Bowron Wildlife
The Bowron Lake chain is one of the true wonders of the world. The lakes’ unique formation resulted from the collision of continental plates, which formed the mountains of British Columbia. The immense forces buckled the rock formations, forming the Cariboo Mountains and the resulting fractures formed the great valleys of the Bowron which filled with water and formed the lakes. The large rectangular shape of the park is very unique and it enables people to canoe around the circuit without having to retrace their path to get back to the starting point. (For a more in depth discussion of the formation of the park, see “The Bowron Lakes, British Columbia’s Wilderness Canoe Circuit: A lifetime Journey” by photographer Chris Harris.)
The park contains 4 different biogeoclimatic zones:the sub-boreal spruce zone,the interior cedar-hemlock zone, the Englemann spruce-sub alpine fir zone, and the alpine tundra zone. Therefore, one will see tall alpine , snow covered peaks; evergreen forests; deciduous forests; marsh lands; azure, glacier-fed lakes; smaller, warmer lakes; rivers; and glaciers. This setting provides a wide and rich diversity of habitat, wildlife, birdlife, and fish.
The chain is home to several types of fish, such as Dolly Varden, lake trout, Rocky Mountain whitefish and kokanee. In the fall, sockeye salmon spawn up the Bowron River. Fishing is good depending on time of year and where you try your luck.
Black bear can be seen on all the lakes at any time of year. Grizzly are more likely to be seen on the avalanche chutes of Isaac and Lanezi Lakes in the spring and around the Bowron River in the fall.
Moose frequent most of the lakes year round, although they are more frequent visitors to the West Side lakes. Cows, with their calves, are a very common sighting in the Bowron marsh area in the spring and early summer. The bulls, with their magnificent antlers, seem to be more visible in the same areas in the fall mating season.
More rare, but still around, are caribou and elk. Our sightings of them have been in the Sandy Lake territory. Deer seem to hang around Unna and Rum lakes.
We have had some very exciting sightings of wolverine, mountain goat, and lynx. Chris has a great picture of a lynx swimming across Indianpoint Lake in his book. Many times, we have used our scopes to spot mountain goat tracks high in the mountains on Lanezi Lake.
On the odd occasion, we have seen wolves. Probably our best sighting was on a winter trip, when we were skiing on the frozen lake. There were seven wolves following along behind us on the opposite shore of Isaac Lake. We have also heard wolves across the Bowron marsh, generally in the fall.
Of course, we routinely see otter on the west side and beaver as well, especially on our early morning paddles on the Bowron River.
Birdlife is incredibly varied and plentiful. Sightings of birds change from season to season. Spring and early summer are great times to spot birds. The fall tends to offer migrating species. Trumpeter swans are seen in the Bowron marsh and Cariboo River in the winter.
Bald Eagles and Osprey are numerous throughout the spring, summer, and fall. The American Bittern’s humourous call can be heard in the spring in the Bowron Marsh.
The common loon lends his typically Canadian wilderness call to most of the lakes. Mergansers, Canada geese, scoters,widgeons, red-necked and Western Grebes,and many other types of ducks frequent the west side marshes. Harlequin ducks can be seen at the chute on Isaac Lake a few weeks in the spring. One hears the call of the several grouse species and nights are livened up with owl calls, especially the barred owl. The marsh is always alive with bird calls, notably the common snipe. Kingfishers are on both sides of the lakes chain. There are over 80 types of commonly seen birds and ducks.
Visitors to the lakes should understand that all sightings of bird and wildlife are special moments. The sightings vary according to time of year, time of day, and happenstance. For instance, on one trip down the Bowron River, in the early morning, we saw 29 moose. The very next trip we only saw one. There is no guarantee that one will see a particular type of wildlife. One can pass by a spot and not see anything and the next visitor, five minutes later, might have a great sighting. The best advice is to travel quietly and be alert. If you don’t have any particular expectations and can enjoy whatever is presented to you, you shouldn’t be disappointed. The trick is to be out in these areas often, to be patient, and to always pay attention to your surroundings. Our stories of sightings are the cumulative moments spent in the wilderness for over 30 years.
