Reviews of Ellis Bird Farm (Zoo)

Paul Thorne

Very nice place to enjoy a walk

Halina J. Beaulieu

It's a paradise for nature lovers.

BWEEVA ART STUDIO

We visited the Ellis Park on Father's Day! We had a fabulous day. BEAUTIFUL! We will definitely be back again next year. ????????

Micah Robinson

Nice spot to see birds, and all the flowers. Gets busy in the afternoon. Go early.

Antony Magee

Lovely place to spend a summer afternoon

Ray Findlay

Beautiful little place to visit...fun for the entire family!

celetops

I use to live around the country of Joffre when I was a child. And around that time the school takes me and my friends to this great farm of Ellis Bird Farm. This place has wide open spaces, plenty of fresh air and the sceneries are a good site to see of farm lands all over. This place can become educational to those who seek the knowledge of birds and animals of the wildlife. It holds many treasures and memories for folks to learn and to never forget. The best part of this place is it's famous Tea house to those who seek some refreshments. Like tea, coffee, or perhaps some nice lunch. Like wraps, sandwich's, salads, you name it. Of course there is a ice cream stand to those who got a sweet tooth in there mouths. Above all, it's a great place to come and get away from the city life for the day. Can even bring your own picnic out there to enjoy on a nice summer day. And of course to enjoy the birds on the farm and the wildlife ^^

Vaughn Kachanoski

What a great establishment for everyone to come enjoy and learn about nature and birds. The site is handicapped accessible and includes an interpretative walk, butterfly gardens and ponds for kids to investigate the bugs. Highly recommended family day trip!

Mike Takkinen

Lovely oasis in Central Alberta. The views and sounds and presentations were very high quality. Our lunch was a bit of a disappointment for the price and it would have been nice to have a glass of wine but the patio location was great

Tate Mushroom

Good place for everyone

Rebecca Mockford

Such a peaceful place to be. People will appreciate the friendly staff and serene surroundings. Also a great educational place to bring the kids.

Kayla Teeuwen

Such a lovely place to enjoy nature. The bird houses throughout are so pretty and the property is obviously very well cared for. The tea house has wonderful lattes, teas, and small bites like dessert and salads. The scone with preserves and cream was delicious!

Mariia Khimych

Beautiful place

Lisa Stevens

Awesome place to take kids!

Ken Coulton

This was our second year visiting Ellis bird farm. Our daughter really enjoys the chance to interact with nature. My wife and I enjoy the tea house, most notably the pies.

Paul Bryden

Hidden jewel in Central Alberta, don't let the neighbours dissuade you from stopping and taking in this unique bird sanctuary. Take a picnic or pop into the tea house for gourmet food. Don't forget the ice cream!

Renee Dierdorff

Such a great place! Highly recommend!

Helena B

We visited today and was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful this place is. Not only can you see purple martens but the grounds are lovely for a stroll or a hangout. Accessible paths, shop and pond areas, I was smitten. The sounds of the birds is glorious. Thank you to the young people counting the eggs and babies for allowing us to peak to see babies! Very kind atmosphere.

Reid Johnston

The Ellis Bird farm is a wonderful place to take students on a school field trip.

Lindsay L

Nice hidden gem! It has really come along nicely since I was a kid too :). Worth the (short) drive for sure!

Allen Gregory

I enjoy the Ellis Bird Farm; the staff are friendly, and there are so many interesting things to see. A word of caution, though - wear long pants, as there are toxic nettles that grow in between the old elevator and the tea house, and possibly in other areas as well. I brushed my bare legs against some not knowing what they were, and had breathing problems for a few minutes afterwards. But as long as you watch where you are going you should be fine.

Randi Dee

Beautiful place to enjoy a relaxing walk with family. So much to look at and staff are all very friendly.

marion herbert

Great family spot to spend the day including lunch at the tea house and lots of interesting information on birding.

Donald Snell

The birds songs bring peace to the heart.

Mike Schell

We took a group of college staff to the Bird Farm. It was a big hit but we didn't allow enough time to bombard Myrna with questions, let alone check out the tea house before getting back on the bus. However, the grounds are amazing, the critters fascinating, and the staff very knowledgeable. Great job!

Emily Neis

This is a lovely place to visit if you are in the Lacombe area. The gardens are well maintained and there is a lot of native birds to watch. There are a number of trails that allow you to discover the area. Great place to bring children and allow them to experience nature.

Scott Wilson

Great spot to watch birds. Accessible for all ages. Visit regularly and always worth the trip.

Don Johnson

Birds everywhere! Very educational with a country feel.

