Survey Coverage

A small but mighty group of 330 participants collectively spent >22,700 hours surveying birds during the five-year project, which ran from 2017 to 2021. The true number of hours contributed by participants is immeasurable and undoubtedly far exceeds the number of hours spent on surveys alone, as travel time, data entry and trip preparation were not taken into account. It is their dedication that made this project such a success. The names of all the participants can be found in the Acknowledgements, unless they requested to remain anonymous.

Breeding Evidence and Distribution Data

A total of 779,335 individual records were submitted across 3,315 atlas squares in the province, accounting for 48% of Saskatchewan’s 6,914 atlas squares. This figure includes all records submitted to the atlas, including non-breeding birds and those seen outside their breeding period. Of these, 83% (642,982) were submitted with breeding evidence.

Breeding evidence of a possible or higher category was obtained for 271 bird species. Records were obtained for a further 54 species, which were either non-breeding, summering, migratory or vagrant birds, or for which it was inconclusive whether local breeding occurred (see the full list at the bottom of the page). Figures 1 and 2 show the number of hours and number of species reported in each square.

Figure 1. Number of hours of survey effort reported for each 10 x 10-km square

Figure 2. Number of species recorded in each 10 x 10-km square

Square coverage and species recorded

Of the 3,315 atlas squares surveyed, 22% (740) received at least 10 hours of surveying, while 78% (2,575) received less than 10 hours (see Figure 3). A total of 50% (1,670) of squares with effort were in the 0-5 hour range, reflecting the shift in later years towards prioritising the completion of point counts, which could usually be accomplished in under 5 hours. This tradeoff with survey effort was made to ensure that sufficient point count data was collected for modelling the probability of observation and relative abundance of the greatest number of species.

Atlas squares near where participants lived naturally accumulated more hours, as did popular birding spots and parks. While most squares with over 20 hours of observation were in easily accessible areas of the province, some remote expeditions involved participants spending several days in a single square, resulting in a substantial amount of survey effort. On average, 75 species were reported per square with at least 20 hours of surveying (Figure 4), although there was significant variation across the province. Notably, fewer species were detected in each time category in Region 16, located in northern Saskatchewan (Figures 5 and 6).

A total of 440 squares for which observations were recorded had zero hours of survey effort reported (see Figure 3). These represent cases where participants made incidental observations while travelling through a square, such as seeing raptors on nests while driving. They also include data from external sources for which no effort data is available, such as records from the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre and Nature Saskatchewan’s stewardship programmes. Most of these squares had few observations: 74% reported five or fewer species, and 50% reported only one species.

Figure 3. Number of squares surveyed by category of survey hours reported.

Figure 4. Average number of species recorded per 10 x 10-km square by category of survey effort.

Figure 5. Average number of species recorded per 10 x 10-km square by survey effort category for each region.

Figure 6. Regional species accumulation curves in relation to survey effort (hrs). Data points of over 100 hours were truncated from the graph for the sake of clarity and summarized in Table 1.

Table 1. Data points omitted from Figure 5.

Timing of Surveys

The majority of the survey effort took place between May and July (see Figure 7), when most songbirds breed in Saskatchewan. The heavy concentration of effort in June coincided with the heart of the point count season (28 May to 10 July), as well as the period for which seasonal field staff were hired to help conduct surveys. Outside this period, survey effort often focused on specific species and guilds. Examples include dusk and evening atlassing for owls from February to April, searching for sharp-tailed grouse leks and occupied raptor nests before  leaf-out, and looking out for both early and late breeders. Therefore, the effort was somewhat biased towards species that breed from May through July, meaning that species or groups that breed outside this period may have been under-sampled. Approximate breeding dates for bird species in southern and northern Saskatchewan are available here.

Figure 7. Distribution of reported survey hours by month.

Point Counts and Abundance Data

A total of 27,704 point counts were conducted, including 9,609 transcribed bioacoustic recordings, in 1,472 atlas squares, accounting for approximately 43% of all squares surveyed (see Figure 8). Of the squares with point count effort, 67% (985) had at least 15 point counts completed, and 80% (1,181) had at least 12. This effort generated 223,038 individual records comprising 269 species, including non-breeding migrants such as Arctic-nesting geese and shorebirds. During the five-year data collection period, 108 participants conducted in-person point counts, including staff from partner organisations and individuals who were part of subsidised crews deployed to sparsely-populated or remote regions. Point count data were primarily collected between 28 May and 7 July (see Figure 9). The end date for point counts was extended to 10 July in both 2019 and 2021 due to continuing singing activity in the boreal forest. Early-season bioacoustic recordings were also made in the boreal forest in 17 atlas squares between 15 March and 27 May, resulting in 241 transcribed recordings.

Figure 8. Number of point counts completed by 10 x 10-km square.

Figure 9. Distribution of point counts by date and type, combined across years (2017-2021).

At Risk Species

In total, 26,192 breeding evidence records were submitted for 30 species assessed by COSEWIC as of 2025. A further 1,809 non-breeding records were also submitted, which includes migrants such as Red Knot and vagrants such as Least Bittern, as well as data from external sources lacking breeding information, bringing the total number of at risk species detected to 37. See Table 2.

Table 2. Summary of all COSEWIC species at risk observations, including observations of non-breeding individuals (observed).

Additional Data Sources

Most of the external data came from the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre (SKCDC), which provided 117,238 records from 1,084 squares across the province. The SKCDC is the repository for all data collected on wild species in the province, including that collected by consultants for environmental impact assessments, by researchers, and by provincially-led surveys. We excluded data that could not be reasonably assigned to an atlas square, or where the species identity was questionable (e.g. out-of-range species without documentation). We conservatively assigned breeding codes where possible (e.g., bird in suitable habitat, nest site, recently fledged young, etc.). Many consulting firms opted to waive the two-year data sensitivity option to make their data readily available for inclusion in the atlas results, for which we are grateful. As data is anonymised when shared, it is not possible to list all the researchers, consulting firms and individuals who contributed to the SKCDC and thus the atlas.

Nature Saskatchewan also contributed 1,572 records from 451 squares across southern Saskatchewan, submitted through the SKCDC as part of their stewardship programmes. Operation Burrowing Owl was particularly significant in identifying 68 squares where sightings would otherwise have been missed, accounting for an impressive 80% of the 85 squares reporting Burrowing Owls. We thank all the landowners who participate in Nature Saskatchewan’s programmes!

Comments on Survey Coverage

Saskatchewan is a largely rural province, with small population centres scattered across the south and even sparser settlements in the north. Despite the extensive road network south of the boreal forest, coverage was limited by a relatively small number of atlassers, so coverage was most complete around areas of higher population density and birding hotspots. Surveying the remote northern regions required advance planning and costly logistics, further reducing the pool of participants, with Birds Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada staff playing a significant role.

Participants used a variety of transport methods to reach survey locations across the province. These included hiking, driving, canoeing, kayaking, boating, cycling, riding snowmobiles and horses, and flying in floatplanes and helicopters. They routinely overcame adversity when tires went flat, paddles splintered on remote rivers, and overgrown portage routes made travel almost impossible. They also persevered when bears and wolves made unwelcome visits to camp. Although their spirits sometimes wavered and curse words may have been uttered, they all persevered and collectively achieved something greater than the sum of its parts.