Robert Lake Regional Park

Robert Lake is not a park you walk through — it is a park you look at, and for birders that is exactly the point. This shallow alkaline lake in the Glenmore Valley north of Kelowna is a rare prairie-style salt flat, and its salty water draws more than 140 species, including breeding American avocets, black-necked stilts and Wilson's phalaropes that you will not find on the big lakes, along with green-winged teal, northern pintail and ruddy ducks, and a parade of shorebirds during the August migration. To protect the nesting habitat the Regional District has built no trails and allows no access to the shoreline; instead there is a small parking area at the end of Curtis Road with an information kiosk and a viewing spot, so bring a spotting scope or good binoculars and settle in. The lot is bordered by private land on both sides, so stay within the park area and approach quietly. Robert Lake is a stop on the BC Bird Trail, it is free, and it is open year-round on the regional parks' seasonal hours (6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in winter, later in summer). Spring and late summer are the seasons to come.