Sand Dunes ...... 90 Contents Athabasca Sand Dunes ...... 90 Getting the Shot—Photographing the William River from the air ...... 102 Great Sand Hills ...... 104 Introduction ...... 6 Douglas Dunes ...... 108 Getting the Shot—Red-necked grebe at water level ...... 9 Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park ...... 110

Setting the Stage ...... 10 On the Wing ...... 111 How to use this book...... 10 Spring on the Prairies ...... 112 Shooting according to the conditions ...... 13 Getting the Shot—Ruffed grouse on a drumming log ...... 115 Preparing for wildlife photography ...... 18 Chaplin Lake ...... 116 Luck Lake Heritage Marsh ...... 121 The Wild Prairie ...... 20 Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area ...... 125 Grasslands National Park...... 20 In the Area: Last Mountain Regional Park and Bird Observatory ...... 128 Val Marie and the West Block ...... 27 Quill Lake International Bird Area...... 129 East Block and the Killdeer Badlands...... 32 Getting the Shot—Tipis against the Milky Way ...... 36 Crops and Farmlands ...... 132 In the Area: Rockglen and the Wood Mountain Uplands ...... 38 Lake Diefenbaker and the South Saskatchewan River ...... 40 Parklands, Forest, and Lakelands ...... 137 Leader and Area...... 40 The Crooked Bush ...... 137 Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park ...... 42 Snakes of Fort Livingstone...... 139 Sandcastle ...... 46 Getting the Shot—Photographing the Northern Lights ...... 142 Qu’Appelle Valley ...... 49 Prince Albert National Park ...... 144 Lumsden–Craven Area ...... 49 In the Area: Anglin Lake ...... 152 Fort Qu’Appelle and the Fishing Lakes ...... 51 Narrow Hills Provincial Park ...... 153 Fort Ellis Trail and the Eastern Qu’Appelle...... 54 Nipekamew Sand Cliffs ...... 157 Churchill River—Close to the Road ...... 159 The Cypress Hills ...... 57 Cypress Hills Centre Block ...... 58 Great Northern Lakes and Rivers ...... 165 Gap Road ...... 62 Wapumon Gorge ...... 165 Getting the Shot—Photographing wildflowers ...... 64 Larocque Lake Pictographs...... 167 Cypress Hills West Block ...... 66 Smith Narrows ...... 168 Conglomerate Cliffs ...... 66 Scoop Rapids, Sturgeon-weir River...... 169 Battle Creek Valley ...... 68 Porcupine River ...... 170 Fort Walsh ...... 71 Sandstone Formations of the Fond du Lac River ...... 172 Eastend and the East Block ...... 72 Wapiskau Waterfalls ...... 174 Ravenscrag and Middle Bench Roads ...... 72 Clearwater River ...... 175 Brady Coulee ...... 76 Getting the Shot—Photographing rapids and waterfalls ...... 178 Pine Cree Loop ...... 78 Hunt Falls and the Grease River ...... 180 In the Area: Old Man on His Back ...... 79 Lake Athabasca North Shore ...... 183 Getting the Shot—Canoeing with your camera ...... 190 Badlands ...... 80 Avonlea Badlands ...... 80 Other Parks and Natural Areas ...... 192 In the Area: Claybank’s Massold Clay Canyons...... 84 Big Muddy Badlands ...... 86 About the Authors...... 208 4 5