Being farmers, spring is one of our busiest times of the year. We take Sundays off, but go to church in the morning so our big birding trips of the spring are as many Sunday afternoons as we can get away with. Turns out this year, every Sunday was free of obligations and church came in an email so, guess what? We could go birding every Sunday morning, prime birding time. But every rain cloud has a grey exterior, and the sad part about this one was that our favourite parks were all closed. We were undaunted, however, and visited Gardiner Dam, a good birding place with no gates, and our own land which is obligingly filled with assorted sloughs, native prairie and the occasional tree.
So here are some of my favourite photos from our pandemic birding.
While nonbirders look on all sparrows as the same, I can get pretty excited when they pass through our yard. And pretty disappointed if they turn out to be all the same.
My favourite singing sparrow stopped by for a few days on the way north. The White-throated Sparrow.
The Clay-coloured Sparrow sticks around all summer in varying numbers.
As does the Savannah Sparrow.
Thrushes are known for being great singers, but I read that they do not sing while migrating, and I have never heard anything to dispute that. The only thrush that nests anywhere near us is the American Robin, but there are three that pass through.
This one I am calling a Hermit Thrush based on its lack of spectacles and the rusty colour in the tail.
On the other hand, this is a Swainson's Thrush, the most common thrush migrant in our yard. It is wearing its spectacles.
Millions of shorebirds pass through Saskatchewan on their way to breeding grounds every year.
It's a fun day when we confidently id a new one. Most times I'm looking over old photos and removing the tags as I second-guess my original id.
I decided that these are Semipalmated Sandpipers.
And this a Pectoral Sandpiper.
The Upland Sandpiper is not only one that breeds in our area, but a sandpiper that prefers prairie to water.
Other summer breeders include the Loggerhead Shrike
the Osprey
and the Merlin.
