Bird Watching: Chaplin Lake, SK, a Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve, 1 by Lilypon

Lilypon wrote:
When driving on the Trans Canada Highway between Moose Jaw and Swift Current, and entering the large, white salt deposits, you are entering the Chaplin Lake area. The area is noted from the Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) for its Shorebirds. Chaplin Lake was designated a Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network site in May of 1997. This is the highest designation that a reserve can receive and there are only 35 sites recognized in the Western Hemisphere (only 5 of them being in Canada.....and 3 of the 5 are in Saskatchewan).

Chaplin Lake encompasses nearly 20 square miles (45,000 acres) and is the second largest saline water body in Canada. Shorebird surveys conducted by the Saskatchewan Wetlands Conservation Corporation and Environment Canada's Canadian Wildlife Service revealed that over 30 species, with a peak count of 67,000 birds in a day, use the lake. More than 50,000 Sanderlings, or about 25-50% of their hemispheric population, were counted in a single day in and around Chaplin Lake. This area is also one of the top four breeding areas in Saskatchewan for the Piping Plover, an endangered species whose principal breeding area is in Saskatchewan.


This message was edited Jul 1, 2007 3:14 PM