because these are all sites featuring larger gatherings of wintering waterfowl.
(NOTE: I have just two sightings at Gardiner Dam despite making more than twenty
winter visits there ! The problem, I think is that the shorter days during my
winter visits combined with the longer drive from Regina severely restricts the
amount of time available for the required thorough exploration of the area. )
Obviously, the sometimes open water of the South Saskatchewan River near and at
Saskatoon would create a good location. There have been fairly recent reports
from there.

   In addition to the fall or winter gatherings of waterfowl, this species preys
upon those species characterized by some as upland game birds-Sharp-tailed
Grouse, Ring-necked Pheasants and probably Grey Partridge. Ptarmigan species are
reported as a favoured prey item. Those Gyrs which nest on cliffs nearby
colonial seabird locations prey upon those species. Rock Dove concentrations no
doubt also attract them.

   My guess is that these birds typically remain at locations where there are
fewer eagles present nearby because of potential conflicts. In other words,
although they may hunt in similar locations near open bodies of water with
waterfowl, this species is perhaps far more likely to be found away from such
locations particularly as mentioned if winter resident eagles are present as
these may steal their prey. I have not seen enough interactions between eagles
and Gyrfalcons to make too many assumptions though.

   To conclude, There is without a doubt no substitute for time spent in the
field within suitable habitat when searching for this or any species. However,
if you are fortunate, a Gyrfalcon may be seen in any number of situations and
locations. Another key perhaps is the identification process.

   As mentioned, Gyrfalcon plumages are highly variable and one must be able to
differentiate between it and the smaller Prairie Falcon (PRFA). Obvious
structural differences between these species including the GYFA's very broad
wings and broad relatively longer tail plus its larger muscular chest and body
relative to the size of the head. Note as well the key 'darker concentrated
axillars' of the Prairie Falcon. which are most obvious in flight. Peregrine
Falcons are much less likely to be present later in late fall or during the
winter season. I guess Merlins also may be confused with Gyrfalcons although the
size and structural differences should be obvious.

   The power and grace of this bird is distinctive in flight as it cruises with
deceptive speed doing its own version of 'contour' flying. Note the Gyr in
flight generally displays a continuous wing flap as opposed to a perhaps similar
sized Northern Goshawk which can provide confusion if one is unfamiliar with
either species. Goshawks are accipiters and typically display the diagnostic and
familiar 'flap flap glide' sequence in flight. Gyrfalcons do glide in certain
situations just not with the regularly punctuated sequence of accipiters.

   Good birding
   Bob L
   Regina

   [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I think better locations for seeing this species in Saskatchewan may include the
general vicinity of Gardiner, Rafferty, A.E. Campbell and Coronach Dams because
these are all sites featuring larger gatherings of wintering waterfowl. (NOTE: I
have just two sightings at Gardiner Dam despite making more than twenty winter
visits there ! The problem, I think is that the shorter days during my winter
visits combined with the longer drive from Regina severely restricts the amount
of time available for the required thorough exploration of the area. )
Obviously, the sometimes open water of the South Saskatchewan River near and at
Saskatoon would create a good location. There have been fairly recent reports
from there.

In addition to the fall or winter gatherings of waterfowl, this species preys
upon those species characterized by some as upland game birds-Sharp-tailed
Grouse, Ring-necked Pheasants and probably Grey Partridge. Ptarmigan species are
reported as a favoured prey item. Those Gyrs which nest on cliffs nearby
colonial seabird locations prey upon those species. Rock Dove concentrations no
doubt also attract them.

My guess is that these birds typically remain at locations where there are fewer
eagles present nearby because of potential conflicts. In other words, although
they may hunt in similar locations near open bodies of water with waterfowl,
this species is perhaps far more likely to be found away from such locations
particularly as mentioned if winter  resident eagles are present as these may
steal their prey. I have not seen enough interactions between eagles and
Gyrfalcons to make too many assumptions though.

