Staycation Alberta: On the hunt for the Mysterious Mountain Bluebird

I’ll admit it – I’m officially a birder. I go to great effort to keep my backyard birds happy with a fountain, bird bath and a varied selection of seed and suet. Whenever I go out on a hike or find myself outdoors, I’m always interested in the birds I see. One of my greatest joys is just sitting outside and watching and listening to the birds.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a place called Ellis Bird Farm, not far from Blackfalds, Alberta. They came up in my facebook feed advertising bluebird tours. First things first – I didn’t know that we had bluebirds of any kind in Alberta. Secondly, I’d never hear of Ellis Bird Farm, but I was intrigued enough to immediately sign up for the free tour advertised.

Ellis Bird Farm began in 1982 to carry on the legacy of Charlie and Winnie Ellis, conservationists who originally owned the farm. The Ellis’ at the time operated one of the largest bluebird trails in Canada. The farm today is a haven for birds of all kinds, as well as rabbits, ground squirrels, beavers and many other types of wildlife. It also serves as a research centre for mountain bluebirds and other bird species.

I arrived for our guided Bluebird tour provided by Lucas, one of the researchers working at the farm. I knew nothing about bluebirds; I’d never seen one and thought they were a species that only lived further south or east than Alberta. The mountain bluebird is a small migratory thrush with the males being a vivid blue color and females a much less impressive shade of grey with a bit of blue on the wings. Their range is actually quite expansive, migrating down to Mexico in the winter and as far as Alaska for breeding in the spring and summer.

Many mountain bluebirds will nest in nest boxes, of which Ellis Farm has set up all over central Alberta. Researchers check these boxes and record data about population and breeding. Unfortunately, as was explained by Lucas, the number of bluebirds that came to Alberta this year, was significantly less than normal, possibly due to the bad storms Texas had earlier in the year.

Just because we were on a bluebird tour, I wasn’t confident we’d actually see any; nature can be fickle, and I’m a bit cynical when it comes to promised wildlife experiences. Either way, I was excited to get my bird nerd on and learn about a new type I’d never seen before.

Lucas took us out on one of the trails to a nest box where he said if we just waited patiently, the male and female mountain bluebird would show up shortly to feed the nestlings he knew were in the box. Just like clockwork, dad, and then mom showed up to feed the babies! They are absolutely beautiful birds who aren’t overly shy of human activity so they made excellent photography subjects. The tour took us to two other nest box sites a few kilometers down the road from the farm with more of the promised birds.

We were thrilled to actually see all of the bluebirds on the tour. Turns out the biologists who study the birds have a pretty good idea of their behavior, and therefore a high chance of successfully finding them. Yay science! After we’d had our fill of the bluebirds, we headed back to the farm and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring. We had lunch provided by The Peppered Elk food truck, found lots more birds and animals and checked out the information/gift shop. The staff were all friendly and knowledgeable. There is so much to do here. The grounds are gorgeous and one can just walk around for an entire day. A quick stop at the website will tell you about all of the fun activities for kids and adults; birding tours, photography workshops, bird banding demonstrations, birdhouse building, hummingbird planter workshops and kids camps.

If you’re looking for a great day trip in Alberta, I can’t say enough great things about this farm. It’s fun and peaceful and a wonderful wildlife refuge. Make some plans to visit this gem. I certainly plan on a return visit.

Until next time, safe and happy travels either exploring your own back yard, or the world beyond.

L