Bird Count Reports

Saskatoon Spring Migration Bird Count
May 23, 2026

The Spring bird count on May 23, 2026 had 48 participants, with light winds and mainly cloudy skies.The species count at 189 was well above the long-term average of 172, and second highest on record. Two species, Townsend’s Solitaire and Eurasian Tree Sparrow, were seen for the first time, while Clark’s Grebe and Orchard Oriole were seen for only the third time. Heavy precipitation in late winter and spring replenished wetlands that have been dry in recent years.

A near record number of Snow Geese (445% of the LTA) curtailed their migration to the Arctic this spring and remained in our area. In most years Mallard (84%) have had the highest count among the ducks, but for the third year in a row Northern Shoveler (190%) were the most abundant.

Of all the wetland birds, White-faced Ibis (8417%) and Black-necked Stilt (1913%) seem to have taken most advantage of the abundant habitat. The counts for both species were more than double the previous highs. High water levels favoured wading birds over the common shorebirds that rely on mudflats and shallow water, counts for which were uniformly below the LTA, with the exception of Baird’s Sandpiper (162%). In 2019 Franklin’s Gull (16%) dropped below 20% of the LTA and has still not recovered. The American White Pelican count (42%) was the lowest on record, while Double-Crested Cormorant count (214%) was the highest since 2000. The colonial-nesting Eared Grebe (266%) is usually the most abundant grebe, but it’s count fluctuates wildly. In the last five years alone it has varied between 71 and 2350, with the count this year near the high end at 1871.

The three most abundant hawks all tell a story of decline. In the case of Red-tailed Hawk (18%) and Northern Harrier (39%) it is precipitous. Although Swainson’s Hawk (58%) is at the low end of its count range, the long-term decline is more modest in comparison. The scarcity of hawks has reduced the number of nests available to Great Horned Owls (39%), so their numbers have declined over the last 20 years from about 15 to less than five. Red-tailed Hawk is known to be particularly susceptible to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), but clearly other long-term factors are also at play.

In contrast, Black-billed Magpie (52%) count has been fairly stable for 30 years, except for 2008, when it dropped by half following an outbreak of West Nile virus in the summer of 2007. This year it has again dropped by half with HPAI the possible cause this time.

There are several species, well-adapted to the urban environment, that are in strong population uptrends: for example, Black-capped Chickadee (236%), Downy Woodpecker (418%), House Finch (362%) and Red-breasted Nuthatch (208%).  They are benefiting from the expanding footprint of Saskatoon and the surrounding towns.

Among the thrushes, Mountain Bluebird (21%) and Veery (22%) continue to be in strong decline. Insectivores are in trouble across North America and on our count Cliff Swallow (102%) was the only relatively abundant flycatcher or swallow found above its LTA.

Baird’s Sparrow (9%) and LeConte’s Sparrow (3%) have almost disappeared from the count. The average annual count for each species over the last five years is one. In comparison, for the five-year period 1985-89 the average annual count for Baird’s Sparrow was 38 and for Le Conte’s Sparrow 33. The count for Savannah Sparrow (27%) set a new low, while Chipping Sparrow (158%) and Lark Sparrow (202%) were present in above average numbers.

House Sparrows (212%) were abundant once again, following a low count and disease concerns on the 2025 Christmas Count. Among the blackbirds, Bobolink count (36%) was low while Common Grackle (243%) was high.

Sixteen species of warbler were observed. Ovenbird (14%), Northern Waterthrush (45%) and American Redstart (21%) were less than 50% of their LTA. Blackpoll Warbler (319%) and Tennessee Warbler (269%) counts were more than double the LTAs.

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
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