To conclude, There is without a doubt no substitute for time spent in the field
within suitable habitat when searching for this or any species. However, if you
are fortunate, a Gyrfalcon may be seen in any number of situations and
locations. Another key perhaps is the identification process.

As mentioned, Gyrfalcon plumages are highly variable and one must be able to
differentiate between it and the smaller Prairie Falcon (PRFA). Obvious
structural differences between these species including the GYFA's very broad
wings and broad relatively longer tail plus its larger muscular chest and body
relative to the size of the head. Note as well the key 'darker concentrated
axillars' of the Prairie Falcon. which are most obvious in flight. Peregrine
Falcons are much less likely to be present later in late fall or during the
winter season. I guess Merlins also may be confused with Gyrfalcons although the
size and structural differences should be obvious.

The power and grace of this bird is distinctive in flight as it cruises with
deceptive speed doing its own version of 'contour' flying. Note the Gyr in
flight generally displays a continuous wing flap as opposed to a perhaps similar
sized Northern Goshawk which can provide confusion if one is unfamiliar with
either species. Goshawks are accipiters and typically display the diagnostic and
familiar 'flap flap glide' sequence in flight. Gyrfalcons do glide in certain
situations just not with the regularly punctuated sequence of accipiters.


Good birding
Bob L
Regina


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Gyrfalcons may typically have little human contact within their vast northern
breeding grounds. This may translate into a confiding nature which can be its
undoing in some instances because it may make them vulnerable to being shot by
those who continue to persecute raptors. On the other hand this lack of
vigilance may account for the many stunning images obtained of these birds
portrayed within publications and now more available published on the many
internet sites. My limited experience is that these birds often permit close
approach during sightings.

Most of the records that I have cited here are of perched birds studied first
via a scope. Several subsequently also were viewed in flight. I do have just a
couple of observations of birds seen only in flight. The majority of my
sightings have been of sub-adult rather than adult plumaged birds.  I have never
seen a white phase (morph) and just two dark morphs (phase) among perhaps the
more typical grey morph birds. A note of caution here is that Gyrfalcons are
apparently well known for their greater variety of individual plumage variations
including birds perhaps described as intermediate between typical morphs or
phases. Remember that field guides tend to portray classic plumages without
taking into account that birds can be at various stages of molt and are always
individuals simultaneously as well as members of a species. All of my
Saskatchewan sightings occurred in later fall or during winter,

I saw one perched on a roadside hydro pole near the outskirts of Regina along #
11 opposite the Steel Plant, another in flight near Fillmore, another at Wascana
Golf Course, others near Gardiner Dam (twice), a single bird at Blackstrap
Reservoir and singles on four occasions at Lumsden Beach/Regina Beach/Pelican
Point/ Glen Harbour, and an individual at Rafferty Dam. I have three sightings
near or at Buck Lake. If I recall correctly Trevor Herriot has had a couple of
sightings in the uplands near Lumsden Beach during Craven CBC's. The numbers of
Buck Lake and Regina Beach area sightings is probably associated with several
years of regular visits to these locations during fall.

Curiously, I have not have had ANY sightings over the last three years at any
location.  Better coverage in suitable habitat or situations, I think naturally
translates into more sightings;however, numbers present at any location may
obviously vary significantly each year. My sense is that fewer birds are being
seen in Saskatchewan although this maybe more just a reflection of fewer
reported observations and the impact of less field work associated with the last
few severe weather winters and perhaps the impact of higher fuel costs. This is
of course speculation. Here are some details of my sightings.

I saw one bird first sitting on the shore at Buck Lake then subsequently flying
low along the edge scattering all the waterfowl including geese and dabbler
species. It appeared that as soon as it noted there were not any injured birds
present, it flew away. I saw another one on another occasion perched on a pole
at roadside on Yankee Road just west of Buck Lake. Nearby this perch, there was
a large group of geese and ducks foraging in an adjacent harvested  field. A
third sighting was of a bird sitting in a field near the Lake surveying the
abundant waterfowl.

