Wildlife & Birding
Welcome to Fishpot Lake, a true jewel of The North Cariboo, located in B.C.'s Central Interior!
Fishpot makes a great base for birding as its located in The Nazko Valley, an area local naturalist Manfred Roschitz describes as a major migration corridor.
Spring migration is an incredible time to birdwatch in our area. Wildfowl begin to arrive during the spring in April and early May. There are numerous waters to explore in the area. Ask Marc and Vicky for directions to nearby Coglistiko Lake. Expect a good variety of wildfowl. Watch for Bonapartes Gulls moving through. Some will settle to nest around inland lakes. The forest will come alive with Woodpeckers, Sapsuckers, Flycatchers, and, some beautiful Warblers. Stellers and Gray Jays should be present also.
You can search Fishpot Lake for Loons, Grebes, Ducks (please look for our family of Wood Ducks located in the center of the resort in our aspen trees), Mergansers, various Species of Hummingbirds (located on our front patio where we have feeders setup to assist with your viewing pleasure), and various Species of Wood Pecker's. Ospry's and Bald Eagles and on occasion our Golden Eagle are also seen soaring quietly on the wind currents above the lake. You will see the Endangered American White Pelicans frequently, swimming around the outskirts of the lake throughout the summer months but more so in Early spring. Later through the summer months you will hear the haunting call of various owls that live around the lake. You could see flocks of Scoters (3 species are here, though Surf Scoter is the most common). Walking around the lake you may accidentally surprise a Spotted or Solitary Sandpiper, or a Greater or Lesser Yellowlegs, and lastly the noisy Killdeer.
Lookout when you are driving and make sure you do not hit a Ruffled, Blue or Spruce Grouse! They often stop in the road, seemingly quite oblivious to traffic.
Once the Spring Migration has settled down, June to September sees a wide range of breeding species settling in the area. Nearby meadows can hold American Kestrel, Northern Harrier and the amazing Sandhill Crane.
Ospreys and Bald Eagles normally nest very close to Fishpot Lake Resort, so you can enjoy their antic's at any time of the day.
Other birds in the area include Common Nighthawks, Calliope and Various Species of Owls.
Some lakes towards Quesnel have breeding Black Terns.
In the evening relax back at your cabin and enjoy the amazing haunting calls of Common Loons. Out-of-place birds can turn-up here as well. For several summers a group of Common Grackles have frequented Fishpot Lake! Look out for other species moving through, e.g. Mew Gulls in late-Summer (August).
Fall Migration gets underway in August -September with numerous mixed flocks of songbirds foraging together as they move through the area. Wildfowl, loons, grebes, and numerous other species begin their migration to wintering grounds. In the early mornings you will see groups of swans, snow geese and a passing varieties of ducks, as they head South for the winter.
Winter begins in late October to early November. The green paradise becomes a white paradise. It's a spectacular snowscape: and birds cluster at Fishpot Lake Resort. Enjoy close-up views of Brown Creepers, Boreal Chickadees, Gray Jays, Woodpeckers and check the surrounding woods for winter finches, Grosbeaks, Red and White-winged Crossbills.
Come and enjoy birding in The Nazko Valley.
Ask Marc & Vicky for more information, or they can put you in-touch with local birders who will be happy to answer any questions you have.
We hope you enjoy your bird watching experience at Fishpot Lake Resort!
These are some of the birds you may see at Fishpot Lake Resort:
Accipiters
Northern Goshawk
Bittern and Herons
American Bittern, Great Blue Heron
Blackbirds and Orioles
Red-Winged Blackbird, Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Rusty Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-Headed Cowbird
Bluebirds and Thrushes
Mountain Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Varied Thrush
Chickadees
Black-Capped Chickadee, Mountain Chickadee, Boreal Chickadee
Cranes
Sandhill Crane
Creepers
Brown Creeper
Crows, Jays and Raven's
American Crow, Gray Jay, Steller's Jay, Common Raven
Ducks
American Wigeon Duck , Mallard Duck, Northern Shoveler Duck, Green Winged-Teal Duck, Blue Winged-Teal Duck, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Bufflehead Duck, Common Goldeneye Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye Duck, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Red-Breasted Merganser, Pintail Wood Duck, Eurasian Wigeon, Lesser Scaup, Gadwall, Cinnamon Teal Duck, Ruddy Duck, Redhead Duck, Canvasback Duck, Long-Tailed Duck
Dippers
American Dipper
Falcons
American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Gyr Falcon
Finches, Siskins and Crossbills
Purple Finch, White-Winged Crossbill, Common Redpoll Crossbill, Hoary Redpoll Crossbill, Pine Siskin
Flycatchers
Olive-Sided Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Pacific-Slope Flycatcher, Western Wood Peewee, Says Phoebe, Dusky Flycatcher, Hammonds Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Eastern Kingbird
Geese, Scoter and Swans
Canada Goose, White-Fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Black Scoter, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Trumpeter Swan, Tundra Swan
Goatsuckers
Common Nighthawk
Grebes
Red-necked Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe
Buntings and Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting, Snow Bunting, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak
Grouse
Ruffed Grouse, Spruce Grouse, Sharp-Tailed Grouse, Blue Grouse
Gulls and Terns
Jaegers Gulls, Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, Ring-Billed Gull, Herring Gull, Artic Tern, Black Tern, Common Tern, Forsters Tern
Hummingbirds
Calliope Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird
Kingfishers
Belted Kingfisher
Kinglets
Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Larks
Horned Lark
Loons
Common Loon, Red-Throated Loon, Pacific Loon
Nuthatches
Rebreasted Nuthatch, White-Breasted Nuthatch
Ospreys, Hawks and Eagles
Osprey, Northern Harrier, Sharp-Shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-Tailed Hawk, Rough-Legged Hawk, Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle
Typical Owls
Great Horned Owl, Great Gray Owl, Northern Saw-Whet Owl, Northern Pygmy Owl, Short-Eared Owl, Long-Eared Owl, Barred Owl, Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, Boreal Owl
Pelicans
American White Pelican
Phalaropes
Wilsons Phalarope
Pigeons and Doves
Rock Dove, Mourning Dove
Pipits
American Pipit
Plovers
Killdeer
Rails and Coots
Sora Rail, Virginia Rail, American Coot
Sandpipers and Snipe
Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Common Snipe
Sapsuckers
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, Red-Naped Sapsucker, Red-Breasted Sapsucker
Shorebirds
Long-Billed Curlew, Long-Billed Dowitcher
Shrikes
Northern Shrike
Sparrows
Chipping Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-Throated Sparrow, Golden-Crowned Sparrow, White-Crowned Sparrow, Dark-Eyed Junco Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Clay-Colored Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow
Starlings
European Starling
Swallows
Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-Winged Swallow, Bank Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Violet-Green Swallow
Swifts
Black Swift, Vaux's Swift
Tanagers
Western Tanager
Vireo's
Solitary Vireo, Red-Eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo
Warblers
Orange-Crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, MacGillivrays Warbler, Common Yellowthroat Warbler
Waxwings
Bohemian Waxwing, Cedar Waxwing
Woodpeckers
Three-Toed Woodpecker, Black-Backed Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker
Wrens
Winter Wren, Marsh Wren