When most people think about visiting a lake, all sorts of things might come to mind. Maybe activities, like swimming or splashing. Maybe they think about fish or frogs, or even plants like lily pads and cattails. They might even think about swimming birds like ducks and geese. Lakes and ponds are important for all of these, but they are also important for many other kinds of birds, too!

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Depending on the time of the year you are visiting, you might see lots of ducks in the lake, or you might see just a few. The Mallards are here all year round and can often be seen loafing on the floating boardwalks. They raise their families at Swan Lake and are quite used to people. Most other ducks are only here in the winter and aren’t quite as social with humans.

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Some songbirds rely on the lake to produce their food. If you are visiting in the spring and summer, you will likely see small birds flying very quickly over the water gathering up flying insects. Most of these will be swallows, and if you are very lucky, you may see several different kinds. Other insect-eating birds will perch near the edge of the shrubs and make forays to catch an insect before returning to their favourite spots. 

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Other birds come to the lake for protection. The tangles of willows and cattails provide a perfect habitats for hiding from predators and finding safe places to build their nests. In the cattails, you should be able to find a small brown bird called a Marsh Wren. The male’s call reminds some people of the sound of a sewing machine! He will build several beautiful nests shaped like covered baskets. This is an amazing feat for an animal with no hands! His potential mate will check out the nests and if she likes one, will start lining it with fluff to make a beautiful soft and warm place to lay her eggs.

 

Another very familiar—and loud—bird is the Red-winged Blackbird. The male has bright red patches on his wings. The female is streaked brown and is much harder to see among the vegetation. Her colouration provides great camouflage to protect the nestlings.

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Around the edge of the lake, you might see Great Blue Herons, one of the largest birds found here. They will eat just about anything that will fit into their mouth, including fish, rodents, frogs, and even birds!

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While you are here, don’t forget to look up! Flying over, it is not unusual to see Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, gulls, and during the right time of year, Osprey and Turkey Vultures. Water is important for all the birds, and is one of the reasons that Swan Lake is such a special place for them!

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