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| Few holiday experiences instill in those who engage in birding this kind of quiet fulfilment. It has been suggested that birdwatching is a form of expression of the innate need for human connection to the environment. The observation or identification of wild birds in their natural habitat requires only basic equipment that includes binoculars, a field guide to aid identification, and a notebook for recording time and | | place of sightings. Birdwatching is primarily a 20th-century phenomenon, as before 1900 most students of birds had to shoot them in order to identify them. Canada' provinces and territories offer numerous opportunities to engage in birdwatching activities. The most active times of the year for birding in the temperate zones are during spring and fall migration when the greatest variety of birds may be seen. These birds | | are traveling north or south to wintering or nesting locations. Birders are know to get up early, as morning is typically the best time of the day for birding since many birds are searching for food, which makes them easier to find and observe. Success in locating the more interesting species typically requires detailed knowledge of their appearance, sounds, behavior, and most likely habitat, in addition to stealth and patience. | |
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Chaplin Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve: Great Plains Habitat Restoration
3 days / 5 nights
The saline flats of Chaplin Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve (Lake) constitute the second largest saline water body in Canada, spanning over 15,000 acres. More than 30 species of shorebirds such as the endangered piping plover either stop to rest and refuel during their migratory journey, or nest and raise their young here each summer. Some travel distances of 5,000 kilometers between stops for up to 70 hours. They find in the worms, shrimps and crustaceans that abound here the royal banquet that will ensure their survival and their return year after year. We provide the optics, the sanderling's flight, the avocet's colorful walk across the flats, the kildeer's evasion display... you'll just have to experience it all for yourself.
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Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area: Viewing Whooping Cranes in Canada
1 day
We hate to brag but we have, a two-hour drive north of Regina the oldest bird sanctuary in North America... serious! Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area was born in 1887. And it happens to be the best place in the world for whooping crane viewing during fall migration, right here in Canada. The tallest bird in the world is also one of the rarest and most spectacular. The National Wildlife Area encompasses over 15,000 hectares of upland and wetland habitat. Up to 50,000 sandhill cranes, 400,000 geese and several hundred thousand ducks may be observed there when migration peaks. Forget what you read in the guide books, Last Mountain Lake is North America's busiest airport.
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