A memorable sighting was seeing my first, an adult grey phase bird, at the
Wascana Golf Course during a Regina CBC. It was first observed just after it had
apparently captured  and killed a drake Mallard. It awkwardly attempted to land
on a tall spruce nearby then quickly returned to devour only the chest muscle
area as our group watched from a distance. Another or this same bird was
subsequently reported that week near Wascana Marsh by Fred Lahrman. Based upon
his written description though Fred's sighting was probably another bird. Both
of these sightings were probably associated with the regular wintering of
waterfowl within the Wascana Marsh when the Science Center was a power plant.

I saw an immature or hatch year bird first perched on a fence post at the edge
of Rafferty Dam near the entrance to the gun range and park on the east side of
Rafferty Dam. This bird was observed first perched upon a fence post and later
hunting along the edge of the open water. It then flew across the dam heading
west. It was reported to have remained in the area for several weeks.

Another observation was of one bird seen on the ice near freeze up at Blackstrap
Reservoir near Saskatoon just after it made a successful hunt of a duck species.
The bird had been captured at a smaller opening in the ice just south of the
causeway. It was quickly displaced by an adult Bald Eagle which spiralled down
from high overhead. The Gyr flew to a hillside fence post and watched as the
Eagle feasted.

An  interesting record  was of a bird 'mantling' while sitting on a pile of
several  "breasted" Canada Geese carcasses discarded at the edge of a ditch near
the Kinookimaw sub-division in the Regina Beach general area. A dozen or so
Black-billed Magpies were seen harassing this falcon and drew my attention first
to it. I was able to scope this bird via a window mount. using my car as a
blind. After a few minutes, I drove away to allow it to continue to feed without
disturbance.

Another sighting in this general area was of a bird flushed from a large dead
eastern cottonwood at roadside near Lumsden Beach. After it flew a shorter
distance away,  the bird returned to the same high perch almost overhead from my
parked car. Later, after it flew a second time, I drove forward and flushed a
couple of Sharp-tailed Grouse which were lurking in a weedy ditch just meters
ahead.

I have a record of a  bird gathering height while soaring over Pelican Point.
Another was seen perched on a power pole along the west side of  the Last
Mountain  Lake near Grandview Beach. Based upon conversations with others this
location complete with its mix of many native pastures and nearby bays is
probably a good one except that the access to the west side of Last Mountain
Lake can be awkward with its fewer rough roads.. I know that I rarely travel
there

  I have another sighting of a bird which crossed in front of my vehicle in
flight as I drove along Highway # 33 near Fillmore.

Contd...

Good birding
Bob L
Regina


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I stumbled across this link to an interesting article from the NY
Dept. of Conservation

http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/60027.html

Bruce Wilson
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Life Member    NMRA
Member    Scale 7 Group    Gauge 0 Guild

Fellow Birders,

Without any gory details (applause everywhere!), needless to say the past two
weeks have been hell on the railroad!  I haven't seen many birds during this
deep-freeze either!!!

There was a tremendous back-log of traffic after our strike.  Combine this with
the Spy Hill derailment fiasco and the recent bitter cold snap and the words
total chaos immediately come to mind!  As a result, the Company decided to `pull
down' the extended pool to Edmonton last Friday.  As a result, I'll be working
between Biggar and Wainwright once again for the next while.

Not much up to Wain yesterday afternoon on train 349.  We actually "rescued"
(re-crewed) this train by taxi at Unity and took it the rest of the way.  Just a
few Ravens and Snow Buntings were all we saw.

The return trip was on short drag 314 at 0500 this morning.  While we only were
handling 60 cars, the -38 C temps in Wain, made the voyage home rather dicey in
spots.  By the time we reached Biggar, it was approaching -23, and our air brake
situation improved considerably!

Highlights:

Sn Bunts – 75+ from Artland to Unity.

