Memories of Watson Lake, Yukon

In June-2005, while traveling to the northern reaches of the Yukon Territory and Alaska, I first found my way to Watson Lake. It was a destination I looked forward to revisiting when I returned seventeen years later.

2022-06-07 Two Nights at Watson Lake

The Alaska Highway is long and can be lonely in stretches. I pushed onward, all the way to Watson Lake, the so-called “Gateway To The Yukon”. When I finally arrived in town, it was mid-afternoon, and I had two things on my mind. I needed to find a place to park for the night, and I wanted to check in at Wye Lake. When I passed this way in 2005, I met a pair of Red-Necked Grebes at this several acre lake at the edge of town. Happily, when I reached the lake that afternoon, I found a nesting pair stationed near the city park where I met them all those years ago. I didn’t have the energy required to work on getting more bird pictures, but the meeting raised my spirits, and I planned to return the next morning.

I camped for the night near the famous “Signpost Forest” near the Visitor’s Center in the middle of the town. I rose early and returned to Wye Lake. Besides the grebes, I found Alder Flycatchers, Lincoln’s Sparrows, and Short-Billed Gulls, which were formerly called Mew Gulls. After I worked the morning shift of birds at Wye Lake Park, I headed to the best breakfast in town at Andrea’s Restaurant for a bite. During my meal, I thought about how I’d like my day here at Watson Lake to unfold. 

There are places in town worth exploring before I start out on the road again. And I tried for an afternoon photo-session at Wye Lake. I collected another series of images, which left me with three days’ worth of adventures to share. 

Later, I spent time exploring the surrounding area of Watson Lake. I found another, much larger water body, that is called “Second Wye Lake”, and spent some time with Bonaparte’s Gulls and Common Goldeneyes there. I followed this session with a drive to the northern shore of the first Wye Lake and enjoyed spending time with the birds on a different part of the lake.

The original settlement of Watson Lake was not at its present-day location. It was at a larger lake several miles to the north and is still the site of their airport, though I doubt large commercial airliners use it much. After completing the Alaska Highway, it made more sense to establish a new settlement at the “Wye” shaped intersection where the two roads met. I drove the eight miles from Wye Lake to investigate it, but the birds were scarce there. Still, I found the most interesting birds concentrated at Wye Lake. I settled in for a second night’s stay at the Signpost Forest, and I did my best to groom my images, but even with that chore there remained much work to be done.

Watson Lake was a lovely oasis for me, but it was time to put some miles down and get headed north again, or rather west. It is a five-hour drive to Whitehorse (274 miles), but I stopped to visit birds along the way where I could. I spent the night in Teslin at the roadside boat launch next to the bridge leading into town. I worked the rest of the afternoon playing catch up with my blogs, and Thursday morning I found breakfast just over the bridge before finishing my journey to Whitehorse. But that will be where I begin my next story.

2022-06-22 Return To Watson Lake

I reached Watson Lake after spending the night 170 miles away at Teslin Lake. I immediately drove to Wye Lake Park, where I enjoyed my time with birds on my previous visits. I hoped that the Red-Necked Grebe eggs I saw on my last visit might have turned into fuzzy chicks. It had been two weeks, and it seemed possible, but I was not in luck. These grebe eggs take about three weeks of incubation before they hatch. I would have liked to have seen the grebe chicks riding on their mom’s back, but with as much as a week of waiting possible, I could not justify hanging around that long. Even if I were to stay long enough, the lake might have hidden the family from me, and I might miss them, nevertheless.

Rather than complain about my failure to time my visit here better, I gathered images of the birds that cooperated. New for me on this pass through town was a Warbling Vireo and a Sora. The Sora was especially fun for me. Some birds I met on my last visit, such as the Yellow Warblers and the Alder Flycatchers, stayed out of my sight. I suspect nesting duties prevented them from showing off as they had on my earlier visit two weeks ago.

With fewer birds, I took time to enjoy and appreciate some of the cheerful colors I too often overlook. Dandelions and butterflies filled the bill for me.