​The Central Alberta Photographic Society from Red Deer visited the Ellis Bird Farm on Wednesday evening, July 20 as 18 club members took in the greenery and its feathered denizens.  Myrna was very kind to open the Farm especially for them in the evening.  The event started off with “golden hour” sunshine, so beloved by photographers, which continued to beam down on the group for the full 10 minutes during which a rain storm hit that saw the members all scamper for cover in the site's buildings!  But after the storm passed a beautiful full rainbow filled the sky to the east and the fresh air and water droplets on the flowers all contributed to some great photography.  The 100 families of nesting purple martins chirped away constantly as they fed their soon to fledge young, and many other bird species put in appearances for the shooters.  A special but short-lived treat was the appearance of a long-tailed weasel.  Perennial stars of the visit to the site were again the goats who proved very friendly to the photographers as usual.  The evening was truly beautiful after the rain and some members of the club lingered on until well after 9:00, photographing 4 young barn swallows being fed by their parents right above the main entrance.  Very much appreciated was the provision of coffee, lemonade and cookies by EF to keep up the club members’ strength while they pressed those shutter buttons over and over.
This was a repeat visit as the club also had an outing to EBF the year before, and judging from the interest at this current outing, they may well ask to come again next year.
​ -Leo de Groot

EBF had a very successful BIo Blitz on Saturday July 23. Our thanks to Susanne Maidment, Larry Roy, Tim Showalter, Judy Boyd (and Otis from Medicine River Wildlife Centre) and Janessa Matthew (Red Deer River Watershed Alliance) for sharing their knowledge and expertise with our visitors!

JULY 23 - SATURDAY  - Ellis Bird Farm  Bio Blitz 1-3 PM 
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This free, fun and interactive event will focus on learning about our wild neighbors. Biologists will be on site to share their expertise on “Owls and Others”. 
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-Meet "Otis the Owl" from the Medicine River Wildlife Centre
-Local bird expert Judy Boyd  
- Susan Maidment will be demonstrating hummingbird banding techniques.
-Owl pellets by Tim Schowalter 
-Animal scats and signs by Larry Roy 
-Site tours to learn about the plants and animals of Ellis Bird Farm will be offered at 1 PM and 2 PM.

​Don't miss this exciting day at Ellis Bird Farm!

Mrs. Squirrel is nesting in a nestbox beside the grain elevator. 5 babies! 
​Watch them here

Canadian Wildlife Federation  video about pollinators.
​Watch video here.
Canadian Wildlife Federation website here.