Birds of Fort Qu'Appelle

221 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of Fort Qu'Appelle (Saskatchewan) since 2010, across 13,429 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Black-capped Chickadee, Canada Goose and Mallard.

Fort Qu'Appelle is backyard-bird country: 63% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and yard trees. Black-capped Chickadee, Common Raven, American Crow and Black-billed Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

18 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk and Turkey Vulture.

Records peak in May and are lowest in January — about 8.2 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and breeding arrivals), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.

Indian Head, 17 mi to the south, has fewer species on record (148 against 221). Birds logged far more often around Fort Qu'Appelle than there include Mallard, Ring-billed Gull, American White Pelican and Bald Eagle.

Daylight runs from 16 h 30 min at midsummer to 7 h 57 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:02 AM in mid-April and 4:41 AM in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Foods for the most recorded backyard birds here, from our species notes.

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Black-oil sunflower · Suet · Shelled peanuts

• Common Raven

  Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• American Crow

  Cracked corn · Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• Black-billed Magpie

  Suet · Peanuts · Cracked corn

• American Robin

  Mealworms · Chopped apple and berries · Suet nuggets

• Red-winged Blackbird

  Cracked corn · Millet · Sunflower

• Indian Head17 mi south · 148 species
• Balgonie28 mi south-west · 207 species
• Pilot Butte34 mi south-west · 243 species
• White City34 mi south-west · 227 species
• Melville45 mi east · 136 species
• Grenfell45 mi south-east · 106 species