Parc National de Plaisance

I found Parc National de Plaisance almost by accident, looking for something to do on the Outaouais side of the Ottawa River between Montebello and the Ontario border, and it turned out to be one of the better wetland parks I’ve visited anywhere. The park protects a wide delta where several small rivers — the Petite Nation and the Ottawa itself — spread into marsh, flooded forest, and open bay, creating exactly the kind of shallow, food-rich habitat migratory birds need. More than 280 species have been recorded here, which for a small provincial park is a remarkable number, and the reason becomes obvious once you’re paddling through the channels: the marsh grass alone supports an entire food web you can watch happening in real time.

We rented a canoe at the park’s put-in and spent a morning threading through the flooded silver maple forest that borders the open marsh — a genuinely strange landscape, tree trunks rising directly out of still water, the canopy filtering light down onto channels barely wider than the boat. Great blue herons stood motionless in the shallows at almost every bend, unbothered by the canoe passing within a few metres, and at one point a family of common terns worked the open water beside us, diving repeatedly for small fish. Spring and fall bring enormous numbers of waterfowl using the delta as a stopover on the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways — tundra swans in particular pass through in striking numbers during migration.

There’s an observation tower near the park entrance that gives a wide view over the whole delta, useful for orienting yourself before heading out on the water, and several short walking trails through the upland forest for anyone who’d rather stay dry.

When to go: Spring (April-May) and fall (September-October) for peak bird migration, when the numbers of waterfowl on the delta are highest. Summer is better for canoeing and calmer water levels, though bird activity is quieter.