Back in October we decided to go to Cootes Paradise. It was a place I had wanted to check out for some time and thought that the fall would be a wonderful time to visit.
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View from one of the lookout points
Photo by Andrew Almeida
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Cootes Paradise is a nature reserve located in Hamilton, Ontario. Occasionally referred to as Dundas Marsh, it is owned and operated by the Royal Botanical Gardens. It is named after Thomas Coote, a British Army Officer stationed in the area during the American Revolutionary War. Cootes Paradise has been designated as a National Historic Site, National Important Bird Area as well as an Important Amphibian and Reptile Area.
Currently, Cootes Paradise is undergoing restoration to restore it to it's natural oak savannah and marsh habitats to preserve it's varied inhabitants. Originally home to a variety of plant and animal life, it quickly declined in the late 19th century due to anthropogenic stresses placed on this sensitive ecosystem. Water pollution, overuse by humans and the introduction of carp into Lake Ontario quickly caused an imbalance and the marsh was nearly lost. In the 1990s, one of the largest wetland rehabilitation projects in North America was introduced by RBG as part of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan. It was called Project Paradise. This plan focused on water pollution, minimizing carp and reestablishing the native plants to the area.
Water quality and quantity was a major issue. Sewage and urban runoff caused high nutrient and sediment levels. Originally this area would flood seasonally, but water level regulation in Lake Ontario changed the flooding patterns.
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| Photo by Andrew Almeida |
Cootes Paradise Marsh is a biodiversity hotspot for fish. It is a seasonal fish nursery for Lake Ontario and functions as a natural fish hatchery. Thousands of fish migrate in the spring through the Fishway from the habour and lake to lay their eggs. The invasive carp caused an imbalance that threatened our native fish. The Fishway was constructed at the outlet of Cootes Paradise Marsh. It is a seasonally operated structure built to block the nonnative carp but still allow the spring migration of the native Lake Ontario fish to and from this critical spawning area.
As part of the revitalization plan, controlled burns were conducted to restore fields to it's original oak savannah ecosystem. This area has the highest concentration of plant species in Canada!
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Photo by Andrew Almeida
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Cootes Paradise is home to a variety of animal life. More than thirty species of mammals can be found in the area, including white-tailed deer, red fox, coyote, northern flying squirrels and southern flying squirrels to name a few.
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| Eastern Chipmunk |
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| American Red Squirrel |
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| American Red Squirrel |
Large populations and several species of turtles as well as frogs and snakes call Cootes Paradise home.
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Garter Snake
One of several seen during our hike in the woods
Photo by Andrew Almeida
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Due to it's location at the tip of Lake Ontario and in the Central and Mississippi Flyways, hundreds of bird species use Cootes Paradise, especially during the migration periods.
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Double-Crested Cormorant
Coming in for a landing...
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Double-Crested Cormorant
Perfect cormorant landing!
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Double-Crested Cormorant
Sunning themselves to dry off their feathers.
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| Double-Crested Cormorant |
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| Domestic Goose |
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| Domestic Goose |
Cootes Paradise is just that, a paradise that offers much to it's visitors. It is over 600 hectares with more than half being river-mouth marsh. There are sixteen creeks and 25 km of shoreline. You can walk along it's hiking trails or canoe or kayak into the marsh.
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| Photo by Andrew Almeida |
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| Photo by Andrew Almeida |
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| Photo by Andrew Almeida |
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| Photo by Andrew Almeida |
There are several access points into the nature reserve, we used Princess Point. This access point has a good number of parking spots; free for RBG members and pay and display for nonmembers. It offers 6 km of trails and connects to the Hamilton Waterfront Trail. It also has a canoe launch to the marsh.
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| Photo by Andrew Almeida |
This was our first visit to Cootes Paradise and we greatly enjoyed it! We walked along the Princess Point Trail, Ginger Valley Trail, part of the Ravine Road Trail and Sassafras Point Trail. I hope to return soon and explore more of the park. It really is a walk in Paradise!
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| Photo by Andrew Almeida |
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