Whooping Crane Photography Workshops

• September 29 - 30, 2026

• October 10 – 11, 2026

Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Workshop Hotel: TBA
Hotel booking information will be sent to registered participants.

Whooping Crane Photography Workshop Instructor: Boyd Coburn

Host: Stan Shadick

Registration Limit: 3 Participants
Early Booking Recommended

Join a Whooping Crane and Geese Photography Workshop led by Saskatchewan wildlife photographer Boyd Coburn in Saskatoon, Canada. Witness the flocks of Whooping Cranes and 5 species of geese that visit our region every fall.

There will be outdoor photography sessions with hands-on help with camera settings plus an indoor photo editing session (if requested). There will also be an optional Sandhill Crane photo session for participants.

Workshop Summary

• 2 Morning Whooping Crane and Geese Photography Sessions starting at 7:30 am

• 1 Afternoon Whooping Crane Photography Session continuing until sunset on day 1

• 1 Optional Late Afternoon Sandhill Crane Photography Session lasting until sunset on day 2

• Hands-on Camera Settings Help during all Photography Sessions

• 1 Mid-afternoon Indoor Photography Editing Session (if requested on day 2)

• Participants should bring a digital camera with both long and short focal lengths.

• Participants should bring a laptop computer equipped with their favourite photographic editing software.

• Both novice and experienced bird photographers are welcome.

• You need to plan to drive your own personal or rented vehicle to and from locations where we will be photographing and viewing cranes.

• Bring good footwear plus a warm jacket / coat and hat in case of cool or rainy weather.

• Participants may need to transport leader in their vehicle at no cost during tours.

• Carpooling will be encouraged at the start of each outdoor event.

• Due to CRA regulations, no tax receipt is available if paying via this WeTravel platform.

Guests may often obtain good photos or videos using telephoto lenses. Sometimes a combination of heat haze, weather conditions and distance to cranes may not permit ideal photographic conditions. For this reason, we do not guarantee the quality of the photos you obtain. 

Transportation

You must drive the leader and all participants in your own personal or rented non-smoking vehicle . Vehicle cost to be shared by participants.

Accommodation

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

Meals: you need to pay for your own meals.

QUESTIONS

Please email any questions to

birdtours@sasktel.net

Whooping Crane and Geese Photography Workshop Itinerary

Day 1

7:30 AM – 12:00 PM Whooping Crane and Geese Photography Session
The group will drive from the hotel to pick up their instructor at his residence.
The workshop then begins with a special driving session to photograph some families of rare and  endangered Whooping Cranes plus flocks of geese (up to 5 species).

These cranes regularly stop to feed in grain fields. within about 100 km of Saskatoon.

During this tour, we ensure that the Whooping Cranes are not harassed by our actions. We stay on public roads and do not trespass on private fields. Because Whooping Cranes are often alarmed if they see humans walking in the open, we take special precautions to avoid such disturbance. If the birds are relatively close to a road, then we require our guests to remain inside their vehicle or hide behind trees or vehicles, when attempting to obtain photos.

We also expect to photograph numerous flocks of geese flying overhead throughout the morning.

Carpooling is required. We will make a washroom stop at a gas station at about 8:45 am.

You should have breakfast before we depart and/or bring food with you for the day. Food can be purchased in Saskatoon at the start of the day.

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM Lunch Break
We will visit a nearby Fried Chicken franchise with washrooms.

12:30 PM – 4:30 PM

We will visit lakes where we expect to photograph very large flocks of Snow Geese and Ross's Geese . We will also continue to try for additional opportunities to photograph Whooping Cranes.

4:30 PM - 5:15 PM Supper Break
We will plan to visit a restaurant in a town or eat packed food at a roadside stop.

5:15 PM – Sunset Late Afternoon Whooping Crane Photographic Session
Your instructor will guide you to locations on a road where we expect flocks of Whooping Cranes to fly low overhead as they head to a lake to roost for the night. With luck, this location may offer excellent opportunities for flight photographs.

Sunset - 7:30 PM

You will drive back to Saskatoon, drop off the instructor at his residence and then return to your hotel.

Day 2

7:30 AM – 12:00 PM Morning Whooping Crane and Geese Photographic Session 1

This morning will repeat the morning session of Day 1. We may opt to spend more time in the early morning photographing various species of geese feeding in fields and then visit other opportunities for Whooping Crane photography..

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM Lunch Break
We will visit a nearby Fried Chicken franchise with washrooms.

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

We will continue to visit lakes for goose photography plus other sites for Whooping Crane photography.

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Return to Saskatoon

We will return to Saskatoon.. Some participants may opt to take a taxi to the airport by 3 pm to catch a homeward flight departing after 4 pm.

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Optional Indoor Photography Editing Session

If requested, we will visit a restaurant where your instructor will discuss some editing techniques on your laptop.

Late Afternoon Optional Sandhill Crane Photographic Session
Your instructor will guide you to locations on the west side of the South Saskatchewan River where we expect to be able to photograph Sandhill Cranes. We will visit the riverbank where cranes roost on sand bars. We will also stop on side roads adjacent to private fields where flocks of cranes are feeding. You may wish to bring a snack with you. Return driving distance should be less than 100 km.

7:00 PM Workshop Ends

You will drive your instructor to his residence and then return to your hotel for the night.

Questions: please email questions to birdtours@sasktel.net and include your phone number and times when you may be contacted.