Bird Friendly Regina

Bird Friendly Regina As a certified Bird Friendly City we are working towards making Regina a safe haven for wild birds.

What is a 'floating wetland' and why are they being added to Regina's storm ponds?The City of Regina | Municipal Governm...
06/09/2026

What is a 'floating wetland' and why are they being added to Regina's storm ponds?

The City of Regina | Municipal Government has started to place floating treatment wetlands in some of its retention ponds as part of a new clean-water environmental health initiative.

“Projects like this help support healthier ecosystems and more sustainable neighbourhoods for residents,” said Shelley Wellman, the city’s manager of environmental services.

Students from Campbell Collegiate helped install the first six wetland platforms last week in the Rochdale stormwater pond, behind the North West Leisure Centre. Students from other schools are to assist this week with installations at the Lakeridge and Lakewood basins.

Prairie sedge and rush grasses that grow naturally in shallow water are planted on these floating platforms. As the summer progresses, the roots spread down into the water. These floating wetlands help remove those excess nutrients, promote beneficial bacteria and then reduce the algal blooms,

The grasses are native to Saskatchewan. Using native species helps promote local biodiversity and improves the habitat for wildlife and pollinators.

Learn more: https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/what-is-a-floating-wetland-and-why-are-they-being-added-to-reginas-storm-ponds

What is a 'floating wetland' and why are they being added to Regina's storm ponds?The has started to place floating tre...
06/09/2026

What is a 'floating wetland' and why are they being added to Regina's storm ponds?

The has started to place floating treatment wetlands in some of its retention ponds as part of a new clean-water environmental health initiative.

“Projects like this help support healthier ecosystems and more sustainable neighbourhoods for residents,” said Shelley Wellman, the city’s manager of environmental services.

Students from Campbell Collegiate helped install the first six wetland platforms last week in the Rochdale stormwater pond, behind the North West Leisure Centre. Students from other schools are to assist this week with installations at the Lakeridge and Lakewood basins.

Prairie sedge and rush grasses that grow naturally in shallow water are planted on these floating platforms. As the summer progresses, the roots spread down into the water. These floating wetlands help remove those excess nutrients, promote beneficial bacteria and then reduce the algal blooms,

The grasses are native to Saskatchewan. Using native species helps promote local biodiversity and improves the habitat for wildlife and pollinators.

Learn more: https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/what-is-a-floating-wetland-and-why-are-they-being-added-to-reginas-storm-ponds

Northern Shovelers have large shovel-shaped bills that distinguishes them from other ducks. If the bill doesn’t catch yo...
06/08/2026

Northern Shovelers have large shovel-shaped bills that distinguishes them from other ducks. If the bill doesn’t catch your eye, the male's blocky color palette sure will, with its bright white chest, rusty sides, and green head. The female is no less interesting with a giant orange bill and mottled brown plumage.

The bill of the Northern Shoveler is big (about 2.5 inches long) and has about 110 fine projections called lamellae along the edges that act like a colander, filtering out tiny crustaceans, seeds, and aquatic invertebrates from the water.

The oldest recorded Northern Shoveler was a male, and at least 16 years, 7 months old when he was found in California in 1969.

If you have photos to share, we'd LOVE to see them!

NestWatch is a monitoring program designed to track status and trends in the reproductive biology of birds, including wh...
06/04/2026

NestWatch is a monitoring program designed to track status and trends in the reproductive biology of birds, including when nesting occurs, number of eggs laid, how many eggs hatch, and how many hatchlings survive. 🪺

Participating in NestWatch is easy! Simply follow the directions on their website to become a certified NestWatcher, find a bird nest using our helpful tips, visit the nest every 3-4 days and record what you see, and then report this information on the website or NestWatch App.

https://nestwatch.org/

The pure, liquid, whistling tones of the male Baltimore Oriole are a herald of springtime. Look way up and you may see a...
06/01/2026

The pure, liquid, whistling tones of the male Baltimore Oriole are a herald of springtime. Look way up and you may see a flash of a male with its flame-orange and black or of a female with its yellow-orange.

Orioles have adapted well to human settlement and can be found in parks, orchards, and backyards. Planting bright fruits and nectar-bearing flowers, such as raspberries, crab apples, and trumpet vines, can attract Baltimore Orioles.

Baltimore Orioles eat insects, fruit, and nectar. The proportion of each food varies by season: in summer, while breeding and feeding their young, much of the diet consists of insects, which are rich in proteins needed for growth. In spring and fall, nectar and ripe fruits compose more of the diet; these sugary foods are readily converted into fat, which supplies energy for migration.

