The best way to bird this site (if you have permission) is to do so by canoe or kayak. 

The lake can have ducks in migration and supports impressive numbers of marsh birds such as Marsh Wren and Least Bittern. Sandhill Crane nests here regularly (the first county nest record was established here in 1998) and the first county record of Yellow Rail was also in 1998. Buckley Lake formerly supported a large breeding colony of Black Tern, but their numbers have dwindled in recent years to just a few pairs.

Buckley Lake is a large shallow lake with no public access. The lake itself is nearly 2 km2 in extent, but the associated surrounding wetland is much larger. Although much of the lake is natural it was considerably expanded through the mining of marl and clay by the Lakefield Portland Cement Co. beginning in 1900. Much of the cement was used in the construction of the locks and dams along the Trent Severn Waterway. Extraction operations ceased in 1932 and the lake has been allowed to return to its natural state. The lake and much of the surrounding lands were until recently owned and managed by a local waterfowl hunting club. The lake itself and all the surrounding lands remain in private ownership and access is prohibited without permission. However, the lake can be scoped (very distantly!) from the shoulder of Hwy 28 or from the parking lot of Leahy’s Farm & Market on the east side of Hwy 28 at its intersection with CR 33.