Our 2024 Sojourn to Saskatchewan

In August, I travelled north to Last Mountain Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary located on the north-most end of Last Mountain Lake.  It is a common area of migration for most northern breeding birds.  At that time, the migration had not yet started.

This month, my wife and I made a follow up trip to to the same location.  Our goal was to see sandhill cranes, snow geese, swans and other migratory birds.  We stayed in Moose Jaw, because the accommodation was good and it was only an hour and a half to the sanctuary.

Saskatchewan Highway Traffic Report

Driving north from Moose Jaw to Last Mountain Lake and back exposed us to some of Saskatchewan’s lesser travelled highways.  The drive was relaxing, with lots of prairie views that we loved.  My wife and I were born in Regina and still feel a connection to the southern prairies.  Yes, the views are often of flat farmland, but much is comprised of rolling hills and river valleys.  Regardless, it all gives the two of us a feeling of ‘home’, so we’ll keep coming back.

The naturalists at the sanctuary told us that the cranes and snow geese were most active early in the morning, after sunrise, and later in the afternoon and evening, before sunset.

We didn’t get there early enough in the day to see the morning activity, but we did plan on staying until about 6 pm.

Observation Platform

During the day we walked some of the developed paths and also climbed the observation platform located between two arms of the lake.  I made a few images of the swans, as well as greater yellow legs feeding along the shore.  Most of the ducks were too far away for the telephoto lens I was using.

The Swans. There were many—floating, eating, and sleeping on the lake.

Greater Yellow Leg

We did see two sandhill cranes, but they were very nervous.  Each time they saw our car approaching we only had about 30 seconds to watch them as they took off and then continued to fly directly away from us, over the horizon.  I had no time to compose, let alone capture an image of those majestic birds.  I assumed that we were too early for the major showing of the migrating sandhill cranes this year.

At about 5:30 pm we were waiting in our car when my wife commented, “Do you hear that funny noise?”  I did hear something, but couldn’t identify what it was.  Then I looked up at the sky north of us and there were flock after flock of snow geese heading our way, constantly nattering.  They flew low, right above us, and were magnificent.

I wanted to capture some good photographs of the geese to make up for all that we hadn’t seen during the day.  That is when I learned how difficult it is to capture such fast flying birds in flight.  First, I had to find them in my viewfinder while scanning the sky.  Once I got them in my frame I had to wait for the automatic focussing system in my camera to settle on a few birds and bring them into focus.   Shown here is one of the successful images out of many that I attempted.

I thought it was striking to see the way their white and black tones showed up against a cloudless blue sky.

We decided to take a different route home, so we drove south of Moose Jaw to Assinaboia and visited the Shurniak Art Gallery.  After Assinaboia we headed west on the Red Coat Trail (Hwy 13), then wound our way north to the TransCanada at Gull Lake and home.

When travelling south from Moose Jaw there is a continuous climb up the Missouri Coteau, a narrow band of prairie upland that stretches from southern Saskatchewan to South Dakota. When you reach the high point and start down the southern slope, there is a view of the prairies that I find breathtaking every time I travel that road.

View from the Missouri Coteau

We spent 45 minutes viewing the art at the Shurniak Gallery.  It is an amazing art gallery and well worth the visit.  The diverse international collection includes a substantial number of paintings, scrolls, rugs, and furniture from China, Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Europe.  Australian selections include examples of Aboriginal paintings and carvings. Canadian works are eclectic, and wide-ranging. Local Saskatchewan art adds regional interest to the collection.

Heading west on Hwy 13, we encountered several of the better known towns in that area, including Lafleche, Pontiex, and Cadillac.

We stopped at Ponteix, hoping to have lunch.  Compared to what we both remembered from our last visit many years ago, we were saddened to find several shops shutdown, including the café where we planned to eat.  This seems to be a common occurrence for old towns in farming country.

We decided to move on, but first drove past the Notre Dame d’Auvergne Cathedral, which is the largest building in the town.  Many years ago I photographed the inside of the cathedral.  When next in the area, I brought with me prints that I gave to the nuns of the Sisters of Notre-Dame d’Auvergne Convent.

Finally, hats off to the wonderful Fall season we’ve had this year.  The greyness of pre-winter is around the corner and the whiteness of winter will be upon us soon.

A Fall Pumpkin is certainly a good segue to Thanksgiving.  On our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, we will be with family and friends when we can all be thankful for much.