Bellshill Lake (11038)
Canada, North America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2008
National site name: Bellshill Lake
Central coordinates: Latitude: 52.6003, Longitude: -111.5568
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 695 to 695
Area of KBA (km2): 27.81351
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Bellshill Lake is located approximately 24 km southeast of the town of Sedgewick, in east-central Alberta. Also known as Goose Lake, this lake has a few patches of bulrush along its shoreline, but otherwise the shoreline is open. The north end of the lake is fairly shallow, with the central and southern portions being a little deeper. A mixture of pasture and cultivated lands surround the lake.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: Bellshill Lake supports over 20,000 white geese each fall. Most of these birds are Snow Geese, but some are Ross Geese. In some years, however, the numbers are much higher, such as on October 24, 2000, when it was estimated that there were 50,000 white geese on the lake. Ross Geese arrive earlier than the Snow Geese, which peak in early October, so these figures to not include peak Ross Goose numbers. Greater White-fronted Geese are also abundant between 5,000 and 10,000 are usually present. The higher number is about 1% of the North American population. Several thousand Canada Geese, probably from the Short Grass Prairie population, are also feed here in the autumn. The geese are attracted to the open shorelines found around the lake, and the shallow waters at the north end.
Habitats
Land use: hunting | not utilised
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 100 |