The Millrace, St Jacobs, Ontario

The Millrace, St. Jacobs, Ontario

The millrace was constructed in the 1860s, alongside the Conestogo River, to serve the power needs of the grist mill owned and operated by Jacob C. Snider.

Today it forms part of the Trans Canada Trail, and provides a pleasant 3 km round trip walk from the Village of St. Jacobs to the dam on the Conestogo River and back. In addition to fine birding, it offers a view of Mennonite life, as old order boys may be seen fishing on the river, or properly attired girls toboggan down the slopes in the winter. Each season brings its own set of delights. Spring is glorious as the avian populations are swelled by arriving migrants and Fall provides a panoply of stunning Fall colours. In the summer many nesting species can be discovered upon careful searching and typical winter denizens are Black-capped Chickadees, Red and White-breasted Nuthatches, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers and other typical species. Cedar Waxwings are easily found all year.

The farmers’ market in St. Jacobs is well worth a visit. It is open on Thursdays and Saturdays for most of the year, but is also open on Tuesdays during the summer. The village itself is filled with craft shops and other interesting stores, and is a magnet for tourists on the weekend.

At the Three Bridges Road end of the trail, Sundays bring a procession of Old Order Mennonites in a variety of horse-drawn carriages, on their way to a meeting house farther up the road.

In addition to excellent birding, St. Jacobs provides ample pleasures for non-birding members of a family, and is highly recommended to anyone visiting the area. We are fortunate to live close by and we enjoy walking the trail throughout the year.

A list of species we have observed there follows.

Species seen on the Millrace

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Canada Goose

Mallard

Northern Shoveler

Common Merganser

Turkey Vulture

Northern Harrier

Cooper’s Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk

Osprey

American Kestrel

Ruffed Grouse

Killdeer

Lesser Yellowlegs

Spotted Sandpiper

Ring-billed Gull

American Herring Gull

Caspian Tern

Mourning Dove

Common Pigeon

Chimney Swift

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Willow Flycatcher

Alder Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

Great-crested Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Red-eyed Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Blue-headed Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Horned Lark

Bank Swallow

Tree Swallow

Barn Swallow

Black-capped Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

House Wren

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

Hermit Thrush

Grey Catbird

European Starling

Cedar Waxwing

Nashville Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)

Black-throated Green Warbler

Black-and-White Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

Northern Cardinal

Indigo Bunting

American Tree Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Brown-headed Cowbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Rusty Blackbird

Common Grackle

Baltimore Oriole

House Finch

Common Redpoll

Pine Siskin

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow