Bird Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Bird Lake pulls an A: clarity at 55.8 ft and phosphorus readings still being added put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Trophically, Bird Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. Bird Lake reaches 40 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. At 97 acres, Bird Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Bird Lake ranks 50 of 140 in Oneida County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

An invasive species record — Chinese Mystery Snail — has been logged at Bird Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. Walleye are documented at Bird Lake, one of 4 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Bird Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.