Mountsberg Wildlife Centre

This is one of those few places that I would still remember if I had been here as a child. I love it when you can recall exact details and recapture the intense feelings you had as a younger version of yourself.  Although I had never been to Mountsberg as a child, something about this place just filled me with excitement and nostalgia.  I am pretty certain that it had something to do with the fact that the centre has animals of all kinds that you wouldn’t normally get to see on a hike in Ontario .  Sort of like a visit to the farm mashed up with a visit to a museum—one crazy school field trip (oh, by the way, the centre offers those too—for those of you who are teachers in search of an amazing trip for your class!)

The first time we visited Mountsberg was on a wet Sunday afternoon in March.  We pulled up in the parking lot and were alone—not that we were surprised—it was a Sunday and the park was set to close in about an hour. That being said, we raced into the visitor’s centre where there was tons of interpretive displays and pamphlets for the taking.  We chatted with one of the guides on duty and she gave us the “rundown” of the centre.  Among the many natural features of the park, you’ll also find: a raptor centre (with presentations and exhibits), a children’s play barn, a sugar bush in the springtime (complete with wagon rides, taffy on snow, and a pancake house) and bird-watching posts.  In the winter, you can skate right on the lake or take part in the many special events that the centre organizes.  Of course, the highlight of the visit for me was a walk through the bird sanctuary (recovery) and a walk along the “discovery path.”

Rob just loves opportunities to try new things with his camera.  While admiring the eagles, he decided to try his skill at taking pictures through a fence.  I decided to make eyes at the owls while he worked his photography magic.  All of the birds in the large cages (more like huts with two sides of fence!) are there to recover from an accident or injury.  Many of the birds are brought in from the Airport Authority or by locals who find the birds injured in the wild. 

Next, we were off on the 1 km path that would take us past animals like bison and elk—not the usual wildlife that we see on our hikes!  That was definitely something new and we spent some quality time just relaxing in the bird-watching blind that is set up overlooking the lake. Since it was March, we weren’t very lucky!

Though our March visit was quite short, it was a very enriching experience.

Official Geocaching Website

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I grew up in a little suburb of Quebec . As such, the tradition in my tiny French Immersion school was to take a trip to the “Cabane a Sucre ” (aka. Sugar Shack) each spring.  This was definitely THE trip of the year and we kids just couldn’t get enough of the wagon rides, running through the forest (dipping our fingers in the buckets when there weren’t too many bugs in them) and then sitting down to sing some Quebecois traditional songs between maple-dripping courses of home-cooked bliss. In retrospect, given the fact that every single bit of food at a Cabane a Sucre is made with maple sugar in some way, I just can’t believe the courage that my teachers had—imagine what it must have been like on the bus rides back to school!  Enough nostalgia—back to Mountsberg—I promise that there is a connection here!

We decided to come back almost a year later for Mountsberg’s Mapletowne celebrations.  Each year, the centre organizes its own “Cabane a Sucre” for the public to enjoy.  You can take an interpretive hike through the forest to learn about the maple syrup making process.  Then, you can take a wagon ride or perhaps take a little visit to the “Sugar Shack” for a taste of maple candy.  At scheduled times, you can savour freshly poured taffy over a bed of snow or enjoy a pancake feast.  For old times sake, I purchased some maple candies at the candy shop in Mapletowne to share with some of the Quebecers that I work with (they were VERY happy campers when they were greeted by the little nibbles of maple goodness on their desks Monday morning).

Mountsberg Wildlife Centre

www.conservationhalton.on.ca/mountsberg.html