Barber Lake (SK050)
Wiseton, Saskatchewan
Site Description
Barber Lake is situated in south-central Saskatchewan, near the small town of Wiseton. It is a fairly large lake with irregular water levels, due to its dependence on spring runoff and seasonal rains. It is often dry by the summers end. Depending on water levels, at least 10% of the lake may be composed of mud flats. Many small dams on MacDonald Creek, which flows into Barber Lake, have resulted in numerous small water impoundments. These are used by large concentrations of staging waterfowl. Some native prairie still remains in this area, due to poor soils that preclude agriculture.
Birds
Large concentrations of Ross's Geese occur at Barber Lake during fall migration. Up to 15,000 geese have been recorded, which would represent as much as 4.5% of the worlds estimated population. Barbers Lake is also recognized as being regionally important for staging ducks, with 5,000 to 20,000 being observed on a regular basis.
A large number of ducks also use the site as a summer moulting area; 4,106 ducks have been recorded, including 2,852 Canvasbacks, and 111 Lesser Scaup. There were also estimates of 1,000 Eared Grebes, and 2000 American Coot reported in 2015. Shorebirds inclduing 500 Dowitchers, and 1,500 Wilson's Phalaropes, along with small numbers of numerous species have been reported.
Adjacent to the lake, a small area of native prairie provides suitable nesting habitat for Ferruginous Hawks (Threatened) and Long-billed Curlews (Special Concern) along with Upland Sandpipers, Chestnut-collared Longspurs, and other prairie-nesting birds.
Conservation Issues
The land surrounding Barber Lake is privately owned. Drought is the main threat facing this area, in part due to the fluctuation in water levels from spring runoff and seasonal rains and in part due to the short-stopping of water in dams. This affects the availability and stability of the habitat for geese and other water birds. Another major threat is pesticide and fertilizer run-off from agriculture. A lot of cropland is cultivated to the shoreline on Barber Lake creating the potential for agricultural pollution. The remaining native prairie in this IBA is small and fragmented, so a possible threat is cultivation of this area without protection. The number of shorebird species may indicate that it is a stopover site, so monitoring efforts should focus on evaluating that in the future.
IBA Criteria Habitats Land Uses Potential or Ongoing Threats Conservation Status
