Urban Wildlife Montreal

How to photograph Wildlife when you live in the city?
Well, look everywhere for it. Sometime you can be surprised. Here is some Urban Wildlife photography in Montreal, Canada.

When I was living there, I didn’t have a car, and many time I wanted to escape from the buildings and traffic.
So, thanks to the Montreal Subway system and a couple of bus lines, or simply by walking, I was able to reach different parks on Montreal Island.
The idea is to show you that you can enjoy and respect Wildlife, closer than you think.

This first serie of photographs, presents you some animals I encountered walking in the streets of Montreal, or at the Wilfrid Laurier park, the Lafontaine park, the Botanical Garden, the Maisonneuve park, the Jean Drapeau park and along the Saint Lawrence River, even on the National park of Boucherville Islands.
A barred owl during a -30 degres day in winter, a Northern cardinal singing the Spring coming, a great blue heron fishing, or a flying white tailed deer!

Barred owl
F4, 1/500 sec, 200 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Bee on a flower
F1.8, 1/2500 sec, 50 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D

Bee gathering pollen on a flower
F5.6, 1/200 sec, 55 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Bees on a flower
F5.6, 1/200 sec, 55 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Cormorant on Lachine canal in Montreal
F6.3, 1/640 sec, 450 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D

Duck montreal
F4, 1/1600 sec, 172 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D

Ducks montreal
F7.1, 1/1600 sec, 200 mm, ISO1600, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Great blue heron botanical garden
F6.3, 1/800 sec, 200 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D

Great blue heron montreal
F4.5, 1/800 sec, 200 mm, ISO1250, Canon EOS 7D

Grey bird montreal
F6.3, 1/1600 sec, 500 mm, ISO320, Canon EOS 7D

Marmot montreal
F8, 1/500 sec, 109 mm, ISO400, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Northern cardinal bird
F6.3, 1/1600 sec, 500 mm, ISO320, Canon EOS 7D

Northern cardinal female
F6.3, 1/1600 sec, 500 mm, ISO320, Canon EOS 7D

Northern cardinal
F8, 1/160 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Pigeon drinking
F4, 1/5000 sec, 200 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Pigeon flying
F4, 1/8000 sec, 200 mm, ISO640, Canon EOS 7D

Red fox hunting at the Botanical Garden of Montreal
F4.5, 1/50 sec, 135 mm, ISO1600, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

White rat at Mount Royal park
F4, 1/400 sec, 200 mm, ISO1600, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

White tailed deer flying
F5.6, 1/1000 sec, 138 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

White tailed deer winter
F6.3, 1/1000 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Wide and famous, the Mount Royal park in the heart of Montreal, is not only invaded by people, but also by some urban Wildlife trying to survive is this really busy park.
Some areas are less known and visited, so you can enjoy a bit of Nature, while watching birds and mammals wandering around.
Lots of squirrels and super fast chipmunks are less scared of people (who feed them), and also some raccoons from time to time.
It’s not allowed to feed them, but people do it anyway… giving them the rest of their junk food, which is not healthy and helpful for the animals.
I was really surprised to be able to observe a barred owl and a red fox there. The owl was spotted during winter time. I like to walk in the snow and avoid crowded places, so it was nice to encounter it in “the woods”.

American robin
F5.6, 1/1250 sec, 203 mm, ISO400, Canon EOS 7D

Barred owl branch
F4, 1/130 sec, 145 mm, ISO6400, Canon EOS 7D

Barred owl
F4, 1/130 sec, 200 mm, ISO6400, Canon EOS 7D

Chipmunk eating
F8, 1/640 sec, 500 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D

Chipmunk food
F8, 1/640 sec, 500 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D

Chipmunk full mouth
F8, 1/640 sec, 500 mm, ISO320, Canon EOS 7D

Chipmunk hiding
F9, 1/250 sec, 200 mm, ISO1600, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Chipmunk looking
F6.3, 1/130 sec, 500 mm, ISO3200, Canon EOS 7D

Chipmunk portrait
F6.3, 1/800 sec, 500 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D

Chipmunk posing
F4, 1/500 sec, 200 mm, ISO1600, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Common redpoll
F6.3, 1/2000 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Hairy woodpecker
F6.3, 1/800 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Raccoon branch winter
F6.3, 1/2000 sec, 373 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Raccoon montreal
F4, 1/640 sec, 200 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Raccoons cudling
F4, 1/80 sec, 200 mm, ISO6400, Canon EOS 7D

It's possible to watch red foxes at the Mount Royal park
F6.3, 1/200 sec, 500 mm, ISO2500, Canon EOS 7D

Squirrel from under
F8, 1/640 sec, 70 mm, ISO640, Canon EOS 7D

Squirrel portrait
F8, 1/640 sec, 200 mm, ISO640, Canon EOS 7D

Squirrel winter
F6.3, 1/2000 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

White breasted nuthatch
F8, 1/640 sec, 373 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

The West side of Montreal Island, is my closest best place to escape from the city. The Cap Saint Jacques park (extended with the Morgan Arboretum and the Parc Agricole).
There you can walk peacefully and not see a single building around. I haven’t been there during Summer time as it can be busier, due to the beaches there.
It’s a wide area where you can have a stroll and spot red foxes, white tailed deers, raccoons, canadian geese etc.
I have photographied many birds there: great blue heron, blue jay, cardinal, turkey vulture, wood ducks, pileated woodpecker, northern harrier and other little birds, such as the black capped chickadee.
If you have some time and are patient, you can get some better photographs.
Many squirrels and chipmunks will spy you there, but they are more shy than the ones on Mount Royal Park.

Parc 035
F7.1, 1/500 sec, 200 mm, ISO320, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Bird arboretum montreal
F6.3, 1/1000 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Black capped chickadee
F6.3, 1/200 sec, 287 mm, ISO640, Canon EOS 7D

Blue jay
F6.3, 1/1600 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Canadian goose flying
F9, 1/1000 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Canadian goose landing
F8, 1/400 sec, 450 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Canadian goose portrait
F8, 1/400 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Chipmunk hide
F6.3, 1/1000 sec, 244 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Chipmunk montreal
F9, 1/400 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Frog close up
F2.8, 1/400 sec, 100 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Garpike longnose gar
F13, 1/250 sec, 50 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Garpike saint lawrence river
F13, 1/250 sec, 413 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Great blue heron
F7.1, 1/400 sec, 373 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D

Northern harrier
F5.6, 1/1000 sec, 203 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Northern leopard frog
F6.3, 1/200 sec, 500 mm, ISO1000, Canon EOS 7D

Northern map turtle
F13, 1/400 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Pileated woodpecker
F6.3, 1/1250 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Red fox grass
F8, 1/400 sec, 500 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D

Squirrel looking
F6.3, 1/1000 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Squirrel shade
F6.3, 1/500 sec, 500 mm, ISO400, Canon EOS 7D

Turkey vulture quebec
F5.6, 1/1250 sec, 138 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

White tailed deer prairie
F6.3, 1/500 sec, 500 mm, ISO1600, Canon EOS 7D

White tailed deer skull
F6.3, 1/3200 sec, 287 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

White tailed deer
F6.3, 1/400 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Wood ducks couple
F9, 1/1000 sec, 500 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

I hope you liked my photographs of the Urban Wildlife of Montreal. They are not all artistic or jaw dropping, but it’s simply to make you realise that Mother Nature is still willing to survive in our cities, and we have to protect her.
I know some Wildlife photographers would prefer to be deep in the woods, and so do I, but I wanted to show you an alternative when you live in a city and can’t go in the Wild all the time.

Take care and take pictures!