Bird Count Reports

Saskatoon Spring Migration Bird Count
May 24, 2025

Forty-five individuals participated in the Spring bird count on May 24, 2025 under mainly sunny skies. The species count of 178 was slightly above the long-term average (LTA) of 172.

Water levels in sloughs and other waterbodies were noticeably higher than in recent years and there was considerable standing water in the fields. As a result, waterfowl counts were higher than the most recent five-year average. Ruddy Duck count (174%) was the highest since 1988. Grebe and rail counts were quite low in the past two years but have recovered. The Eared Grebe count set a new high (334%) and American Coot count (122%) was more than ten times that recorded in 2024 and 2023. Shorebird counts were mixed, with Wilson’s Phalarope (474%) at the high end of their range and Black-bellied Plover (7%) and Marbled Godwit (31%) at the low end.

Surprisingly, the Gray Partridge count (125%) was only 20 birds after more than 1000 were tallied on the Boxing Day count. Another surprise was a single Burrowing Owl, the first since 1998. Its location was reported to Nature Saskatchewan.

Among the raptors, Red-tailed Hawk count (27%) was less than half the LTA for the fourth straight year. It is thought to be susceptible to highly pathogenic avian influenza. Swainson’s Hawk (77%) has not been affected to the same extent, but the overall reduction in hawk nests has affected the Great Horned Owl count (30%) over the same four-year period. Osprey have been nesting at several sites along the river and the count this year set a new high for the species (380%), Short-eared Owl (454%) have been seen frequently this Spring and were at the high end of their range on the count.

Franklin’s Gull count (12%) has been very low for seven years. Prior to 2019 the average count was 1809 and since then it has been 134. It may be that a colony was abandoned during the dry years and has yet to be re-established. The last two years have seen the lowest counts on record for Common Tern (16%), but the Black Tern count (84%), which had dipped to levels similar to the Common Tern in 2021, has recovered to a normal level. Caspian Tern were seen this year for only the third time.

Woodpecker, flycatcher, and corvid counts were all in the normal range or above, but with the exception of Cliff Swallow (101%) the swallow counts were low with Bank Swallow (29%) and Barn Swallow (33%) being the lowest. Red-breasted Nuthatch (203%), Whitebreasted Nuthatch (231%) and Northern House Wren (157%) all seem to be in long-term rising trends. Like the once common Baird’s Sparrow (10%), the count for LeConte’s Sparrow (12%) is now consistently low. Only six individuals in total have been recorded in the last five counts.

Sixteen species of warbler were recorded with Tennessee Warbler (339%) being by far the most common after Yellow Warbler (132%).

Thank you to all who participated in the count this year. We hope you will join us again on future counts.

John Patterson, Compiler

Stan Shadick, Organizer