Located behind Le Nichoir, the Clarke Sydenham nature reserve has been protected since 1991 when the land was donated for the protection of its habitats and birds by Amy and Marnie Clarke.
The 47 acre nature reserve is now owned by Nature Conservancy of Canada but is managed by the Town of Hudson.
The reserve contains a variety of habitats, such as old forests, temporary ponds, and fields. This variety supports a wide diversity of wildlife, including listed species such as the southern flying squirrel, bats, and chimney swifts.
The Clarke Sydenham nature reserve plays an important role for Le Nichoir. It offers a perfect area to release successfully rehabilitated wild birds into a protected place with abundant food sources. We also use the reserve during our education programs and activities.
With support from the Fondation Hydro-Québec pour l’environnement and the Fondation de la faune du Québec, Le Nichoir installed a series of interpretation panels explaining the different habitats and birds of the reserve. The panels can be viewed here:
View and download a map of the Clarke Sydenham nature reserve trails here:
View the checklist of the bird species observed in the nature reserve here:
If you are planning to visit the Clarke Sydenham nature reserve or to attend one of our activities, please:
- Dress appropriately for the activity and the weather. Some of the trails can be extremely muddy at certain times of the year.
- Protect yourself against biting insects, such as mosquitoes and ticks. These can be abundant in the reserve.
- Learn to recognize and avoid potentially harmful plants, such as poison ivy, stinging and wood nettle, giant hogweed and wild parsnip, as these are all present in the reserve.