Bethany Pasma

Beautiful place to enjoy some outside time, watch birds swoop in and out, admire flowers, learn some new things.

Trina Gerlitz

Ellis tea house is a great treat

Clinton Beranek

Very lovely gardens with lots of wildlife. Enjoyable place to be.

Paul Bryden

Hidden jewel in Central Alberta, don't let the neighbours dissuade you from stopping and taking in this unique bird sanctuary. Take a picnic or pop into the tea house for gourmet food. Don't forget the ice cream!

Jay F. Kruszewski

It was lovely! The birds and goats were adorable! I highly reccomend sitting still on a bench and watching the bird-feeders!

Bob McInnis

Disappointed at the lack of bird diversity and that there was nothing left in the tearoom. Chalking it up to wrong time of year.

Dipan Das

Love this place, so tranquil yet busy. There are so many species of birds to see. Bird lovers paradise. Already been there twice, will visit again next year.

Melissa Schulze

What a great place to go for walks, birdwatch or simply take the kids for an outing. I’m really happy they extended their season this year

Teo Melchionno

Beautiful reserve!! If you are looking to spend a couple of hours outdoors, and your in central Alberta, this is the place to go! Love it!

Shelly Macleod

Excellent area for birdwatching.

Lindsay Wagensveld

Great spot for a family outing and picnic!

Lanaea Fleet

Always love coming here. Very peaceful

Oscar Pearson

Absolutely beautiful. Went on a Sunday afternoon and the place wasn’t even busy. Great place to sit for an afternoon and relax to the sound of birds.

Sanction Extremis

Love the goats!

Stacy Smith

A neat place to spend the afternoon with nature. Lots to discover and experience for kids and adults alike! Beautiful trails in the Autumn.

Tammy Mast

Loveley place. However, can't help but feel this is the consolation prize for the environmental damage caused across the road.

Sarah Fahey

Such a great place to go and spend an afternoon! Highly recommend! ????

Leo de Groot

A wonderful place for the nature lover. Birds abound, beavers build dams in the ponds and have young ones each year, owls nest and raise young in the spring, domestic goats and sheep entertain children, and flower lovers will enjoy the great planted beds. All of this in a quiet, pastoral setting in Central Alberta farmland.

Rene Jaspar

Great Bird Sanctuary near Black falls, Awesome tourist attraction Free admission, seasonal, good little Restaurant, ideal for bird watching,

Marcel Randall

Beautiful place, nice for a simple hike. Well maintained, and the scenery is beautiful

Marcel Randall

Beautiful place, nice for a simple hike. Well maintained, and the scenery is beautiful

John Hillis

Want a free adventure for the whole family? Great place to get educated about our local bird's.

Janice McDonald

I love this place. Beautiful, full of birds and walking paths. My children love the pond where they dip and catch little insects. The workers are knowable and friendly. Great place to take your family.

Lee Kempster

Absolutely great way to spend a Summer afternoon

Nelly Beans

We love coming to Ellis Bird Farm. They have lovely walking paths and you can see all kinds of birds. They also have a bug area where you can use nets to catch different insects and water creatures to look at and discuss. We caught snails, a leech, a whirligig beetle and many others. The kids especially enjoyed that part.

Jaeson Cardiff

It's a great place to bring your family

Danelle Wright

We really enjoyed the new addition of the natural playground at Ellis Bird Farm for our kids. Everything is made out of wood, and not a packaged design. It's very unique, and appears like most of the building structure (such as the playhouse and raised treehouse/platform) is hand-hewn lumber. They have old bowls, saucers, pots, and tins lying around for the children to be creative with. Also two child sized wheelbarrows, a broom, numerous sized rocks and boards to make their own balancing beams and creations, among other things. It shouldn't have, but surprised me how long my 8 and 5 year old played for. This is what a playground should look like! It's so perfect for encouraging creative play.

Darren Kirby

Fantastic place, and a must visit for every birder in Alberta and farther.

Sunanda Varghese

Beautiful place to visit with young kids

Mildred Schellenberg

Great gardens lots of birds beautiful trails

Angela Ca

I love this place and the staff is awesome!!

Kendall Hamilton

Lovely experience, and fun for the whole family. Since features are l'initier with covid restrictions, but there are still enough things to do that you could spend an entire afternoon here. Consession is available, and price is by donation.

Robert Mudde

Great place. A gem of a spot near Blackfalds! Lots to explore. Birds everywhere, great gardens and friendly staff.

Corrina mcfischer@telus.net

Wow seen a grey horned baby owls today!!

Olivia De Herdt

One of my favorite places. My husband and I got married here and it is just gorgeous. Great for kids to learn and explore too!

