Cypress Hills 8-day Birding Public Tour Description

Watch birdlife in Saskatchewan's highest hills as well as in the surrounding prairies. Spectacular Scenery awaits.

Join Stan Shadick for a guided bird watching tour to Canada's Cypress Hills region of Southwestern Saskatchewan.  We will visit the favourite birding hotspots of Saskatchewan’s keenest birders.

Some of the special birds in the Cypress Hills may include Red-naped Sapsucker, MacGillivray's Warbler, Western Wood Pewee, Western Flycatcher, Upland Sandpiper, Violet-Green Swallow, Pink-sided Junco.

In addition to the Cypress Hills region, we will also visit the following birding hotspots.

• Saskatchewan’s famous Great Sandhills where Common Poorwill, Long-billed Curlew and Lark Sparrows plus other grassland birds may be found.
  

• Govenlock Sagebrush Flats – known for Golden Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Baird’s Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow, Thick-billed and Chestnut-collared Longspurs.
  

• Old Man on His Back Nature Conservancy of Canada Grasslands – Bison and grassland songbirds. Chance for Burrowing Owl
  CLICK HERE for Video about Old Man On His Back
  

• Jones’s Peak birding stop in the East Block of the Cypress Hills offers magnificent scenery plus great views of Rock Wrens and Violet-Green Swallows plus other rarities are sometimes seen in this area.
  

• Grasslands National Park where we will watch and listen for Burrowing Owl,  Ferruginous Hawk, Golden Eagle,  Long-billed Curlew, Loggerhead Shrike, Sprague’s Pipit, Baird’s Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow,  Lark Bunting, Chestnut-collared Longspur and Thick-billed Longspur.

See trip details at

https://livingskywildliferehabilitation.org/birding-tours/cypress-hills/

Transportation

Participants must drive their own personal or rented vehicle on this guided tour.

Accommodation

Following your registration, you will receive an email with the information needed to book your accommodation during this tour.

Private Tours

Email your name and phone number to birdtours@sasktel.net if you prefer to request a private tour on alternate dates.

Note: This tour is part of the Saskatchewan Birding Grand Tour from June 12 - 26, 2026.

See details for that tour at

https://livingskywildliferehabilitation.org/birding-tours/saskatchewan-birding-2/

QUESTIONS

Please email your name and phone number with any questions to

birdtours@sasktel.net

Tour departs Saskatoon after breakfast about 8 am. Participants may choose to join the tour at Rosetown, Kindersley or Leader.

Some of our planned birding stops include the following sites.

• Pack your own Lunch to eat at Kindersley Regional Park – wetland birds and songbirds

• South Saskatchewan River Valley downstream of Leader

• Check in to hotel in Leader

• Afternoon and Evening Visit to the Great Sandhills – Western Kingbird, Common Nighthawk plus possible Long-billed Curlew, Prairie Falcon

• Pack your own Supper to eat at the Sandhills

• Optional late night drive for Common Poorwill,

• Overnight at a Leader hotel. Campers may wish to stay in town campground.

Some of our planned birding stops include the following sites.

• Breakfast at Leader cafe

• South Saskatchewan River near Estuary

• Pack you lunch to eat on the road.

• Mason Lake

• Supper at Maple Creek restaurant

• Evening visit to Junction Reservoir

• Overnight at a Maple Creek hotel. Campers may wish to stay in center block or town campground.

Tour departs Maple Creek about 9 am.

Today we will hike several easy trails within the center block of Cypress Hills provincial park.

We plan the following activities.

• Eat breakfast on your own in Maple Creek restaurant.

• Hike Highlands Nature Trail in morning

• Eat lunch at park restaurant

• Hike Valley of the Windfalls Nature Trail

• Short visit to Park Nature Interpretive Centre

• Hike Whispering Pines Nature Trail

• Supper in park resort’s dining room

• Evening drive to scenic Look-out Point and Bald Butte

• Optional late night drive from 10:30 pm – 11:30 pm to look and listen for Common Poorwill.

• Overnight at Maple Creek hotel. Campers may wish to stay in a center block campground.

We plan to spend the day birding in the best hotspots in the west block of Cypress Hills.
Some sites (*) may be inaccessible if roads are very muddy.

• Breakfast in Maple Creek on your own

• Depart Maple Creek at 9 am

• Cypress Hills Switchbacks – Dusky Flycatcher, Western Wood Pewee and chance for Black-headed Grosbeak

• Fort Walsh hiking trails – Violet-Green Swallow and possible Say’s Phoebe and Western Tanager

• Bring your packed lunch to eat in the park.

• Cordilleran Flycatcher subspecies nesting site *

• Conglomerate Cliffs in Cypress Hills *

• Cypress Lake Recreation Site *

• Supper at Consul restaurant

• Overnight at a motel in Consul SK.
  Campers may stay at Cypress Lake recreation site.

• Optional evening drive near Consul.

We plan to drive around the pastures south of Cypress Hills making stops to watch and listen for grassland birds. Some planned stops include:

• Govenlock area – Thick-billed and Chestnut-collared Longspurs and chance for a Golden Eagle

• Old Man on His Back Nature Conservancy of Canada grasslands – Bison and chance for a Burrowing Owl or Prairie Falcon

• Supper at Eastend Restaurant

• Overnight accommodation at Eastend motel.
  Campers may stay at a town campground.

• Jones’ Peak Lookout visit in evening – Rock Wren, Mountain Bluebirds and Violet-Green Swallows

• Optional late evening drive to listen for poorwills.

Today we will spend the morning near Eastend and then drive to Shaunavon.

• Eastend Riverbank Park

• Eastend Reservoir

• Pine Cree Coulee Regional Park

• Shaunavon wetlands – American Avocet and Black-necked Stilt

Tour ends at Shaunavon about noon.

If desired, participants may book the Grasslands National Park Birding Tour Add-on which follows this tour for 2 more days.

We plan to bird in Grasslands Park for much of the day.  Some planned stops include:

• Val Marie town

• Top Dogtown trail

• Frenchman River Valley

• Larson Interpretive Trail

• Little Breed Creek Prairie Dog town

• North Gillespie Road (if dry)

• Rosefield Ecotour route

We will spend most of the morning observing Burrowing Owls and Black-tailed Prairie Dogs and other prairie birds.

Tour ends near noon at Swift Current.