Last modified on 2023-04-14. This page is dedicated to nature lovers and wildlife photographers who are looking to plan their visit to Parc Île-de-la-Visitation. Our aim is to provide you with comprehensive information about the park's wildlife and help you make the most out of your trip.
An urban park located along Prairies River which flows between Island of Montreal and Island of Laval. It is a popular park.
The park is located north-west of Montreal downtown and accessible by public transportation. Use metro till station Henri-Bourassa (orange line) then continue by bus, line 69, till corner Henri-Bourassa / de Lille, about 10 minutes from metro station. Reach the upper entrance with a short walk of less than 5 minutes.
Based on © OpenStreetMap
Enjoy bird watching, the park is place of many bird species and bird feeders during the winter months. Nevertheless, the park isn't very popular for photography. Because of its location, you have the sun in front of you most of the time and approaching birds is difficult. We identified some spots of interest though.
Forest clearing and bridge: At the upper entrance north, the bridge allows you an overview of the area and watching birds flying by. The clearing shortly before the bridge provides opportunities for bird close up (bushes) and grazing geese.
Small Peninsula: Straight ahead from the entrance, you find a small peninsula where you can get to water surface level. We use this spot for waterfowl photography: Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens)
Tip near lower entrance: Straight ahead of the lower entrance, once crossed the damn, there is a pond on the right (waterfowl) and a clearing.
West River Bank: Another place where you can get at water surface level providing opportunities to take photos from waterfowls: American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)
You have both, forest habitat and water habitat and with this variety an increased number of bird species to spot. Approaching animals for photography is challenging. The park is located conveniently and reachable by public transportation. Nevertheless, not our favorite park.
| Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Robin (Turdus migratorius) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bitter Wintercress (Barbara vulgaris) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hobomok Skipper (Lon hobomok) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lesser Periwinkle (Vinca minor) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Woolly Blue Violet (Viola sororia) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Times a species has been spotted, identified and logged while visiting this park. A species is reported only once / park visit. Consult the page animal tracking about how we log observations in field. Only species shown which we have logged at least 5 times in the Montreal area.
Videos are hosted on Muuuh's YouTube Channel.
2019-08-04
NIKON Z 6; 50mm f/1.4; Focal Length 50mm; Exposure 1/5000; Aperture f4.0; Iso 400;
2019-05-07
NIKON D500; AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G; Focal Length 50mm; Exposure 1/320; Aperture f11.0; Iso 250;
2016-03-21
XT1058; Mobile; Focal Length 4mm; Exposure 1/4300; Aperture f2.4; Iso 160;
For high quality, free available photos visit our profile on Unsplash.
Written and regularly updated by Karl-Heinz Müller, Dipl. Natw. ETH, Biology. With 10 years of experience in wildlife photography, Karl-Heinz shares first-hand, on-site collected observations, photos and videos from his frequent visits to Parc Île-de-la-Visitation.
All photos, videos, and text on this page are protected by copyright and are the exclusive property of Karl-Heinz Müller. Reproduction, distribution, or use of any content without permission is strictly prohibited. © Karl-Heinz Müller.