Cheryl Hansen

Never disappoints. A nice little slice of history and natural peace and quite along with a bit for any " birder ".

Matt Costain

Family fun and educational

Margaret Cole

Wonderful experience for birdlovers and gardeners. Lots of adventures for kids. The teahouse has good food but you can picnic too if you wish.

Wendy Hunter

Wonderful farm! So much to take in! Excellent picnic spot

Tyler Ellis

Always loved this place. Uncle Charlie was a great man.

Ian

Beautiful grounds.

jeremy melchior

Beautiful and peaceful place. Great for kids, and it's all run by donation. Lots to see and do.

Edgar Perez

A lovely place to spend a summer day with your kids. Lots to learn about birds and local animals.

Les Berry

Great place for kids to have fun and learn about birds and today insects. Great staff, very clean and lots to do.

Dave Keller

Delicious lunch! Always a treat coming out here, it's very relaxing spending some time out with the birds on a nice summer day.

Rylee Britsky

It was full of nature and fun things to do and see instead of just a ordinary walk

Chana MacDonald

A beautiful place with awesome educational opportunities.

Shay Flyer

Beautiful facilities!!! Wonderful staff!!! We loved it!!!!

Erik de Groot

Fantastic place to visit. Tons of birds and flowers to amaze. Great for young or old. Ice cream and snacks/lunch as well. Worth checking it out...and all this for free!

장시욱

It is an awesome park! There are a lot of beautiful places and bird houses.

Deadly Dunja

This was paradise!! So many species of birds flying around freely!! Little mice in the most beautiful butterfly garden!! Bunnies, goats and tea house with grand menu items!! HIGHLY SUGGEST GOING THERE! Plus the staff informative and very kind!

Diane Brown

Nice relaxing family outing. Several scheduled special days throughout the summer.

Ronald Vanden Pol

An absolutely beautiful piece of nature in Central Alberta. It has a visitor centre, tea house, and pier for kids to go "pond dipping". An excellent stop for both kids and adults.

Liam Cusack

If you like birds, butterflies and nature in general, then this is the place for you. Visit the water garden, wetlands center, and see hundreds and hundreds of birdhouses. What a great place!

Iain C

An excellent place to visit. Well set up and fun for all ages. A great experience and educational too.

Jon Elofson

Lovely place to spend an afternoon learning about birds and other wildlife in central Alberta. Really enjoyed the tea house and visitor centre. You can even pet goats.

Chris Struik

Always fun. I enjoy all the birds and the tea house. The kids love the mini trails, goats to pet, pond dipping for aquatic insects and ice cream. The staff are always improving the facility and starting or working on new wildlife monitoring studies. Great nature programs too. Support this gem of a place!

Street_Biologist

If you are interested in Mountain Bluebirds, Ellis Bird Farm is THE place! The farm takes care of nearly 500 nest boxes and along with Mountain Bluebirds these boxes are occupied by Tree Swallows, and Purple Martins. In June 2021, we were able to observe a hard-working pair of bluebirds tirelessly collecting insets and bringing them to the box for their babies.They also have a number species of waterfowls, Cedar Waxwings, Owls. The farm in located about 15 minutes north of the town of Lacombe on Highway 12 by car.

David Bechtel

A Central Alberta gem. Great place to bring kids. Educational, friendly, relaxing. Boys were constantly in motion. Nice way to break up the Edmonton-Calgary drive.

Lindsay Wile

Great place to enjoy with family.

Mathieu Johnson

Amazing gem just outside Red Deer. So serene and peaceful.

Chanda Ashton

Dog friendly! As long as they are leashed.

N and C Dekker

A beautifully maintained nature area great for the whole family! We enjoyed the well maintained property and were able to see lots of wildlife and of course a tonne of beautiful birds. The kids netted some swamplife, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Paul Lindgren

This is a great place to do a little field trip or just walk around and enjoy the scenery. Lots of benches and they're pretty much always located in perfectly shaded spots. Bring the kids. Bring the oldsters. Everyone will have a good time.

Nikki Kowalski

Great day trip for families. Not a huge place, but there is tons to do (and it’s wonderful that admission is free/by donation - although you should make sure you bring at least $0.50 so you can buy goat feed in the gift shop to feed the goats!). Sit on one of two old tractors, eat lunch in the cafe (or just grab an ice cream from the outside window), walk through the forest path, use the nets to fish for creatures in the pond (slugs, snails, etc.), and of course admire all the birdhouses and birds! Well worth the 20 minute drive from Red Deer.