Short-eared Owl – One flushed from the weedy right-of-way near Tako siding.  I
also saw one at Yonker siding at 0432 on Dec. 11th for my first `winter'
sighting.

Horned Lark – A pair near Palo.  I had also seen a pair near Unity on Dec. 12th
for my winter bird list.

Since I was by myself, I stopped in to visit my Mom and top off the bird
feeders.  The peanut butter mixture was dwindling, so I spread tons on the four
spots I maintain in her backyard.

While there, I was pleased to add a few species to my admittedly pathetic winter
list!:

# Cedar Wxwg – At least 16, which is a very high number for Biggar in the
winter.

# Boh Wxwg – Only two!

# Pine Siskin – One at the neighbours Niger feeder.

# Hairy Wpkr – A nice male almost hits me in the head as he came sailing in for
the snacks!

H Finch - 2

H Sprw – 40+

More comments later, but it's time to crash out.  A few of us plan on braving
the elements and cover the Harris area tomorrow on the annual CBC…

Cheers,

Guy,
S'toon

My apologies for the lack of update today. The Rustic Bunting showed up
at 8:48 this morning and fed under the big feeder. (I just told someone
8:42, but I misread my terrible handwriting). I saw it when I looked
again from 12:40 - 1:02, feeding in a sunny sheltered spot on a rock
wall below our bedroom window. At 2:07 it was feeding under the big
feeder. At 3:40 it was throwing leaves around and feeding in a new mess
of leaves under the birch a few feet west of the big feeder. (It seems
to like the white millet from the Topcrop Wild Bird Feed that Harvey
buys at Walmart in 33 lb bags.) It was back at 4:09. I expect that will
be the last visit of the day. Most visits to the feeder area last under
10 minutes. It's much warmer today. The bunting looks perky and is
showing its crest much more than it did when it was so cold. It's
hanging around the juncos again. The redpolls are bursting into flight a
lot today and the bunting is skittish and doesn't look overly fond of
all that activity.

Feel free to email for updates if for some reason I'm tardy about
posting here or for more info.

Brenda
Creighton, SK


Brenda Schmidt wrote:
>
>
> The Rustic Bunting has been making regular visits to the feeder during
> this cold snap, appearing at fairly consistent times. This morning it
> showed up right on schedule at 9:05. We left after that to make our
> rounds for the Creighton CBC. We stopped back here for lunch at around
> noon and the bunting was here feeding. We returned home shortly after 4
> and it wasn't here then. It had been making a last appearance at around
> that time, so either we missed it or it didn't show up.
>
> Harvey & Brenda Schmidt
> Creighton SK
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks for this K.

  I live up in the Rochdale area. I had seen an owl fly from a rooftop on Juniper
Drive heading towards the field behind Home Depot a couple nights ago.There has
also been a Snowy Owl seen just west of here along Pinkie Road.It was seen
perched along a powerpole in the area between 9th AVE. and Armour Rd.

  I hope to get out and check some once the weather moderates in the next few
days.


Rocky


--- In Saskbirds@yahoogroups.com, K M <dragonflypondsk@...> wrote:
>
> Good morning,
>  In response to Jim's question re: Regina CBC, the person to get ahold of is
Dale. I believe his last name is Hjertaas. He is the person who normally runs
the Regina Boxing Day count.
>  For those who wish to take place in the Craven Bird count, we are meeting
this Sat morning at 8:30am at the Royal Sask. Museum(same place where the Nature
Regina meetings are held) in the parking lot. Will go to Craven from there.
>  On the way to the meeting last night, my sister and I saw a great horned owl
fly up onto the "Home Depot/ Conexus" sign on the north end of the Lewvan. Other
than that, pigeons and house sparrows are the only birds I have been seeing in
Rochdale Park. Kim M in Regina
>
>
>       __________________________________________________________________
> Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr!
>
> http://www.flickr.com/gift/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Good morning,
 In response to Jim's question re: Regina CBC, the person to get ahold of is
Dale. I believe his last name is Hjertaas. He is the person who normally runs
the Regina Boxing Day count.
 For those who wish to take place in the Craven Bird count, we are meeting this
Sat morning at 8:30am at the Royal Sask. Museum(same place where the Nature
Regina meetings are held) in the parking lot. Will go to Craven from there.
 On the way to the meeting last night, my sister and I saw a great horned owl
fly up onto the "Home Depot/ Conexus" sign on the north end of the Lewvan. Other
than that, pigeons and house sparrows are the only birds I have been seeing in
Rochdale Park. Kim M in Regina


