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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The Quill Lakes are located immediately north of the town of Wynard in east-central Saskatchewan. The lakes are named (from west to east): Big Quill, Middle Quill (or Mud), and Little Quill Lakes. Middle Quill Lake is the smallest, while Big Quill is the largest - in fact the largest saline lake in Canada. During periods of high water levels, the lakes drain from west to east. The lakes, however, do not have an outlet. All three lakes are extremely shallow, such that any fluctuation of water level, or influence of the wind, can cause great differences in even the day-to-day location of the shoreline. The muddy and gravelly lakeshores are surrounded by grasslands, aspen parkland, and numerous freshwater marshes.
The lakes, Big Quill Lake in particular, support an exceptional number of breeding Piping Plovers. Over the last five years there has been an average of 284 birds observed (almost 7.5% of the global population, and over 25% of the Canadian northern Great Plains population). In 1996, 435 plovers were recorded, which was the largest breeding concentration in the world. During fall migration, the globally threatened Whooping Crane is also regularly observed at this site.
The Quill Lakes are also significant as a shorebird staging area (especially during the spring) with a one day peak count of 197,155 shorebirds being recorded during the spring of 1993. During a 1989-1992 study, several species were recorded in numbers (one day peak count averages) that exceeded 1% of their biogeographical populations, including Hudsonian Godwit, Least Sandpiper, Bairds Sandpiper, American Avocet and dowitcher. Especially large numbers of White-rumped Sandpipers (as much as 2% of their global population) and Stilt Sandpipers (as much as 8.9% of their global population) were also noted.
The Quill Lakes are also known as an important waterfowl breeding and staging area with hundreds of thousands of ducks, Sandhill Cranes (1.8% of their global population), Canada Geese, and Snow Geese using the area each fall.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
In 1973, two areas on the Quill Lakes were recognized as key sites under the International Biological Programme: Middle Quill Lake Islands, and Little Quill Lake South Shore. The islands in Middle Quill Lake have since been designated as provincial wildlife refuges under the Saskatchewan Critical Wildlife Habitat Protection Act. In 1987, the Quill Lakes were used as the first implementation site for the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) in Canada. The first step in this initiative was the protection and enhancement of 6,630 ha for waterfowl and other wildlife. In addition, the site has been included in the Saskatchewan Heritage Marsh Program, declared a Ramsar site (1982) and identified as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve (1994).
Some of the main threats to the site include pollution by agricultural pesticides and fertilizers, and the control of natural fluctuations in water levels. The short-stopping of tributaries for water management, for example, could reduce Piping Plover habitat in low water years. On the other hand, these projects may prevent flooding of habitat and nests in years of high runoff. An additional threat is increased public use of the area. Unrestricted use of all-terrain vehicles in particular, could result in disturbance to the nesting Piping Plovers, staging shorebirds and waterfowl.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Quill Lakes (Canada). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/quill-lakes-iba-canada on 23/11/2024.
