Fauna Flora Photography

Parc des Rapides, Montreal

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.

Google Map

Map Location of Parc des Rapides

Based on © OpenStreetMap

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.

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.

SpeciesSpringSummerFallWinter
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) x - - x
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) x - - -
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) - x x -
Birds-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 - -

When specific species have been observed, identified, and recorded in this park.

Photos of Parc des Rapides

Parc des Rapides - Parc des Rapides - 2020-10-03
Parc des Rapides - Parc des Rapides - 2019-10-12
Parc des Rapides - Parc des Rapides - 2019-04-27
Parc des Rapides - Parc des Rapides - 2018-04-14
Parc des Rapides - Parc des Rapides - 2018-03-31
Parc des Rapides - Parc des Rapides - 2018-01-07
Parc des Rapides - Parc des Rapides - 2016-01-23
Parc des Rapides - Parc des Rapides - 2013-11-16
Parc des Rapides - Parc des Rapides - 2013-11-16

Last updated on 2024-03-14. 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 parks in the Montreal area.