The Oak Lake/Plum Lakes Area is comprised of diverse habitat including a freshwater lake, freshwater marsh, woodlands, and open pastures. Grasses and sedges border the wetland and, notably, remnants of undisturbed native prairie can be found west of Oak Lake and around the town of Pipestone. The Routledge and Lauder Sandhills provide some of the best remaining examples of these rare habitats in Manitoba. These sand dunes are heavily treed with Creeping Juniper, Bur Oak, and Trembling Aspen, the latter making this IBA a key destination for birders seeking Red-headed Woodpeckers in Manitoba. This IBA is also the site of a number of provincial Wildlife Management Areas and the Oak Lake Game Bird Refuge.

Roughly 6% of the estimated global population of Franklin’s Gulls (>30,000 pairs) have been recorded in this IBA. Both Eared Grebes and Black-crowned Night Herons are found here in significant numbers (4.3% and 6.3% of their estimated Canadian populations, respectively). The marshes of Oak Lake are home to shorebirds including the Marbled Godwit, American Avocet, Willet, and Wilsons Phalarope. Land birds include Lark Sparrows, Sprague’s Pipits, and Black-billed Cuckoos. The Oak Lake Provincial Recreation Park contains migrant thrushes, warblers, and sparrows. Watch the marsh ditches for waterfowl including Sora and Virginia Rail. Burrowing Owl and Ferruginous Hawks are also known to breed in the area.

There is great pressure to develop the Oak Lake area through more intensive agricultural practices. Ongoing disputes over water use and wetland management include whether or not to drain parts of the area and what the ideal water level should be. Bird species such as the Eared Grebe face great negative impacts when suitable nesting habitat is drained. Over-grazing and conversion of grasslands can lead to the elimination or deterioration of native prairie habitat. The water retention structure which maintains Oak Lake’s water level has changed the surrounding habitat of Oak Lake; an island once used by nesting American White Pelican and other breeding waterbirds no longer exists. Additionally, recreational areas on the lake such as boat launches and beaches could possibly disrupt certain habitats if left unmanaged. However, an increasing number of properties in this area are being purchased and put into wildlife conservation use. For example, 2,470 hectare game bird refuge under the crown is located south of Oak Lake and, in 2019, The Nature Conservancy of Canada placed three wildlife tracking towers near Oak Lake to collect data on shorebirds passing through the area.

See below for maps on where to find birds, stories relating to Oak Lake/Plum Lakes, and priorities for monitoring this IBA.

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