Could Oak Lake and Deloraine grow as a tourism destination for birders?
That is what Amanda Shave, Manitoba Important Bird Areas Coordinator suggests.
“I always think that southwestern Manitoba could see an increase in tourism from birders, with more birding infrastructure and getting the word out,” says Shave. Despite the price of gas this year, she says, “I know I love heading out to the southwest.”
Shave likes to keep tabs on the areas critical to diverse and rare bird species, and Whitewater Lake near Deloraine is one of those important bird areas.
A recent birding expedition to Whitewater Lake brough 13 volunteers coming from Winnipeg, Brandon and Boissevain, who counted around 3,000 individual birds and 92 species. Some from Winnipeg stayed overnight in the area.
“We were focusing on shorebirds (sandpipers and plovers). We didn't see the big numbers that Whitewater Lake is famous for - likely because of the cool and rainy spring. However, we did still see a nice variety of shorebirds including good numbers of Sanderling (51 individuals), White-rumped Sandpipers (325+ individuals), Semipalmated Sandpiper (130 individuals) and Baird's Sandpipers (117 individuals). We also saw three Red Knots, a shorebird that hasn't been seen at Whitewater Lake in several years.”
Among the group of birders, they recorded sightings of non-shorebird ‘highlight’ species including a Black-crowned Night Heron, Great-crested Flycatcher, and an Eastern Towhee.
“We also spotted a Red-headed Woodpecker, which is an Endangered species in Canada, as well as 19 Bobolinks, which are a Threatened species in Canada.”
There’s no doubt that Whitewater Lake is a treasure. With rural communities on the lookout for ways to encourage tourism and economic development, Shave says that some simple amenities can make all the difference for many visitors.
“For Whitewater Lake the two main things would be bathrooms (outhouses are fine) and at least one way to better see out onto the lake (a tower or a boardwalk), and some sort of guide with directions on the best places to bird.
“I have some IBA volunteers who specifically don't come out to events where there is no public bathroom - Whitewater is certainly not the only area with this issue.”
Oak Lake is another birders destination and Shave says that the outhouses near the marina make a big difference once you've been birding for a couple of hours.
“I think Oak Lake could also market itself more towards birders! People ‘in the know’ bird along the road out to the weir, but I think there could be more awareness for birding around the park, the beach and the community in general.”
Cherry Point public picnic area, to the west of the cottages, might be a best kept secret. There, you will find many birds and some signage.
The potential for the Oak Lake marshes to become a destination for birders and wildlife enthusiasts has come up as the community and the RM of Sifton looks for economic development opportunities.
Whitewater Lake was at one time developed for birding. Pictures taken in 2009 show an extensive boardwalk at Whitewater Lake, as well as a viewing mound. Shave says there used to be a website for the area.
“I also get quite a few questions each year asking me where to bird at Whitewater Lake. There is no clear walking trail, lake access points, driving route, etc. for people to follow. If the area were to develop something along the lines of what the southwest corner has (the Grassland Birding Trail) I think it could be quite popular.”
The trailhead for the Grassland Birding Trail starts 1 kilometre west of Melita off Highway 3. Shave hears from people in other parts of the world as well as some Manitobans who take trips to that trail.
She says, “It has very little infrastructure other than the interpretive signs at each stop, but I get multiple volunteers (who usually travel out from Winnipeg and stay 1-2 nights in the southwest) sending me their birding checklists from the area.”
Land ownership
For visitors who don’t know the area, she says “So much of the land around Whitewater Lake is privately owned, people are not sure where they are allowed to go, or where the best birding is from the road. In the same vein, it is difficult without local knowhow to figure out the viewing points of the lake from the road (and most are not great). There used to be a viewing mound in the southeast corner of the lake (where there were also outhouses and a picnic table, people have told me).”
Exceptional highwater between 2011 – 2015 washed over a boardwalk and the viewing mound.
“Having the mound rebuilt, or a tower built would be great. I think the boardwalk might be a more complicated and time-consuming option, but that would work too. The main area where people go now to have a view of the lake is Sexton's Island road on the north. That may also be an area with potential to have a tower.”
There’s a link to information about Whitewater Lake on the IBA website. Find that at www.ibacanada.com under the heading “Explore IBAs.”
“Most people asking questions are local to Manitoba, but I have given advice to birders coming from England and Germany in the last couple of years. Birding tours that go to Churchill often take people out to the southwest first as well, as a sort of add-on.”
ABOUT
Whitewater Lake is one of only a handful of endorheic lakes in Canada. Endorheic lakes are closed basin lakes, meaning they have no natural outlet. Whitewater is named for the white brine that crusts its shores when seepage or evaporation takes place.
The lake level fluctuates between periods of being very large (more than ten thousand hectares) to being completely bone-dry.
Whitewater Lake was bone dry, decades ago. In the 2000s the basin began to fill. This altering state is also of interest as bird species tend to change with the lake level.
