Wascana Waterfowl Park

The Wascana Waterfowl Park is a protected nesting area within Wascana Park that is the reason American White Pelicans breed in the middle of Regina. The islands in Wascana Lake — visible from the park paths but kept at a distance to protect the nesting birds — host a substantial colony of pelicans from spring through late summer, and the sight of large white birds with orange bills gliding over a prairie city lake is one of those moments that make Saskatchewan more interesting than its reputation suggests.

Birding in Wascana Park is generally excellent: Canada Geese, White Pelicans, various duck species, herons, cormorants, and shorebirds in migration season all use the lake and its margins. The park has designated viewing areas for the pelican colony, and spring (May) is the best time for the full display of nesting activity. The Wascana Wildlife Preserve at the south end of the lake is the most productive area for less common species. Bring binoculars.

things to do nature sight
A story
The American White Pelicans that nest on the islands in Wascana Lake represent one of the largest urban pelican colonies in North America. The birds arrived on their own, attracted by the lake's fish population and the protected nesting islands, and have been breeding here since the 1970s. A city-centre lake as the breeding site for hundreds of pelicans is surreal in a specifically prairie-city way.

Other places in Things to do