The Binocular Site
Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert National Park contains the only completely protected white pelican nesting colony throughout Canada. This white pelican group is the second largest breeding colony throughout Canada.
Another notable resident of the park is the plains bison, with a large herd running free-range. There are over 300 bison, each descending from a line released in 1969 as Canada’s first free-ranging population.
Boreal forest and water bodies compose Prince Albert National Park, in a landscape designed by ancient glaciers. Both uplands and lowlands come together, with spruce bogs and forests of aspen and evergreen. The boreal forest provides a lush home to wildlife including bears, plains bison, lynx, caribou, moose, elk, and wolves, along with over 200 bird species. Picnicking, hiking, swimming, boating, and canoeing are also popular in Prince Albert National Park.
Fescue grassland is conserved here, and are rarely seen outside this park. Several lakes are found within the park and offer excellent grounds for shorebirds as well as good fishing.
The three largest lakes – Crean, Kingsmere, and Waskesiu – are especially well known for large numbers of lake whitefish, walleye, suckers, and northern pike. Otters also take advantage of the plentiful fish, particularly during the winter, when they can be seen in the open waters of the lakes. See the Prince Albert National Park 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 Wendy Cooper, used with permission under the creative commons license.
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