Ellis Bird Farm
 | |
| Location | Lacombe, Alberta, Canada |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°23′25″N 113°36′15″W / 52.390163°N 113.604298°W |
| Type | open-air, agriculture |
| Website | Ellis Bird Farm |
History
Origin
The Ellis Bird Farm began with Charlie Ellis (1901-1990) and Winnie Ellis (1905-2004),[1] who inherited the family farm from their parents, John and Agnes. The farm Charlie and Winnie inherited was situated on land which ultimately became the Ellis Bird Farm.
Shortly after their parents' passing, Charlie began building a nesting box for a Mountain Bluebird. This small hobby grew into Charlie and Winnie’s life work. The two siblings rimmed the fields of their farm with more than 300 nest boxes for native birds (e.g., Mountain Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, Chickadees, Purple Martins).
Charlie and Winnie’s conservation efforts saw the Mountain Bluebird population on their farm grow from just a signal pair in 1956 to over 60 pairs in the 1970s.
As both Charlie and Winnie aged, Charlie feared that he would be unable to tend to “his” bluebirds. Around this time, an energy company, Union Carbide, was seeking a site on which to build a new ethylene glycol plant. A parcel of Charlie and Winnie’s land met Union Carbide’s particular requirements, and the company wanted to purchase it.
Union Carbide was willing to be legally bound to make provisions for the care of Charlie’s bluebirds at that time and into the future. Ellis Bird Farm was formed, a non-profit charitable company, which is, to this day, supported by industry.
Notable Naturalists
Myrna Pearman
The most influential person associated with Ellis Bird Farm is Myrna Pearman, a nature photographer, conservationist, environmental educator, and author. Myrna was the Biologist and Site Services Manager at Ellis Bird Farm (1987 to 2020). Ellis Bird Farm became a world-class conservation, education, and research centre under her leadership.
Role
The role of Ellis Bird Farm is to spearhead bird conservation, winter bird feeding, scientific studies, and education. The facilities’ bird conservation efforts place particular focus on Mountain Bluebirds and Tree Swallows.
Scientific Studies
| Authors | Year Published | Title | Journal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myrna Pearman and Leo De Groot | 2020 | Earlier Spring Arrival Of The Mountain Bluebird In Central Alberta, Canada[2] | Western Birds |
| Alisha Ritchie and Myrna Pearman | 2019 | Radio Tracking Mountain Bluebirds Visiting Neighbors’ Nests[3] | Western Birds |
| Auriel Fournier, Amanda Shave, Jason Fischer, Joe Siegrist, James Ray, Edward Cheskey, Megan MacIntosh, Alisha Ritchie, Myrna Pearman, Kelly Applegate, and Kevin Fraser | 2019 | Precise Direct Tracking And Remote Sensing Reveal The Use Of Forest Islands As Roost Sites By Purple Martins During Migration[4] | Journal of Field Ornithology |
| Kevin Fraser, Amanda Shave, Evelien De Greef, Joe Siegrist | 2019 | Individual Variability in Migration Timing Can Explain Long-Term, Population-Level Advances in a Songbird[5] | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| Glen Hvenegaard & Robyn Perkins | 2019 | Motivations, Commitment, And Turnover Of Bluebird Trail Managers[6] | Human Dimensions of Wildlife |
| Kevin Fraser, Amanda Shave, A. Savage, Alisha Ritchie, K. Bell, Joe Siegrist, James Ray, Kelly Applegate, Myrna Pearman | 2017 | Determining Fine-Scale Migratory Connectivity And Habitat Selection For A Migratory Songbird By Using New Gps Technology[7] | Journal of Avian Biology |
| Bridget Stutchbury, Raafia Siddiqui, Kelly Applegate, Glen Hvenegaard, Paul Mammenga, Nanette Mickle, Myrna Pearman, James Ray, Anne Savage, Tim Shaheen, Kevin Fraser | 2016 | Ecological Causes And Consequences Of Intratropical Migration In Temperate-Breeding Migratory Birds[8] | The American Naturalist |
Facility
The Ellis Bird Farm facility offers amenities to visitors, including a guest centre, tea house, trail systems, demonstration wildlife gardens, a picnic area, play areas, as well as tours and activities. The facility also lays claim to the oldest standing "seed elevator" in Alberta (a grain elevator built in 1937) and the "World's Largest" collection of functional bluebird nestboxes.
