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 des Rapides. Our aim is to provide you with comprehensive information about the park's wildlife and help you make the most out of your trip.
A small privately owned but publicly accessible park along the shores of Lawrence River in LaSalle, Lachine on the Island of Montreal.
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.
Based on © OpenStreetMap
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.
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.
| Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| American Mink (Neovison vison) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Robin (Turdus migratorius) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| American Wigeon (Anas americana) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| European Common Blue (Polyommattus icarus) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Gadwall (Anas strepera) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Great Egret (Ardea alba) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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.
Cloudy autumn day at Rapids Park Lachine
2020-10-03
NIKON Z 6; NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S; Focal Length 70mm; Exposure 1/1600; Aperture f/6.3; Iso 140;
At beautiful autumn day in Rapids Park Lachine capturing the band of coloured leaves in between the waves of the rapids and the scattered clouds in the sky.
2019-10-12
NIKON Z 6; 50mm f/1.4; Focal Length 50mm; Exposure 1/500; Aperture f16.0; Iso 200;
2019-04-27
NIKON D500; AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G; Focal Length 50mm; Exposure 1/1600; Aperture f9.0; Iso 220;
Selfie taken at Rapids Park Lachine
2018-04-14
iPhone 7; iPhone 7 front camera 2.87mm f/2.2; Focal Length 2mm; Exposure 1/120; Aperture f/2.2; Iso 25;
2018-03-31
NIKON D500; TAMRON SP AF 150-600mm F5-6.3 VC USD A011N; Focal Length 150mm; Exposure 1/800; Aperture f10.0; Iso 280;
2018-01-07
NIKON D500; TAMRON SP AF 150-600mm F5-6.3 VC USD A011N; Focal Length 250mm; Exposure 1/640; Aperture f9.0; Iso 320;
2016-01-23
NIKON D7100; 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6; Focal Length 140mm; Exposure 1/1250; Aperture f5.6; Iso 200;
Middle pond of Rapids Park Lachine at sunset
2013-11-16
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS; 4.3-215mm; Focal Length 8mm; Exposure 1/250; Aperture f4.0; Iso 80;
Lower pond of Rapids Park Lachine with a few Canada geese at sunset
2013-11-16
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS; 4.3-215mm; Focal Length 4mm; Exposure 1/250; Aperture f4.0; Iso 80;
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 des Rapides.
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.