Discovering The Spencer Creek Trail

Often times, people travel up Cootes Drive heading out of Dundas unaware how close they are to an interesting and wildlife rich trail. The Spencer Creek Trail starts at the corner of Cootes Drive and Dundas Street and runs along the shoreline of Spencer Creek. With wooded marshland on one side and Spencer Creek on the other, this trial provides a great opportunity to see song birds and other wildlife.

Crossing Cootes Drive, the trail enters the South Shore Trails of Cootes Paradise which is managed by the Royal Botanical Gardens.

This trail continues to run between the West Pond and the shore of the creek leading you onto one of the largest rivermouth wetland deltas on Lake Ontario.
This area is a significant part of the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve and is home to more than 750 native plant species, 277 types of migratory birds, 37 mammal species, 14 reptile species, 9 amphibian species and 68 species of fish.

On a recent December walk, we observed many birds including a beautiful Blue Heron who continued to elude my attempts to take his picture. At least the mallards were a little more cooperative.

As you walk deeper into this rich marshland, you can’t but help but notice how quiet it becomes and it amazes you that while so close to the city, this area remains tranquil and abundant in wildlife.
Although beautiful at any time of year, the late fall and early winter provide the opportunity to view areas normally hidden by lush vegetation increasing the odds of viewing deer and other animals. I headed back from the trail determined to visit again in the summer, this time by kayak or canoe as water travel would provide even greater opportunities to explore. The Cootes Paradise Marsh is definitely an area I plan to visit again and again in the future.