Whitewater Lake

Whitewater Lake is a popular birdwatching destination located in the province of Manitoba, Canada located west of the community of Boissevain, Manitoba.

The lake is recognized by many organizations as a vital habitat worthy of protection. Whitewater Lake is recognized as a Canadian Important Bird Area (IBA), a Manitoba Wildlife Management Area. (WMA) and a Manitoba Heritage Marsh.

Some say Whitewater Lake is one of the top birding sites in the province with over 200 bird species sighted in the park. The region is identified as a priority migratory bird habitat of Canadian importance for geese, waterfowl and shorebirds.

Other activities enjoyed in the wetland area include hiking, hunting, biking and picnicking. Facilities located at Whitewater Lake include restrooms, picnic shelter, parking lot, information signs and a day use picnic area.

There are recreation trails in the park decorated with interpretive signs. Some lead to viewing towers, bird blinds and lookout platforms. Some trails are floating boardwalk and some follow along the top of dykes. The loop dyke trail in the park is particularly popular for hiking and biking.

Whitewater Lake is a saline, alkaline wetland measuring 6000 hectares on average and with a depth of only 2 metres at best. However ... the lake is an oddity as it can go dry and disappear for years at a time during dry season or during high run off season it can swell up to 10,000 hectares in size.

Whitewater Lake is fed by 8 creeks and streams which flow down from the slopes of the Turtle Mountains which are located south of the lake. There are two sand bars and a mud bar in the northeast end of the park and there is also an island called Sexton's Island nearby.

The wetland park is decorated in cattails, bulrushes and prairie grass. The wetland flora and fauna are ideal for birds who visit the site for resting, feeding and nesting.

Some of the bird species sighted in the wetland area include the Yellow-headed Blackbird, Whooping Crane, Trumpeter Swan, Swainson's Hawk, Spotted Sandpiper, Snowy Owl, Snow Goose, Short-eared Owl, Ruddy Duck, Red-winged Blackbird, Red-tailed Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Northern Harrier, Great Horned Owl, Ferruginous Hawk, Dark-eyed Junco, Cedar Waxwing, Burrowing Owl, Canada Goose, Bufflehead and American White Pelican.

Whitewater Lake, Boissevain, Manitoba, Canada, Western Region