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Lachine Rapids / Ile-aux-hérons |
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Just upriver from the centre of Montréal lies one of the biggest heronries in the area. Also home to many species of ducks, some resident and some just passing through on migration north or south depending on the season. The Lachine Rapids contain the largest standing waves in the world, because the water volume and current do not change with respect to the permanent features in the riverbed, namely its shelf-like drops. Seasonal variation in the water flow does not change the situation of the waves. In the past these represented a considerable barrier to maritime traffic. Until the construction of the Lachine Canal through Montreal, the rapids had to be portaged. The Lachine Rapids are now passed by the South Shore Canal (Saint-Lambert and Côte Sainte-Catherine locks) of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. There is a major heronry which can be seen from the Lachine Rapids Park in Lasalle and from the St. Catherine Lock on the south shore. Birders will find large numbers of Great Blue Heron and BC Night-Herons, and a small colony of American Egrets.
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Montreal Island 