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Welcome to Ellis Bird Farm

Located in the heart of central Alberta, Ellis Bird Farm is both a working farm as well as a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of Mountain Bluebirds, Tree Swallows and other native cavity-nesting birds. Drop-in visitors and tour groups are welcome at Ellis Bird Farm during the summer months, when we are open to the public. We invite you to stroll the trails, enjoy the beautiful gardens, see the world’s largest outdoor collection of bluebird nest boxes, take a tour out to our bluebird trail, visit the Visitor Centre and linger in the Ellis Café. Enjoy a country drive in Central Alberta. We invite you to visit us!

Hours of Operation
Ellis Bird Farm is now closed for the season. See you May 23rd-2016
Tuesday through Sunday11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Holiday Mondays11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Please note that Ellis Bird Farm is closed on Mondays
*Admission to EBF by drop-in visitors is by donation.
*Tour groups must book ahead.

We’re delighted to announce the new design of our website. It has a very user-friendly structure, resulting in a better visitor experience for all ages.

We also now have an online bookstore for you to shop, and new photo galleries for you to browse.

EBF is quiet and serene on the outside yet feverishly busy on the inside planning an exciting summer of events!

New Operator for the Ellis Café

Matt Burton met with EBF board members Bonnie Mullin and Gordon Johnson on February 2nd to sign the new Ellis Café Contract.

The Ellis Café (formerly the Ellis Bird Farm Teahouse) has a new operator! We are excited to
announce that our new operator is Matt Burton from Your Private Chef Ltd. Matt comes to the Ellis Café with a variety of culinary experiences, beginning with his training as a pastry and culinary chef in Montreal, Quebec. Matt has worked in many different restaurant settings over the years, most recently working his magic with bread at Cobs Bread Bakery.

Matt has a passion for fresh food and local ingredients, and he is excited to work with local producers to bring his vision for tasty and beautiful food to Ellis Bird Farm. We look forward to seeing (and tasting!) what he schemes up for the Ellis Café this season. Ellis Bird Farm opens for the 2016 season on May 23.

Ellie and Albert are back!

Last year's image. New ones coming soon.

Ellie and Albert, the resident pair of Great Horned Owls, are back at Ellis Bird Farm! One of them was first seen at the nest on January 27th! Albert has been spotted hanging out on the perch! Stay tuned for further announcements.

Live webcams are up and running. Enjoy!

Live Webcams

NABS Conference-July 8-10, 2016
Registration now open. Here

Tweets by @EllisBirdFarm

Ellis Bird Farm is very grateful to Brad Pears of Netsetter Wireless (a local wireless internet provider) for donating bandwidth so that we can stream our web cameras. We are grateful for this very generous support!
Get faster, smarter, more reliable internet access.
An Alberta company: www.netsetter.ca

BACKYARD BIRD FEEDING: An Alberta Guide
Ellis Bird Farm’s newest publication is available in our new online bookstore here.
When purchasing from our online bookstore, Myrna will be happy to "sign" this new book for you.
The proceeds from the sale of this book support the conservation, education and research programs of Ellis Bird Farm.
Media/ Press Kit for this book

Stores where you can purchase this book:

Right here on our website ( You can request a signed copy)
Ellis Bird Farm Visitor Centre - Gift Shop
Kerry Wood Nature Centre - Red Deer
Chapters - Red Deer
Co-op, Red Deer Home Centre - Riverside Drive
The Wildbird General Store - Edmonton
Westview Co-op - Eagle Hill Grocery & Farm Store
Rona - Sylvan Lake
Nowco Home Hardware - Lacombe
Hanna's Seeds - Lacombe
Second Glance Books - Lacombe
Central Alberta Coop Flower Shop - Lacombe
Meats and Sausage - Bashaw
Alix Home Hardware - Alix
South Side Greenhouse - Barrhead
Ponoka Bookstore - Ponoka
Peavey Marts - All stores in Alberta
The Wild Bird Store - Calgary
Spruce It Up Garden Centre - Calgary
Owl's Nest Books- Calgary- Britannia Shopping Plaza
Country Living & Garden Centre - Okotoks

·   Wheelbarrow
·   Household brooms
·   Yarn and plastic lacing cord
·   Clear plastic jars for bug collecting
·   Umbrellas to loan out to visitors on rainy days
·   Wooden or nature-based plastic beads for our school and day camp programs
·   Old fashioned one-speed bike (to keep the farmstead theme of EBF). This would be used for staff to open and close the gate and other errands around the site.
·   Leaf blowers
·   Bistro sets (small table, two chairs)

Thank you!