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Parc des Rapides, Lachine - Parc des Rapides, Lachine - 2013-11-16
Parc des Rapides, Lachine - 2013-11-16

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.

Last changed on 2024-12-20

Photos

Click on photo to enlarge.

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.

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.

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.

Species by Season

Species Spring Summer Autumn Winter
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) x - - x
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) x - - -
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) - x x -
Bird's-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) - x - -
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) - x - -
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) x x x x
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) - x - -
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) - - - x
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) x x x x
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) x x - -
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) - x - -
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) - x x -
Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) x x x x
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) - x - -
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) - - x -
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) - - - x
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) - x x -
Great Egret (Ardea alba) - x - -
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) - x x -
Groundhog (Marmota monax) x x - -
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) - - - x
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) x - - x
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) x x x -
Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) - x x -
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) x - - -
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) x - - -
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) - x - -
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) - x - -
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) x x - -
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) x x x x
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) x x - -
Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca) - x - -
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) x - - -
White Clover (Trifolium repens) - x - -
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) x - - -
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)] - - x -
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) - x - -

"-" indicates no observation. It may not necessarily mean though that the species is absent from this park during that season.