​Our thanks to Kerry Wood Nature Centre for sharing some of the bird seed that was donated to them from Peavey Mart! We will use this seed in our feeders over the winter.

Monday, September 4th marks Ellis Bird Farm's final day open for 2017. We will be celebrating our 35th year open in the usual Closing Day festive manner, with live music from the Golden Music Makers out of Red Deer, a sale in our gift shop and all our exhibits open for display. We'll be open 11AM until 5PM, with the Golden Music Makers playing 1PM until 3PM. Come enjoy one last visit before we close for the winter. ​

Alisha Ritchie, who recently graduated with an MSc from the University of Manitoba, will be giving a summary of this thesis research at 11:30 AM. 

The Busy Martin: Factors Influencing Purple Martin Nest Activity 

Alisha will discuss some of the findings of her thesis, focusing her findings from the RFID work carried out at Ellis Bird Farm (EBF). She will compare nest activity at EBF with that at other colonies across North America. ​

Dear Myrna, Claudia, Shaylyn and Everyone,

As Writers, it is our pleasure to present our gift of appreciation to you for the wonderful day we had last Saturday at Ellis Bird Farm.

 With heartfelt appreciation,
 Jane and Writers of the August 8th Writing Retreat.


Click on  DOWNLOAD FILE  to view.
​

​Diane Cote of Red Deer generously donated a hand-painted feeder and thermometer holder to Ellis Bird Farm. These art items were built and decorated by Diane's sister, Denise Côté and her business partner Johanne Gagnon from Ste- Luce - sur – Mer, Quebec. More of her work can be found at   augraindebois@globetrotter.net

Our thanks to Ann Currie and team at Home Depot who generously donated a pallet of sunflower seeds to Ellis Bird Farm! Our sincere thanks. Also a big thanks to Ron Biel for picking up and delivering the seeds back to the farm. ​

Recently, Edmonton-based blogger Linda Hoang stopped by EBF as part of her road trip across Central Alberta. She visited a number of sites around Red Deer and Lacombe as part of an project to suggest and critique local travel options. She posted a glowing review of Ellis Bird Farm on her blog:

http://linda-hoang.com/explore-alberta-day-trip-ideas-for-red-deer-lacombe-county/
​

​Our 2017  live nestcam season has come to an end.  Thank you to all of you for helping to make it a success.  It proved to be a tremendous outreach tool with millions of views over the past weeks.
 
We have put together the following time lapse video to memorialize the season as well as be a teaching tool.  Please help us continue the outreach by sharing the video via your social media avenues.
 
Purple Martin Nest Timelapse
www.youtube.com
Watch as a nest of Purple Martins at the Purple Martin Conservation Association headquarters in Erie, PA progresses from eggs to fledglings.