Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail

Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association Inc.

Saskatchewan, Canada

Mallard in Flight - Photographer Unknown

The area of the Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association extends from the Manitoba border west to #9 Highway. The Southern part of the area begins with the Qu’Appelle Valley and its northern boundary lies north of # 10 Highway.

The area was once almost devoid of trees and bush. It is part of the prairie with agricultural settlement. With the control of the prairie fires more and more areas of poplar, aspen, and willow bush thrived. There are many small lakes and large sloughs throughout the area. Flowers bloom in abundance and fruits have produced banquets for people and other mammals, including the birds. In recent years agricultural lands have been drained. While some habitat has been destroyed, other has been maintained. Various individuals and organizations have worked to protect the wetlands and to enhance the community knowledge and awareness of environment and environmental concerns.

An increased number of birders are recording the sightings of more and more species. Apparent changes in migratory patterns has meant larger numbers of geese and cranes in both spring and the fall and an extension of nesting areas for these birds and larger numbers of song birds.

Although this website provides information regarding a number of birding trails in this part of Saskatchewan, there are currently five birding trails within the YFBTA region: The Carlton Trail Regional Park, Cherrydale Golf Course and Nature Preserve, Kaposvar Trail, Leflay Trail and Slough View Park. Membership in the YFBTA comes from various parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. We will include birding trails on this website which are not found in the YFBTA area. If you have a birding trail which may be of interest to visitors of this website, please contact the webmaster.

Yellowhead Highway # 16 and Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trails Area

YELLOWHEAD FLYWAY BIRDING TRAIL ASSOCIATION (YFBTA)

YFBTA is a not-for-profit charitable organization which works to promote awareness of the importance of wildlife and spaces for wildlife. YFBTA promotes conservation, preservation, awareness and tourism.

In 1999 a group of concerned individuals began to work on a trail along the edge of Anderson Lake in Saltcoats. The trail has been developed on private land through the generosity of the Art Klause family. In 2000 the trail, named the Leflay Trail, was officially opened.

During a meeting April 10, 2003 a decision was taken to form a regional birding trail association. June 5, 2003 marked the inception of the Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association (YFBTA). This organization boasts members from Langenburg, Churchbridge, Bredenbury, Stockholm, Dubuc, Saltcoats, Esterhazy, Yorkton, Canora and other locations. The YFBTA continues to grow.

YFBTA works to promote awareness of the importance of preserving and protecting spaces for wildlife to exist. YFBTA works to promote these spaces and to facilitate tourism.

Our goal continues to be one of growth. Increased membership makes YFBTA a stronger and more influential organization. We urge past members to stay with us by renewing their memberships. We welcome new members. You may find that you cannot be an active member. You may wish to merely attend a few meetings where you will be warmly welcomed. You may be content to enjoy our newsletters (to which you can contribute). You may wish to join some of our committees and/or our board of directors.

Your membership is one more voice advocating for wildlife and wildlife habitat. Your membership expresses a concern about the falling populations of many of our birds. Your membership is an expression of interest and concern. Your membership strengthens YFBTA’s invitation to visitors to stop and spend some time while we educate them about the sights and experiences they can find within our region.

The YFBTA is affiliated with Nature Saskatchewan which publishes “Nature Views” and “The Blue Jay”. YFBTA operates this website www.yfbta.com.

A YFBTA MEMBERSHIP PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES

to show concern about protecting wildlife and habitat for wildlife

to promote eco-tourism in your area

to act as a mentor to youth

for learning about wildlife and its environment

to participate in wildlife conservation practices

to participate in YFBTA programs

enjoy and receive our YBTA newsletter "What's flying around ....."

contribute writing and / or digital photographs to our newsletter and/or our website

meet like-minded individuals

share interests, concerns, sightings and observations

attend regular meetings of the board of directors who work on your behalf

become a member of the board

to promote awareness of the importance of wildlife and of suitable places to visit

become actively involved with trail development, management and maintenance

connect on a regular basis with fellow members

to support our work even if you cannot be active

to share your creative ideas

to facilitate participation of youth groups in YFBTA programs

to contribute to the growing influence of the YFBTA

YFBTA Membership Form

(Print and Mail Membership form)

You are invited to submit letters, articles, photos and stories or anecdotes for publication on this site. Your suggestions as to how we can improve this web site are also welcome.

You may email your contributions to the web site: john.s @imagewireless.ca or by mail to:

John Sawkey - Webmaster YFBTA - Box 460 Saltcoats, Saskatchewan S0A 3R0

My Battle With Cancer - by John Sawkey

Books - Latest Research - Information

Burrowing Owl Slide Presentation

North American Birds
Photo Gallery

by Peter LaTourrette

http://www.birdphotography.com/index.html

Links to previous articles posted on this site have been transferred to "In Case You Are Interested".

Coming Events 2011

Annual Bird Symposium - April 16 Theodore, Saskatchewan - Theodore Community Centre

YFBTA plans to include in the Kindergarten to Grade Eight range as part of the day. The day will feature four educational presentations as well as some concurrent programming for the youth. Former Summer Student, Nancy Kennedy, assisted by former Theodore resident, Stephanie Stewart, will facilitate the youth programming. We anticipate having Jared Clark from the Regina Wascana Centre assisting with youth programming as well.

Registration cost will be $50.00 for adults and $10.00 for youth.

Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association. Pre-registration deadline is April 3, 2011. To register contact: (Deadline date has been extended to April 3 from March 28.)

Martha Karau   (306) 896.2660

Email:   marwal @sasktel.net.net

MEET THE PRESENTERS - Annual Bird Symposium

Dream Job - Dr. Kenn and Nancy Wood

She's Fallen In Love - Anna Leighton

A Passionate Protector - Erv Henderson

Michael and Kathleen Pitt - Leona Pollock

Agenda for the Bird Symposium

Nature Sask Spring Meet - June 3, 4 and 5 Saltcoats Town Hall. Information and Agenda.