Guest Center
Currently, the guest centre offers visitors a venue in which they can listen to talks, purchase gifts, interact with exhibits, and visit the Fred Schutz Memorial Library.
Fred Schutz Memorial Library
The Fred Schutz Memorial Library at Ellis Bird Farm honours local scholar, writer, historian and naturalist, Fred Schutz (October 14, 1920 – March 27, 2019). The project was led by Myrna Pearman and was completed after Fred's death.
Now the Fred Schutz Memorial Library offers resources to those interested in conservation and local history. Ellis Bird Farm pays tribute to Fred by showcasing his work on their website and selling his book (West Of The Blindman: Observations Of A Half Century).
Trail Systems
The Ellis Bird Farm offers visitors a collection of self-guided trails. The surfaces of trail paths are mulch or recycled tires, making them accessible to seniors (who may or may not have bad knees) and those with mobility challenges. The trail systems have play areas, seating, and butterfly gardens along its perimeter providing a family-friendly activity.
Picnic Areas
The picnic area at Ellis Bird Farm allows visitors to stay for longer durations; such spaces were designed to meet the need of visitors traveling from the surrounding area to visit Ellis Bird Farm. Many visitors pack their own picnics, but some purchase food from the Ellis Bird Farm Tea House (also called Ellis Cafe).
See also
References
- ^ "History". Ellis Bird Farm. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
- ^ Pearman, Myrna; de Groot, Leo; Holroyd, Geoffrey L.; Thunberg, Stephanie (2020-02-29). "Earlier Spring Arrival of the Mountain Bluebird in Central Alberta, Canada". Western Birds. 51 (1): 47–58. doi:10.21199/wb51.1.4. ISSN 0045-3897. S2CID 216392043.
- ^ Ritchie, Alisha; Pearman, Myrna (2019-06-03). "Radio Tracking Mountain Bluebirds Visiting Neighbors' Nests". Western Birds. 50 (2): 92–97. doi:10.21199/wb50.2.3. ISSN 0045-3897.
- ^ Fournier, Auriel M. V.; Shave, Amanda; Fischer, Jason; Siegrist, Joe; Ray, James; Cheskey, Edward; MacIntosh, Megan; Ritchie, Alisha; Pearman, Myrna; Applegate, Kelly; Fraser, Kevin (2019-07-31). "Precise direct tracking and remote sensing reveal the use of forest islands as roost sites by Purple Martins during migration". Journal of Field Ornithology. 90 (3): 258–265. doi:10.1111/jofo.12298. ISSN 0273-8570. S2CID 201208405.
- ^ Fraser, Kevin C.; Shave, Amanda; de Greef, Evelien; Siegrist, Joseph; Garroway, Colin J. (2019-09-06). "Individual Variability in Migration Timing Can Explain Long-Term, Population-Level Advances in a Songbird". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 7. doi:10.3389/fevo.2019.00324. ISSN 2296-701X.
- ^ Hvenegaard, Glen T.; Perkins, Robyn (April 2019). "Motivations, commitment, and turnover of bluebird trail managers". Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 24 (3): 250–266. doi:10.1080/10871209.2019.1598521. ISSN 1087-1209. S2CID 150955546.
- ^ Fraser, K. C.; Shave, A.; Savage, A.; Ritchie, A.; Bell, K.; Siegrist, J.; Ray, J. D.; Applegate, K.; Pearman, M. (2017-01-23). "Determining fine-scale migratory connectivity and habitat selection for a migratory songbird by using new GPS technology". Journal of Avian Biology. 48 (3): 339–345. doi:10.1111/jav.01091. ISSN 0908-8857.
- ^ Stutchbury, Bridget J. M.; Siddiqui, Raafia; Applegate, Kelly; Hvenegaard, Glen T.; Mammenga, Paul; Mickle, Nanette; Pearman, Myrna; Ray, James D.; Savage, Anne; Shaheen, Tim; Fraser, Kevin C. (September 2016). "Ecological Causes and Consequences of Intratropical Migration in Temperate-Breeding Migratory Birds". The American Naturalist. 188 (S1): S28–S40. doi:10.1086/687531. ISSN 0003-0147. PMID 27513909. S2CID 3932310.
External links
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