Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas
115 Perimeter Road S7N 0X4 Saskatoon, SK, Canada

Last Friday's Mystery Map belonged to the familiar House Sparrow! This introduced and abundant species is declining globally, including here in Saskatchewan. Can you help us to fill in the gaps on the map for this species in 2021? House Sparrows are common around humans so it's easy to report behaviours like bird in suitable habitat during breeding season (H), courtship displays and territorial disputes (D), and nest building (NB); behaviours which start in earnest around mid-April.

Happy Friday! Can you guess which common feeder bird this map belongs to?

Happy World Wetlands Day! Immerse yourself in this midnight recording made near Foam Lake, Saskatchewan on June 5, 2013. Can you identify all 6 species heard on the recording?

A nice piece featuring one of our volunteer Regional Coordinators, Dan Sawatzky!

Happy solstice! On the longest night of the year we're happy to offer you the first installment of the Intermediate Bird Identification videos! Check out the playlist on our YouTube channel or visit the Tutorials and Bird ID Videos page on our website (https://sk.birdatlas.ca/)... Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist Waterfowl: https://youtu.be/_HCbWc5K5m4 Loons and Grebes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORnr1RCFk2I Grouse and Doves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5fZtDLZlFM&t=5s Corvids and Woodpeckers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGJnGJBKP_w Blackbirds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icxHHO4MirM&t=22s

Working landscapes on the prairies play a vital role in the conservation of birds, the habitats on which they depend, and everything else that calls this incredible place home. Our colleague in Manitoba recently put together this easy-to-use guide to the different financial incentives available for landowners to help conserve and improve grassland habitats across the Canadian prairies. We encourage you to take a look at this beautiful guide (there's a great section on birds at the end) and please share it with your networks!

Notice Due to a power outage caused by a severe storm in Southern Ontario yesterday, the Atlas NatureCounts website and Birds Canada emails are temporarily down. Thank you for your patience!

The latest edition of the Atlas newsletter is now out! We're excited to share an update on how the 2020 season unfolded and the exciting birds found by our dedicated volunteers. Cozy up with a hot beverage and read about it here: https://sk.birdatlas.ca///10/Newsletter-October-2020-1.pdf

This early drawing by David Sibley is a good reminder that no matter what skill you are learning, everybody starts somewhere! Sketching birds is a great way hone your identification skills and it can be a fun, relaxing pastime, especially during the winter months. Check out this series of videos by Birds Canada's Megan Hiebert as she guides you through her process of sketching the familiar Black-capped Chickadee: https://www.youtube.com/playlist... Do you do any bird sketching or artwork? Share your creations in the comments!

Mystery Map Answer: Purple Martin Last week's mystery aerial insectivore is none other than the familiar Purple Martin! This species nests almost exclusively in man-made martin houses east of the Rocky Mountains, but will still use abandoned woodpecker cavities in trees and cacti in the western portion of it's range. The Purple Martin's use of backyard bird houses make it an easy species to confirm as breeding for the Atlas and it's not too late to enter observations from any... year the SK Breeding Bird Atlas has been active (2017 to present). If you or someone you know had an occupied Martin house head on over to our data entry portal and get those records in! A Martin house actively occupied by Purple Martins can be coded as AE (adults entering or occupying a nest) or if young are observed NY (nest with young). https://www.birdscanada.org/birdmon/skatlas/submitatlas.jsp (Use a computer for a smooth data entry experience)

Time again for our occasional feature - Mystery Maps! Can you guess which aerial insectivore has been reported from these locations? Aerial insectivores are birds which feed on flying insects. Check back on Monday for the answer!