This location is worth a quick check at just about any time, but it is most productive in early spring (late February to mid-April) coincident with the ice breakup on Pigeon Lake, and again in late fall November to early December) during freeze-up. Due to the strong currents in Gannon Narrows this area becomes ice-free earlier and freezes later than adjacent Pigeon Lake concentrating waterfowl. It is less interesting and infrequently visited from late spring through the summer months.

The main attraction at this site are waterfowl. Twenty-eight species of swans, geese and ducks have been recorded here over the years. Hundred or even thousands of ducks have been recorded with Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, Greater and Lesser scaup, Common Merganser, Mallard, Bufflehead and Canada Goose being the most common. Less commonly observed species include Canvasback, Surf Scoter and Long-tailed Duck, and Peterborough County’s first King Eider was found here in November 2016.

The Fothergill Isle Causeway is a two-lane raised causeway connecting the mainland with the residential community of Fothergill Isle. This hotspot includes Fothergill Isle itself, the causeway, the mainland immediately adjoining the causeway and all visible waters in both Gannon Narrows and Pigeon Lake. Parking at this site is very limited; the road shoulder is wide enough on the west side of the causeway at its base to accommodate a single vehicle. You can drive across the causeway, stopping briefly to scan, but do not park on the causeway or anywhere else. Note that all lands on Fothergill Isle and the adjoining mainland are private, so do not trespass.