Welcome everyone to Spring 2026; hopefully we have seen the last of the snow and we can enjoy spring and all that it brings! I have to say we enjoyed an amazing Bluebird tour on April 11th with John Patterson and over 25 SNS members. We split into two groups and headed out and saw close to 20 Bluebirds. We noticed that the birds were loving their nesting boxes too – thanks to Greg and the Young Naturalists who maintain them! They are seeing the results of their labour!
We’ve had our first executive meeting and it’s a good look – we have a lot of experience and talent that will make the new board really tick! Our new members are signing up for tasks and the old members are continuing their activities, this will make all our jobs that much easier and enjoyable. We will be reconstituting our Finance, Conservation, Programme & Knowledge Management committees, reviewing our bylaws & elections procedures, and so on. We are also focussing energy on Bird Friendly Saskatoon and more. If you are interested in helping out on any of the committees, just send me a note and we will get you plugged in!
World Migratory Bird Day/Global Big Day is coming up on May 9th, kicking off Bird Safe Week here in Saskatoon. Be sure to check out Bird Friendly Saskatoon’s Facebook page for up-to-date information on events. The theme this year is – Every Bird Counts! It is up to us to make our city, homes & yards safer for the migrating birds. We live on the Central Flyway for migratory birds, and we have a huge responsibility to keep this space safe. We know there has been a significant decrease in the number of songbirds & grassland birds over the last 50 years, so let’s do something about it. Not all is discouraging though - we have seen that with some help, many waterfowl species and birds of prey species have recovered and flourished during this same time, so our actions can have an impact!
On March 31st I was delighted to see the federal government take up the Biodiversity cause again by releasing the strategy: A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature. Their press release stated that:
The beauty of Canada’s natural environment is increasingly under threat. Climate change, pollution, and industrialisation are causing global habitat loss, an increase in invasive species, and more destructive wildfires and floods. With an investment of $3.8 billion, Canada’s new nature strategy will protect and restore critical habitats, ensure industrial strategies complement our conservation efforts.
This is very good news, but now we need the provincial government to get onside! This bodes very well for Canada and Saskatoon and our National Urban Park - let’s keep the pressure on to get this right!
We still need to mindful of other rash moves our governments have made recently such as permitting strychnine previously banned in Canada but now approved again by Health Canada following pressure from the Saskatchewan and Alberta governments. Secondary poisoning caused by strychnine harming prairie species and species at risk is a major concern. Public Pastures Public Interests has been circulating a petition about this on their Facebook page - you may want to check out! The provincial SPCA has also voiced their opposition saying “Beyond the direct impact on target animals, the Sask SPCA is deeply concerned about the broader ecological consequences. Toxic substances remain in the bodies of poisoned animals, posing a risk to predators and scavengers that may consume them. This process, known as secondary poisoning, can lead to illness or death in wildlife such as birds of prey, foxes, and other species. The impacts may be further amplified by tertiary poisoning, resulting in broader ecological consequences across the food web.” I agree that we can do better; there are more humane methods to control Richardson’s ground squirrels.
Our annual Spring Picnic is coming right up on Thursday May 21 6:00 PM – 9:30 pm at St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Park (Brown’s Lake). It’s a great time to visit with other members and enjoy a spring evening! Check SNS website before you come in case of more information. Organizers are Marten Stoffel, Josh Erikson and Kerry Hjertaas. Hope to see you there
And then on Saturday May 23, it’s our annual spring bird count! It’s a great time to get out and count those birds making their way through our city – it’s community science in action! Be sure to volunteer - all hands on deck!!
Have a great spring everyone – I hope to see you out and about!
David Forbes
