Places to Visit

Festivals, Field Trips, Bird Observatories, Sanctuaries & Places to Visit:

• Beaverhill Bird Observatory: Located just outside of Tofield, the BBO is the 2nd oldest migration monitoring observatory in Canada, established in 1984. The BBO hosts two fantastic annual events: The Big Birding Breakfast + Steaks and Saw-whets, offering participants an opportunity to experience spring migration & saw-whet banding.
• Camrose Purple Martin Festival: Learn all about being a purple-martin landlord at this annual June event
• Clifford E Lee Nature Sanctuary: Just outside of Devon, watch waterfowl from the boardwalk & have chickadees eat from your hands in the Pine Knoll
• Edmonton & Area Land Trust: The EALT has secured and stewards 10 natural areas in the Edmonton region, all which can be explored by the public. (Donations can be made in store)
• Edmonton Horticultural Society: A vital part of gardening in Edmonton since 1909! With a speaker’s series, Front Yards in Bloom, and Annual Garden Tour, everyone has an opportunity to “stop and smell the roses”.
• Edmonton Nature Club: With study groups, speaker series, and field trips, the ENC can’t be beat for birding, botany, and bugs! Be sure to visit their calendar of events. ENC also organizes our Edmonton Christmas Bird Count
• The Snow Goose Festival in April is being relaunched by the town of Tofield
• Edmonton Outdoor Club: Bringing people together in a fun atmosphere OUTDOORS!
• Ellis Bird Farm: A lovely afternoon awaits in the gardens & cafe just outside of Lacombe. Lead biologist Myrna Pearman is the author of Backyard Bird Feeding: An Alberta Guide (a #1 seller at our store)
• Elk Island National Park: A short trip east on Highway 16 (35 min outside of Edmonton) allows you to enjoy a grand multitude of bird species (as heralded by the ENC’s Century Day) and a herd of bison during the day, and a great place to star-gaze and chase aurora at night in the heart of the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve
• Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas in Canada: Alberta is home to 48 IBAs
• John Janzen Nature Centre: Fun for the whole family right in Edmonton’s River Valley!
• Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory and the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation: Stay at The Nest and celebrate spring migration at the Annual Songbird Festival in May
• Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park: Located in Lac La Biche, this island is home to an old boreal forrest, perfect nesting grounds for warblers.
• UofA Botanic Gardens: A stunning 240-acre property located just 15 minutes southwest of Edmonton, with cultivated gardens and plant collections, indoor showhouses, and an extensive nature trail system. Don’t miss the butterfly house!
• Wings over the Rockies Festival: A full week of seminars & events takes place every May in Invermere, BC