Baltimore Orioles build remarkable, sock-like hanging nests, woven together from slender fibers. Males occasionally bring nesting material, but don’t help with the weaving. The nest is built in three stages: first, the female weaves an outer bowl of flexible fibers to provide support. Next, springy fibers are woven into an inner bowl, which maintains the bag-like shape of the nest. Finally, she adds a soft lining of downy fibers and feathers to cushion the eggs and young.

The oldest recorded Baltimore Oriole was over 12 years old when it was caught by a raptor in Minnesota.

Show us your photos!

📢 Your voice matters! The City of Regina has officially opened public feedback for the proposed Wascana Parkway Extensio...
06/01/2026

📢 Your voice matters!

The City of Regina has officially opened public feedback for the proposed Wascana Parkway Extension to Prince of Wales Drive. You must make an account with their new BeHeard platform before completing the survey!

The McKell Wascana Conservation Park is a 171-acre park space in the city of Regina dedicated to conserving and restoring native prairie and wetland habitat on the edge of Wascana View and University Park.

A road through this park would not only eliminate part of a protected conservation space, but also fragment the remaining habitat, an action known to have significant ecological consequences. Fragmentation of marsh and riparian areas reduces habitat quality, disrupts wildlife movement and migratory patterns, and diminishes ecosystem services. This project could lead to the loss of plant species, alter local hydrology, and degrade the overall ecological integrity of the park. Increased traffic would further introduce chronic disturbance, elevate the risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions, and contribute to direct mortality for birds and other wildlife.

We urge environmentally responsible alternatives that do not disrupt McKell Wascana Conservation Park. There is no value in planning for a project that would cause irreversible ecological damage and long-term loss of biodiversity. Environmental protection and stewardship, public safety, and fiscal responsibility must all be central to decision-making, and protecting natural areas requires a genuine long-term commitment.

Have your say: https://linktr.ee/birdfriendlyregina

Northern House Wren is a common backyard bird. As with many birds, your ears can help lead you to Northern House Wren si...
05/25/2026

Northern House Wren is a common backyard bird.

As with many birds, your ears can help lead you to Northern House Wren sightings. Start in the right habitat: backyards, parks, or open woods, then listen for its rush-and-jumble song.

You’ll find this species zipping through shrubs and low tree branches, snatching at insects. They eat a wide variety of insects and spiders, including beetles, caterpillars, earwigs, and daddy longlegs, as well as smaller numbers of more mobile insects such as flies, leafhoppers, and springtails.

Northern House Wrens nest in old woodpecker holes, natural crevices, and they will gladly use nestboxes in your backyard, as long as the hole is no bigger than 1 ⅛”.

Wrens love brush piles for cover. If you need to prune trees or cut brush in your yard, consider heaping the cuttings into a pile as a safe place for birds to gather.

Do you have any photos of these small birds?

Nature Regina and Bird Friendly Regina are hosting weekly bird walks for ages 16-30 in Wascana Park. Meet new people, le...
05/19/2026

Nature Regina and Bird Friendly Regina are hosting weekly bird walks for ages 16-30 in Wascana Park. Meet new people, learn from local experts, and spend your evening outside. No experience needed. Just show up and we’ll help you spot some birds.

📆 May 20, 27, and June 3
🕔 5-7 p.m.
📍 Wascana Park - Location will be emailed to you when you register
👤 Led by Trevor Herriot + guest guides

➡️ Register for full details by emailing [email protected].

Bring binoculars if you have them. No binoculars? No problem! You can borrow a Birding Kit from your nearest Regina Public Library.

With the recent cold temperatures and snow, lots of folks are worried about how the insect eaters (like warblers and swa...
05/18/2026

With the recent cold temperatures and snow, lots of folks are worried about how the insect eaters (like warblers and swallows) are faring with the limited insects. This has been a tricky spring for both pollinators and insectivores. Let’s focus this week on a widely loved insectivore, the Barn Swallow.

Barn Swallows are the most widespread and abundant swallow in the world!

They dart gracefully over fields, barnyards, and open water in search of flying insect prey. Look for the long, deeply forked tail that sets it apart from all other North American swallows.

These birds feed almost exclusively in flight, flying lower than many other swallow species and often nearly hugging the ground or water surface. Flies of all types make up the majority of the Barn Swallow’s diet, along with beetles, bees, wasps, ants, butterflies, moths, and other flying insects.

Barn Swallows once nested in caves throughout North America, but now build their cup-shaped mud nests almost exclusively on human-made structures.
The oldest known Barn Swallow in North America was at least 10 years old, when it was recaptured and rereleased during a banding operation in Maryland.

Show us your Barn Swallow photos!

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