Are you a budding birder? Provincial expert offering Buffalo Pound, Chaplin Lake tours

Stanley Shadick is a passionate retiree who has been keenly birdwatching across Saskatchewan since he was six years old — he’s leading two tours in the Moose Jaw area this weekend to help raise money for Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation. 

“I’ve been a birdwatcher in Saskatchewan all my life, and involved with wildlife conservation, largely through Nature Saskatchewan,” Shadick explained. “And so, now that I’m retired, I’m volunteering my time running these birding tours as a fundraiser for Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation charity. 

“That’s the largest rehabilitation charity in Saskatchewan. They look after about 2,000 injured and orphaned birds a year, plus maybe about 500 small mammals. Anything smaller than a deer.” 

Shadick is 70 and holds one of the province’s top spots in terms of confirmed bird sightings, making him a major contributor to conservation efforts in Saskatchewan. At Buffalo Pound, he’s excited to show participants many varieties of migrating warblers, sparrows, vireos, and other songbirds. He’ll also be pointing out pelicans, ducks, swans, geese, grebes, and other water birds. 

On the Chaplin Lake tour, Shadick is on the hunt for a Glossy Ibis. If he and the touring group can confirm one, it will be only the third time the species has been authenticated on a visit to Saskatchewan. Ibises used to be rare and are likely expanding northward as the global climate gradually warms. 

“We’ve had the White-Faced Ibis in Saskatchewan for a couple of decades now,” he explained, “and they seem to be becoming more and more common, and they’re in sort of Western North America, so they’re the species that we expect. 

“The Glossy Ibis is found mainly in the Eastern United States, as well as, actually, in Europe. I actually saw it, I was there a couple days ago and saw the bird, so I just hope to be able to find that one particular bird again.” 

Participation on the tours, which cost $490 per vehicle, is limited to the first five vehicles that register (individuals, couples, or families). Binoculars are recommended, as is lunch and a water supply. Participants will receive a detailed email after registering to help prepare for the excursion. 

• Buffalo Pound Provincial Park Birding Tour
  • Friday, May 30, 2025 
  • 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM 
  • Expect to see many migrating warblers, sparrows, vireos, and other songbirds, plus pelicans and other water birds. 
  • Details at livingskywildliferehabilitation.org/birding-tours/buffalo-pound/ 
  • Advance Registration Required — If interested, email birdtours@sasktel.net 
• Chaplin Lake Shorebird Tour 
  • Saturday, May 31, 2025 
  • 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM 
  • We expect to see many Black-necked Stilts, White-faced Ibis, avocets, sandpipers, plovers, and other shorebirds. We hope to spot a rare Glossy Ibis that has been in the region. 
  • Details at livingskywildliferehabilitation.org/birding-tours/chaplin/ 
  • Advance Registration Required — If interested, email birdtours@sasktel.net 

There’s plenty more contact information and bird tour offerings at www.birdtours.ca. 

The rehabilitation charity that Shadick is supporting with the tours is located in Saskatoon, but they take injured animals from across the province. 

“We generally don’t say no,” he explained. “So, we tend to get busier and busier every year. We do have a lot of volunteers, but because of the large number of birds and animals that we have to take, we do need to hire staff, as well. We have a total of 19 staff in the summer, so that’s quite costly. 

“The tours are part of our fundraising program for that.”