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sandhill crane
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Sandhill cranes reach an average height of well over three feet. (Photo by May Haga, courtesy of Nature Sask.)
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With the fall season, the southwest sees numerous bird species passing through on their migration, others leaving for more southern locations, and some coming to stay for the winter.

A few of the southwest's winged winter residents include Canada geese, snow geese, sandhill cranes, juncos, a plethora of ducks, and even a handful of whooping cranes.

Jordan Rustad, conservation coordinator with Nature Saskatchewan, noted most of the province's at-risk species, such as the burrowing owl, have already moved farther south. 

"At this time of the year, we're kind of getting more geese, swans, and cranes moving through," she said. " We're getting towards the end of it but you can still see a pretty good number moving through the area."

Summer prairie birds like killdeer, barn swallows, and the majority of robins have moved on, along with shorebirds such as the piping plover.

"You'll see a lot of our songbirds moving on to warmer areas for the winter and you'll kind of start to see more sparrows and woodpeckers as the weather gets colder," added Rustad, noting that shorebirds have also made their migration already.

There's a number of bird species that call the area home all year long, including various sparrows, black-capped chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches, white-breasted nuthatches, a small number of robins,  downy woodpeckers, and more. 

Anyone interested in more information about the work Nature Saskatchewan does can check out their website.

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