Donna G

What a wonderful spot only had time for about 90 minutes there.Took the tour with Myrna then had to leave. This will not be my one and only trip....I will be coming back for sure...loved it

Kathryn Bannister

Beautiful spot to bird watch. The nature center has some impressive taxidermy and other cool items to see. There are farm animals for kids (or kids at heart) to see and touch. It's a great place for anyone who likes animals.

Judith Brownlee

Birds, flowers, goats, nature walks, things for children. It's all wonderful!

Michelle Guevremont

get away for lunch and a walk in the park

Louise Dormaar

This is a wonderful day trip destination from Calgary. It is a lovely bird sanctuary, and garden. The afternoon tour is well worth the time, our guide was amazing, a wealth of information, history and local stories. It is an inspirational place to get ideas for your garden!

cijo

Such a calm place !!

Kevin Inglis

Wonderful educational spot with lots to see and do

Catalina Morales Velez

Relaxing place, very well organized, and the staff is very dedicated to their patrons enjoyment. The Cafe is amazing. Food and decoration made it a whole experience. Tip. Feed the goats. Very cheap and quite fun. Eat coconut ice cream, you will thank me!

Joanne Abel

Always enjoyed a visit tomEllis... a piece of heaven!

Evan Brinkman

Great little place hidden away in the countryside of central Alberta

Doug Petry

Lovely way to spend an afternoon! It was our first visit to Ellis Bird Farm and we loved it. Many trails and ponds and little hidden corners with benches and flowers and so many bird houses and birds. There are a few picnic tables and many of them were in use on a Friday afternoon in late July. Admission is by donation and there is a nice administration building with washrooms and some farm fresh goodies for sale. They also have a gift shop and some birdhouses for sale. The kids will love to visit the goats as well. A really beautiful and fun place!

Martynas Gruodis

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Erik de Groot

Fantastic place to visit. Tons of birds and flowers to amaze. Great for young or old. Ice cream and snacks/lunch as well. Worth checking it out...and all this for free!

M C

A hidden wonderland of birds and gardens, in rural Alberta.

De an

Great place to spend with the little ones. Pretty and a good 1-3 hour time.

Bonnie Lewis

Cute, loved it, will go again.

Jaida Shephard

Amazing day at the bug jamboree, my kids loved learning about all sorts of stuff, especially the butterflys-loved the butterfly walk

Zach Trimble

Great place for walks or company events. The resturant is in an old farm house and there is a convention building behind for events. Nice trails to walkthrough with plenty of bird activity in the area.

Kalinka Borissova

Highly recommend Ellis Bird farm. We went there for a child's birthday party and had a blast. Highly knowledgeable personal. Perfect place for a day trip with your kids!

Bill Boutchou

Just cost a donation, peaceful and relaxing all kind of birds flying around

CR Olson

Great place to visit. So many birds (and bats)!

Charles Goodroad

Second time to be here. Love the work put into this place.

Beverley Edwards

Such a wonderful and instructive place. My grandson's loved it ????

Gary Kuiken

A true gem. Gets better each years because of a great leader and wonderful and caring staff. Good food as well.

Jenna Benton

Beautiful place with accessibility to everything via there paved and rubber trails.

Eileen Lidstone-Heagy

Very beautiful and serene. Guide was friendly and knowledgeable.

Michael Rideout

Really a beautiful place and the restaurant was cool too.

Michael Rideout

Really a beautiful place and the restaurant was cool too.

Sherry McDonald

Very pretty, lots of different bird species and flowers. Plus a butterfly garden.

Andrea Wiseman

It’s so beautiful and I’ve heard amazing things about this farm - but no one ever mentioned the huge Dow chemical plant in the background (so much irony in that with them being huge donors and how much their products may be the trigger for some blue green algae blooms in central Alberta lakes). It is a beautiful escape and the flowers and trees are so enchanting .. I did, however, find a foot long hair in my ice cream. But my kids had so much fun that I could overlook that.

Delano Lewis

Great work being done there!

Nancy Gunion

Beautiful bird sanctuary

Connie Morgan

Wonderful! A great day even with children.

Matthew Kuehne

A good destination for anyone who loves birds and wildlife. It's beautiful to have so many species flying around the park at one time. Everyone in central Alberta owes it to themselves to visit this treasure.

L C

Hidden gem in the countryside and we'll worth the trip from Calgary! This beautiful spot offers interactive experiences with goats and exhibits, as well as stunning grounds to wander through. I visited on my birthday and couldn't have been happier to spend my day exploring the ponds, forest and flower gardens they've lovingly built here. I will definitely visit again and recommend everyone does the same.

Mav Men

One of the best site for bird watching and the ice cream is outstanding.

