The Binocular Site
Pelican Lake, Saskatchewan
Pelican Lake lies in Saskatchewan, not too far from Moose Jaw.
Here the lake and rich shorelines provide a naturally fertile and abundant home for shorebirds and waterfowl. You can expect to see avocets, marbled godwits, herons, black-bellied plovers, tundra swans, and Wilson’s phalaropes.
Over 10000 ducks come here during the summer, including northern pintails, gadwalls, blue-winged teals, and mallards. Grebes and pelicans, gulls and terns, all are welcme here. Over 357 bird species have been spotted, and the whooping crane is perhaps the favorite here.
Tours are available to spot the whooping cranes, which stop here during migration for about a month to eat their fill before continuing on their journeys. The birds move in smaller family units or groups of young adults not yet breeding, rather than collecting en masse.
Here in Pelican Lake there are many places to stay, and lots of other activities to enjoy. Look for lake-view and beach-view cottages, cabins, and estates as well as RV parks and public campgrounds. Five golf clubs offer several courses to play, whether you prefer 18 hole or 9 hole, and the fishing is good here as well, with many master angler awards being won in the waters of the lake. See the Pelican Lake website for more information.
The provincial bird of Saskatchewan is the Sharp-tailed Grouse and you can find a checklist for birding activities in the Saskatchewan here.
Photo credit to Leysta Kay, used with permission under the creative commons license.
If you've visited the Pelican Lake, please take the time to share your experience and any tips or insight you have about this Saskatchewan birding location below.
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