Particularly impressive is the lake’s high concentration of bird species due in no small part to the wild rice bays that are found throughout the Lake. Common loons, Wilson’s phalaropes, Franklin’s gulls, Forester’s terns, and White Pelicans are all easily viewed from the top deck of the Grace Anne II. Cormorants, pelicans, ring-billed and Henry’s gulls, and Common terns breed on some of the remote islands. A very common site is a Bald eagle in flight overhead as many nest on the islands and several spots along the south shore. Forested habitats are good placed to view ovenbirds, ruby-throated hummingbirds, ruffed grouse, scarlet tanagers, and redstarts. Migrating shorebirds, such as semipalmated sandpipers, Piping Plover, and Wilson’s Phalarope, as well as many species of gulls can be seen in Lake of the Woods. Killdeers breed in the many beaches, and nearby cranes call from their nesting territories in the extensive marshland. Other birds species in the area include red-necked grebes, black terns, Canada geese, and a multitude of duck species.
During your voyage look for the many beavers, muskrats, foxes, rabbits, black bears and river otters that make the Lake of the Woods region their home. Be alert for the graceful white-tailed deer and the king of the woods, the majestic moose, along the many shorelines feeding and drinking at the lake’s edge. A rarer treat, but still common, is to see deer and moose swimming in the lake, travelling from island to island.
A paddler’s paradise, staff of the Grace Anne II can arrange eco-tours for you and your guests in canoes or kayaks with trained guides and biologists to ensure your best chance of seeing the diverse and abundant wildlife on Lake of the Woods.