Nature Saskatchewan's Spring Meet: June 3 - 5, 2011

Kathy Morrell

We are inviting you to visit an outstanding blog : "Saskatchewan - Birds, Nature and Scenery" by Nick Saunders from Saskatoon.

http://www.saskbirder.com   .

I am sure that you will be interested in John Senkiw's website. John is an excellent photographer and a very knowledgeable birder from Foam Lake, Saskatchewan.

www.johnthebirder.com

The Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association is happy to announce that they have employed a summer student, Nancy Kennedy, who   was their Program Facilitator from May to August. Nancy began her work on May 3. Nancy played an important role in organizing and conducting summer sessions for young people in the YFBTA area.

If you are interested in the work Nancy is doing for the YFBTA, or wish to support Nancy and her work - please visit her blog at:

http://yfbta.blogspot.com

(http://www.quill-lakes.com/marsh.htm)

The area around the lakes, marked in green, is the best place to find Canada geese, Snow geese, Sandhill Cranes and the occasional Whooping Crane. The shores of the lakes are where you will find all the shorebirds such as piping plovers, avocets, sandpipers. There is a nesting population of white pelicans on an island in Mud Lake, and a goose feeding station on the south shore of Little Quill Lake. The Wadena Wetlands viewing tower is on the northeast corner of Little Quill Lake.

Quill-lakes.com has been on the internet since 1996, is well known and information about the communities is easily found by any good search engine. The website averages over 100,000 hits monthly.

Bird Photos by Rob Wilson

Can you identify these birds?

The Birth of a Hummingbird

The egg is smaller than a tic tax and a quarter fits the opening of the nest! This is truly amazing.

Be sure to click on NEXT PAGE at the bottom of each page. There are five pages in all. A lady fo9und a hummingbird nest and got pictures all the way from the egg to leaving the nest.

It took 24 days from birth to flight. You will probably never see this in your lifetime again.

http://community-2.webtv.net/Velpics/HUM/

Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan is a registered non-profit organization that is committed to educating the public about wildlife issues, providing rehabilitation and ensuring the return to the wild of rescued injured and truly orphaned wildlife.

      Visit : http://www.wrsos.org

www.wild-bird-watching.com

PROTECTING CANADA’S BOREAL FOREST FOR BIRDS:

Be a Part of the “Save Our Boreal Birds” Campaign

Each spring more than half of America's birds flock to the Canadian Boreal forest to nest. Please visit the following interesting website.

http://www.borealbirds.org/

NEWSLETTER ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN "WHAT'S FLYING AROUND...

Birds of Yorkton-Duck Mountain " By C. Stuart Houston and William Anaka

ADULT/YOUTH BLUEBIRD HOUSE PROJECT

History of Leflay Trail , Carlton Trail Regional Park and Kaposvar Trails updated with photos. Also updated are Cherrydale Golf Course and Nature Preserve , The Ravine Ecological Preserve ,The Barvis Marshes and Maddaford Marshes .

The View at Slough View Park 2006: Pictorial Visit (This page may take several minutes to download.)

10 Easy Steps to Help Migrating Birds

Every spring, more than a billion birds fly home to Canada to start their families. In fact, more than 90 per cent of Canadian birds are migratory. You can give them a helping hand by following this easy 10-Step Program.

http://www.naturecanada.ca/bird_cons_involved_10ways.asp

Kathy's Korner

Please check Kathy's Korner for the many articles she has written during the past.

VIDEOS - INCREDIBLE INCIDENTS - WHICH MAY BE OF INTEREST

You Tube: Nature / Behind the Scenes of "Hummingbird" / PBS

See the entire documentary at to.pbs.org We all have preconceived ideas about what hummingbirds' lives are like, but so much of their world is ... 9 minutes January 9, 2010.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjnc1kHMDDo

PBS — January 09, 2010 — See the entire documentary at http://to.pbs.org/cUinl9 We all have preconceived ideas about what hummingbirds' lives are like, but so much of their world is imperceptible to the human eye. Filmmaker Ann Prum describes the breakthrough science and latest technologies that allowed her and the crew to reveal incredible new insights about these aerial athletes.

"Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air" premieres on PBS Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 8pm (check local listings) and is part of the 28th season of the Peabody and Emmy award-winning series produced by Thirteen in association with WNET.ORG for PBS. Major support provided by Canon U.S.A. Inc. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episod...

"This is actually a pretty amazing story about a baby hummingbird
that was found on a side walk. He couldn't fly, so I took him under my wing. At night, he would come home to our house for safety. During the day, he was in the backyard of the house near where I found him. About 4 days after I found him, I was holding him in my cupped hands when his mama came by to feed him. She had seen me around, I guess, because she just flew over, perched on my hand and then fed him. This happened a number of times, so I called a friend who is good with a video camera, and he came over to film some of the amazing goings on that I told him about."

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7xBLvMIBZU

This is a TV broadcast regarding an oil spill which occurred 31 years ago. There was very little difference with what happened then - and what happened recently in the Mexican Gulf - with BP and the USA. This is almost too weird to be true!

http://www.madville.com/weird/323771_rachel_maddow_the_more_spills_change_the_more_they_stay_the_same

Check this out - Please listen to this tape very carefully...... This tape is 9:42 minutes long...Very scary... It's not the first time I've heard or witnessed this at a U.S. border crossing, but it's the first time I've seen it posted on the internet.

Obviously the U.S. is not the country that fights & stands for "Freedom" after all.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19248

This site was updated April 12, 2011

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