       __________________________________________________________________
Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr!

http://www.flickr.com/gift/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Does anybody have the details of the boxing day count? I was unable to attend
the nature regina meeting last night
Jim Nordquist

Four Winnipeg birders trekked to Creighton on Sunday, December 23
(Rudolf Koes, John Weier, Garry Budyk and I), and reached home after
dark today, smiling blissfully. When we arrived around 3:30, the bird
was right there under the big feeder, and it came back two more times.
We had wonderful looks and saw all the diagnostic marks. We wish to
thank Brenda and Harvey Schmidt for their hospitality and the gift of
this once-in-a-lifetime bird.

Liis Veelma
Winnipeg MB
(the 7th birder to see this beautiful stray, which is her 410th Canada
species)

Brenda and Harvey: You made it -- and you didn't even tell us the temperature. 
Congratulations for getting that Rustic Bunting on the CBC.  Saskatchewan (and
interior Canada) will have a lot to "crow" about when they see this one!  Frank
Roy
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Brenda Schmidt
   To: Saskbirds@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Monday, December 14, 2009 5:29 PM
   Subject: [Saskbirds] Creighton CBC results



   It was rather cold. But we saw 17 species.

   Sharp-tailed Grouse - 9
   Rock Pigeon - 55
   Downy Woodpecker - 2
   Hairy Woodpecker - 2
   Gray Jay - 3
   Black-billed Magpie - 3
   Common Raven - 117
   Black-capped Chickadee - 3
   Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2
   Bohemian Waxwing - 4
   Dark-eyed Junco - 4
   Pine Grosbeak - 4
   White-winged Crossbill - 13
   Common Redpoll - 268
   Hoary Redpoll - 27
   Willow Ptarmigan - 1
   Rustic Bunting - 1

   We think there were more ptarmigan, but they proved to be much smarter
   than us. We have only a few inches of snow cover and with the wind much
   of it is hard-packed, so tracks aren't easy to come by in the open. The
   ditch along the road was scrubbed recently and the willow and such is
   just laying there. This single ptarmigan was perched on top. Then it
   jumped down and was walking under the handy roof of scrubbed willow,
   reaching up once in a while to snap off something to eat. We took a
   closer look and saw plenty of ptarmigan tracks under the scrub.

   Harvey & Brenda Schmidt
   Creighton SK






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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It was rather cold. But we saw 17 species.

Sharp-tailed Grouse - 9
Rock Pigeon - 55
Downy Woodpecker - 2
Hairy Woodpecker - 2
Gray Jay - 3
Black-billed Magpie - 3
Common Raven - 117
Black-capped Chickadee - 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2
Bohemian Waxwing - 4
Dark-eyed Junco - 4
Pine Grosbeak - 4
White-winged Crossbill - 13
Common Redpoll - 268
Hoary Redpoll - 27
Willow Ptarmigan - 1
Rustic Bunting - 1

We think there were more ptarmigan, but they proved to be much smarter
than us. We have only a few inches of snow cover and with the wind much
of it is hard-packed, so tracks aren't easy to come by in the open. The
ditch along the road was scrubbed recently and the willow and such is
just laying there. This single ptarmigan was perched on top. Then it
jumped down and was walking under the handy roof of scrubbed willow,
reaching up once in a while to snap off something to eat. We took a
closer look and saw plenty of ptarmigan tracks under the scrub.

Harvey & Brenda Schmidt
Creighton SK