Kathy Wells

Great food at the café and lots of different birds. Nice path ways and nice flower gardens. Picnic areas, sitting bench areas. Gift shop, local honey and info. Great for all ages, singles or families.

Dawn Radkie

We came from Wetaskiwin so it was an hour or so to drive. Lovely and peaceful to walk around. So nice to see family's out and everyone was being covid distance friendly.

Sheryl Tucker

This is one of my favorite places to stop and take pictures. I can spend hours here looking around and watching all the different birds. It's a great place to visit. Get some pie from the tea house. It's delicious!

Thomas Sullivan

If you love birds, you have to go here. Also have lunch, amazing meals.

Vaughn Lasell

Hidden gem in the heart of Alberta! Beautiful gardens filled with a variety of birds and butterflies. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable.

Fred Lapointe

Great place to relax or wander about. Nice flowers and tons of birdhouses. New lookout platforms are a great addition

Robert Holtkamp

Wonderful time. I'm always happy with the time spent there.

Randy Patmore

I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. Something for everyone. Fantastic!

Erin Lewis

This was my first time at Ellis Bird Farm and really enjoyed it. I just wish there was a map to match up with the numbers on the sign.

Kellie Wing

Picturesque walk and the cutest goats and babies with also much great information... and many beautiful birds.

Taylor Crammer

Simply amazing. The property is gorgeous and maintained extremely well. A fantastic place to relax, have a picnic or take photos

Nate Staffer

Awesome place to stop for the afternoon.

Brett Kosik

Lots of fun to be had. Kids really enjoyed everything there was to do, and the adults had fun too. Ill go again just for the goats.

Steven R

Great place to go and feel the nature all around you . Friendly staff. And a place the birds can call their home

Nadine Cardiff

A beautiful place to spend the day!

W T B

Quiet, tranquil places, gift shop, interpretation center and flowers and birds. What's not to love?

Michael Salter

Very attractive little place but dissapointing. Don't go out of your way for this one.

Lucy Stitt

Very Informative cozy and unique atmosphere, totally enjoyable experience, cafe was unique, cozy with good service enjoyed a Reuben sandwich with a homemade cinnamon bun Would definitely do this again

Khoi Trinh (Shiro-san)

Quite a good place for family and kids. The place not really big but quite a good place to learn new things.

Angus Campbell

Shame the Cafe is closed

Joanne Fairlie

Lovely spot to while away a few hours...beautiful gardens. Interesting information about blue birds. Nice little gift shop. The tea house serves a good variety of teas and coffee, the scones with cream and jam are scrumptious. Also serves lunch and offers a variety of ice cream if you would just like to enjoy a cone while strolling through the grounds.

Joanne Fairlie

Lovely spot to while away a few hours...beautiful gardens. Interesting information about blue birds. Nice little gift shop. The tea house serves a good variety of teas and coffee, the scones with cream and jam are scrumptious. Also serves lunch and offers a variety of ice cream if you would just like to enjoy a cone while strolling through the grounds.

marilyn bookless

Wonderful lunch there today. Reasonable prices and delicious food, friendly staff.

Raymond Los

A great place to bring a group for an afternoon. Very knowledgeable staff lead us through every station. There was bird house making, a petting zoo, the bat house, a few more talks on waterfowl and owls, very informative. The park, an eden-like setting in the middle of farms and an industrial plant located just outside of Lacombe, Alberta.

Vinu Thomas

Nice place for enjoying the nature. Kids enjoyed playing with goats.

Nol an

Good place to take children. Great bike from red deer

Carolyn Schatschneider

Great place to visit as a family

Jennifer Taylor

A nice quite place to visit and wander. Lots of spaces geared towards engaging kids and learning about nature. Will have to come back earlier in the season to see the full scope of wildlife and activities. Free admission is a bonus!

K B

Nice little park with beautiful gardens, great veiws and tour! Partially paved paths and a few fruit bearing plants around the walk and a small lunch cafe. I cant speak on the cafe as I never attended but there seemed to be quite a few people enjoying themselves there! Certainly a great little place!

Colleen Fonkalsrud

Wonderful place to go for quiet family time and lots to see and very educational

Hazel Beats

Peaceful informative plenty squirrels flowers birds

Peter Johnston-Berresford

Nice civilized way to spend quality time with my family. Kids muck about doing their thing, mum and dad just enjoy the sites and sounds. Relaxing.

Chelsea Crossland

Fun afternoon with the kids, they loved the scavenger hunt!

Andrey K

An amazing place! We thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you very much to all the volunteers and employees at the Ellis Bird Farm!

Mike

Nice place for a walk, lots of birds, squirrels, and flowers.

Robin F

Nice new playground. Fun to dip from the pond and compare to the chart.