Fauna Flora Photography

Parc Île-de-la-Visitation, Montreal

An urban park located along Prairies River which flows between Island of Montreal and Island of Laval. It is a popular park.

How to Get Here

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.

Google Map

Map Location of Parc Île-de-la-Visitation

Based on © OpenStreetMap

Photography Tips

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)

What to See Here

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.

SpeciesSpringSummerFallWinter
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) x - - -
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) x - - -
American Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) x - - -
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) x - - -
Bitter Wintercress (Barbara vulgaris) x - - -
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) x - - -
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) x - - -
Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) x - - -
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) x - - -
Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus) x - - -
Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) x - - -
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) x - - -
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) x - - -
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) x - - -
Woolly Blue Violet (Viola sororia) x - - -

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

Photos of Parc Île-de-la-Visitation

Parc Île-de-la-Visitation - Parc Île-de-la-Visitation - 2019-08-04
Parc Île-de-la-Visitation - Parc Île-de-la-Visitation - 2019-05-07
Parc Île-de-la-Visitation - Parc Île-de-la-Visitation - 2016-03-21

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.