Parc des Rapides, Lachine
A small privately owned but publicly accessible park along the shores of Lawrence River in LaSalle, Lachine on the Island of Montreal.
How to Get Here
Take Montreal Metro Green Line towards Angrignon until station De L’Eglise. On Wellington Street take bus 58 to Eduard / 5th Avenue, and take the short walk to the shore of the river. Unfortunately, line 58 is not passing frequently and with bad timing between metro and bus you may end up waiting for the bus. On Wellington, you may wonder which direction to take bus 58: Stay on the side of the church.
Photos
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Videos
Videos are hosted on YouTube. Click on a thumbnail to watch it.
What to See Here
An aquatic habitat along a river. You can watch all sorts of common and less common waterfowl. With some luck you may spot Muskrats or even a North American Beaver or American Mink. During sunny summer time, watch out for turtles on trunks or stones.
There are three main good spots for photography. The first one is just on and over the first bridge at the entrance. In this place, you are pretty close to Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and nesting Canada Goose (Branta canadensis). A bit further out, at the crossroad you have view on a small creek and pond from two angles. With some luck you may get close for photos of American Mink (Neovison vison), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), Great Egret (Ardea alba) and even North American Beaver (Castor canadensis).
Finally, at the Northern end of the long dam, separating the river from the park, you have the opportunity to step down to water surface level. Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) will be flying by.
Observed Animals by Season
"x" indicates the species was observed, while "-" indicates no observation. Lack of observation doesn't necessarily imply that the species is absent. Data is derived from our park visit journals.
Observed Flowering Plants by Season
| Species | Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bird's-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) | - | x | - | - |
| Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) | - | x | - | - |
"x" indicates that the species was observed flowering, while "-" indicates no observation. The absence of observation doesn't necessarily imply that the species was not flowering. Data is derived from our park visit journals.
Photography Tips
There are macro photography opportunities in this park, flowers and butterflies. But the main attractions are shorebirds and waterfowl, you want to have a large tele lens with you. 400mm or longer as many of the animals are at some distance to you.