By Derek Cornet

Migratory birds returning to La Ronge after long winter

Apr 26, 2018 | 5:00 PM

Migratory birds have reached La Ronge in recent weeks as they fly North to find suitable nesting grounds.

That’s according to avid bird watcher John Schisler who led an educational presentation today at the Alex Robertson Public Library. So far this spring he’s seen blue herons, bald eagles, Canada geese, golden eagles, osprey and pelicans. People are often curious, Schisler said, about the types of birds landing in the area this time of year.

“There was a fair bit of interest about birds and people wanted to know more about them,” he said. “I also spent some time talking about the semi-annual bird counts that are done for Nature Saskatchewan. Hopefully, people are interested in participating… because the information is used right across Canada.”

Starting April 24, bird watchers throughout the country were asked to record the number of birds and species they see until May 14. Schisler noted participants also do a single three-hour bird watch and list every bird they see during that time. The federal government, he said, also uses the data in its studies.

As for La Ronge, Schisler said the most common species of bird is ravens, but added many other kinds are also in the region. He added birds are attracted to area mainly due to the flowing water of the Montreal River.

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“There’s actually four osprey that have arrived so far this year that are hanging around the Montreal River,” Schisler said. “The pelicans, osprey and eagles are here to fish, and there’s a lot of mallards right now. The other day there were hundreds of mallards in the river, but they’re gone now.”

In recent years, Schisler added more bird species have been recorded in La Ronge which he believes is an indicator of global warming. In the last five years, he said magpies and vultures have been spotted but magpies in particular are starting to stay the entire winter.

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno