Revisiting the historical nesting record of the Whooping Crane at Batt Lefford, Saskatchewan

Revisiting the historical nesting record of the Whooping Crane at Batt Lefford, Saskatchewan

Southerly movements of Willow Ptarmigan during the winter in and near the prairie provinces

Southerly movements of Willow Ptarmigan during the winter in and near the prairie provinces

First Confirmed Record of a Lesser Goldfinch in Saskatchewan

First Confirmed Record of a Lesser Goldfinch in Saskatchewan

Mason Wasps in our backyard

An attempt to attract solitary bees to bee boxes placed in our back yard resulted instead in the attraction of the solitary mason wasp Ancistrocerus antilope to the boxes. Over a four-year period more boxes were added, more wasps took up residence, and observations were made of the spring emergence and mating of the wasps, and especially of the provisioning of brood cells by the females. The mutualistic relationship between the wasp and the mites it carries was noted.

William Rowan and Canada’s 5¢ Whooping Crane stamp: the proposal and a Saskatchewan photograph

This article focused on the photograph of two Whooping Cranes in Saskatchewan that William Rowan used as a basis of a stamp issued by Canada Post in 1955. Details of the proposal submitted in support of this issue are outlined.

In Memoriam: J. Frank Roy

With the recent passing of J. Frank Roy, Saskatchewan's nature societies have lost a longtime member, a talented volunteer, a great friend and a wonderful mentor. One of Frank's great gifts was his generous interest in others, and his desire to bring people and nature together.

An instance of rodent geophagy from Northern Saskatchewan

In 2006 a crew member of a mining exploration team working in the vicinity of Points North Landing, Saskatchewan, found a small carbonate rich glacial erratic that had been chewed by rodents. The erratic likely came from Precambrian bedrock exposures of similar material in the Many Islands Lake area of northeast Saskatchewan. The rodents were mainly consuming the rock for its high calcium content.