Nature Centre -- Chaplin SK CAN
N 50° 27.392 W 106° 39.573
13U E 382197 N 5590707
The Chaplin Nature Centre, and environmentally important resource for wildlife and human beings along the TransCanada Highway in this very salty part of Saskatchewan
Waymark Code: WM183QA
Location: Saskatchewan, Canada
Date Posted: 05/24/2023
Views: 2
Blasterz enjoyed their quick visit to the Chaplin Nature Centre, but since we had many hundreds of kilometers yet to go to get to Calgary, and since 98% of the birds to see here were the ones we were very familiar with after living three years in Corpus Christi, Texas, we bought a few things for the girls in the gift shop, left a donation and buzzed off.
But for those of you who are not used to seeing these fascinating shorebirds we highly recommend that you stop here at this nature centre, and enjoy watching the birds walk around in the salt flats salt marshes and salt ponds hunting for brine shrimp. The phalaropes are especially fun to watch, with their long legs and their curved beaks.
Be aware that like so many tourist attractions in Canada, they're open seasonally. The Chaplin Nature Centre is open from mid-May to the end of August. Before the snow flies the birds have all left for warmer climates in South Texas.
From Tourism Saskatchewan: (
visit link)
"The community of Chaplin is centrally located along Hwy 1 between Moose Jaw and Swift Current. It is home to the Chaplin Nature Centre, a world-class facility that showcases over 30 species of shorebirds and offers area tours"
From the Whiskey Wildlife Rehabilitation website:
(
visit link)
"Where is the Best Place to find Shorebirds in Saskatchewan?
Chaplin Lake Important Bird Area and nearby lakes often have the greatest variety of plovers, sandpipers, dowitchers, phalaropes and other shorebirds in Saskatchewan, Canada including the endangered Piping Plover."
Mama and Daddy Blaster sent several years living in Corpus Christi, Texas so we are familiar with most of these birds. It was somewhat disorienting to look at all these familiar Texas Coastal Bend birds with mountains and prairie stretching to the horizon, instead of the Gulf of Mexico. And you have to admit it's pretty funny to come all the way to Saskatchewan from Dallas, Texas and see the same birds from Corpus.