Ellis Bird Farm, Open-air museum in Lacombe, Canada
Ellis Bird Farm is an open-air museum set across 480 acres with gardens, wetlands, and nature trails. The site includes a visitor center focused on bird research and sustainable farming practices.
The property began as a family farm in 1906 and gradually transformed into a research facility over several decades. This shift reflected the growing focus on bird conservation and sustainable agricultural methods.
Charlie Ellis began placing nest boxes for mountain bluebirds in the 1950s and later added boxes for tree swallows, black-capped chickadees, purple martins and flickers. By the late 1970s the farm recorded the highest density of nesting bluebirds. A wall of birdhouses built from a historic grain elevator stands on the grounds, and the Bluebird Festival and Bug Jamboree bring visitors together each year.
The centre lies near Joffre, Alberta, off the road between Lacombe and Blackfalds, with parking on site. Paths lead from the gardens and wetlands to the nature trails and the grain elevator birdhouse wall. The Bug Jamboree and Bluebird Festival draw families in season; check ahead before travelling, as the grounds are not open year-round.
Selected nest boxes feature solar-powered cameras that record the complete nesting cycle of Mountain Bluebirds. These real-time observations reveal rare glimpses into daily behavior and breeding patterns that rarely appear in field studies.
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