Upcoming Events

It’s time to REDISCOVER Wildbird General Store!
Located at 4712-99St since 1995, we’ve undergone major store renovations!

The Letourneau centre is celebrating an exterior refresh with a tent sale 10am-2pm.

We’ll have samples & a $100 gift card draw at our tent!

@bullyfoodtruckinc will be on site from 11-1pm! We’ve been fans for years! Choose from famous Bully Mac & Cheese, burgers & wraps. Yum!

#WildbirdGeneralStore
#MoreThanJustBirdSeed
#LocalandIndependent

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EARLIER EVENTS

JOHN ACORN BOOK SIGNING

SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 11am- 1pm

Join us at our first event of 2020 as we celebrate turning 30! Our favourite “Nature Nut”, John Acorn will be in store to sign copies of the ever loved, newly reprinted “Birds of Alberta”. Get a new copy before yours falls apart & treat new birders to a keepsake gift!

Take the opportunity to look around our 2700+ sqft of retail space before we do renos (our Nature Kids’ Korner will be expanding in a BIG way). Always EVERYTHING backyard birding, we’ve also been recognized as Edmonton’s best gift shop!

#BirdNerdTribe #MoreThanJustBirdseed #ShopLocal

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PAST EVENTS:

ANNUAL SPRING & FALL OPEN HOUSE w FEATHERED FRIENDS

Dr. Gordon Court, Provincial Wildlife Status Biologist – Species at Risk

with Vinnie the Peregrine falcon

**Avenue Magazine: Expert: What I Know About …. Falcons** (Photo by Richard Siemens)

with Ray the Great Grey Owl

Beaverhill Bird Observatory with Rickie the Northern Saw-whet Owl

DR. DAVID BIRD VISIT

We had the great pleasure of hosting renowned Canadian ornithologist and author Dr. David Bird at our store on October 18, 2018.

Before we even had a chance to ask Dr. Bird what he thought of our little store, he took us by surprise by declaring:

“The Wildbird General Store is the best nature store I’ve ever seen, anywhere on the globe”

Widely known as a regular contributor to Bird Watcher’s Digest and Canadian Wildlife, and consultant editor on Birds of Canada and Birds of Western Canada (DK), Dr. Bird recently retired as Professor Emititus of Wildlife Biology and Director of the Avian Science and Conservation Centre of McGill University.

Dr. Bird has published 200 peer-reviewed papers on a wide range of wildlife themes, including endangered species, toxicology, captive propagation of birds of prey, human-wildlife conflicts, and today, the application of drones to wildlife research and conservation.

Having served as president of both the Raptor Research Foundation and Society of Canadian Ornithologists and on the board of directors for the American Birding Association, we are greatly honored to have Dr. Bird visit Edmonton at The Wildbird General Store.

RECOGNITION OF THE CANADA JAY AS CANADA’S NATIONAL BIRD

You may have heard the the Royal Canadian Geographical Society held a competition to name a National Bird, and chose the Gray Jay, Perisoreus canadensis, (now renamed the Canada Jay, again), as the winner, just in time for Canada’s 150th Celebration. But the Government of Canada isn’t interested in naming a National Bird! So Dr. Bird is on a mission (which may include a cross-country walk in 2020, which he’s calling the Jay Walk) to change the minds of those in charge. He doesn’t really want to have to do the walk, so we’re trying to figure out ways to help!

Reasons the Canada Jay should be Officially recognized as Canada’s National Bird:

Perisoreus canadensis is once again called the Canada Jay by ornithologists, its French name has always been “mésangeai du Canada”
Very hardy like all Canadians, having adapted itself to living in very cold regions and even nesting in temperatures of -30 C
It would have greeted the first Canadians – It figures strongly in First Nations folklore; the name “whiskyjack” or derived from Algonquin, Cree and/or Innu mythology, meaning “mischievous prankster or trickster”; however, loved for its habit of warning about danger in the forest
Extremely friendly toward people (like all Canadians), easily coming to the hand for treats
Found in all thirteen provinces and territories; the Canada Jay is only found in a limited part of the US. Not a circumpolar species, i.e. not found in other northern countries (as is the Snowy Owl). Stays in Canada year-round, i.e. not a “snowbird” like the common loon
Not already an official bird species for any of the ten provinces and recognized territories nor any other country (Common Loon is Ontario’s bird; Snowy Owl is Quebec’s bird)
Not regarded as an obnoxious or nuisance species (like the Canada goose which is hated in the U.S., the UK, and even in Canada itself! Not a hunted species.

CATS & BIRDS

A diplomatic presentation on helping cat-lovers and bird-lovers understand the dilemma and how we can improve the lives of both.

ALL ABOUT BIRDS

Are birds really “bird‑brains”? Can eagles see farther than humans?Why are most owls as blind as we are on a dark night? How does a kestrel use ultraviolet light to catch mice Which birds smell the best?

These are just some of the questions that Dr. David Bird will answer in his humourous but educational slide show on the sensory ecology of birds. Remove those beautiful coats of feathers and you’ll discover that birds have some of the most incredible physical and physiological adaptations to keep them in tune with their environment and with each other.

Once you’ve heard Dr. Bird’s talk, you’ll never look at birds in the same way again!