The Canard River is a tributary and watershed of the Detroit River located at the western end of Essex County in southwestern Ontario. Hugging the shoulders of the river is the town of River Canard, an early 18th century French colonial settlement and historically known for the location of “The Battle of River Canard”, a series of skirmishes that took place during the very early days of the War of 1812. Today the town of River Canard has a population of around 500 with noticeable features that include an arch shaped bridge, the beautiful St. Joseph Catholic Church, and for us a free public launch.
We decided to take our canoe out for a morning paddle with the plan to head east and then south/southeast as far as the river would allow us. It was a sunny and cool morning for mid July with a slight breeze out of the east. Lathering up on sunscreen we started from the public launch at River Canard Park. Turning the canoe east in a slight but refreshing headwind, we paddled under the arch shaped bridge, leaning back as far as we could as to not hit our heads.
Like all of Essex County, the river is shouldered by developed land including both houses and open farmland. If you think you’re in for a secluded paddle with no signs of people you will not find it along this stretch of the Canard River. As we paddled east out of town we see a road along the north shore, and soon the sound and sight of a low flying plane as we are close to an airport. Even with all these distractions we could still hear the sound of a paddle slicing through the water which in itself is therapeutic from the constructed reality that immediately surrounds us.
As for wildlife, along the first stretch of the river we located a few basking turtles and some Canada Geese just chilling along the shoreline next to Canard Drive. With their large dinner plate leaves, a big patch of American Lotus was a neat find, though no flowers were in bloom. Once in a while we would flush a Spotted Sandpiper and with a high pitched “peet weet!” it would land further up along the shore, bobbing its tail as it continued to stalk for invertebrates in the muddy shallows.
After a big S curve we began to paddle south and southeast. Here the river gradually narrows and eventually we loose sight of the road, though we do go under a few bridges, both public roads and private ones that lead to private property. Speaking of private property, the entire stretch of river we were on had its fair share of “private property” signs and we saw some pretty impressive homes.
The most impressive “home” we observed was one not of a human, but of a Bald Eagle with 2 young eaglets. This was a massive nest and the young were out on neighbouring branches. Pretty soon they will test their wings and later patrol the skies beyond their temporary home.
Another highlight was a basking Northern Watersnake which allowed us to take some photos before retreating to the water.
Perhaps the oddest fauna we encountered were a pair of Pekin Ducks where the river continued to narrow. Besides a group of Wood Duck ducklings that didn’t seem to have either parents nearby, this was the only other duck we saw during our whole paddle!
After entertaining ourselves with the canards, which seemed to think we were going to give them a handout, we continued on our way. As the river narrowed it also got shallower and our paddles hit bottom a few times. Rounding corner after corner we soon came up to a big blowdown, a sure sign its peanut butter jelly time – good thing we brought some. We have been out for about two hours now, and on our last water bottle, so we decided to forego the lift over and made our way back towards River Canard.
The paddle back was a warm one. The breeze was no longer in our faces and the sun felt hot. The call of an Osprey flying over head lead our eyes to the direction of its nest which looked to be a cellphone tower along Malden Road just east of town. As we got closer to River Canard we saw many people out in kayaks. Between the canoeists and the kayakers that frequent the waters of Essex County, we are definitely the minority in the canoe. Come to think of it, we are probably the minority around here if you include standup paddleboards as well.
Leaning back as we paddled under the bridge again we eventually returned to the launch to finish our near three and a half hour paddle. Strapping the canoe back on the car, we went out for lunch and some ice cream!
Though you don’t get quite the solitude along the Canard River like you would in other places in Essex County such as Big Creek, its always nice to be able to get out on the water for a morning paddle.
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