Ellis Nature Centre

Ellis Nature Centre Ellis Nature Centre is a non-profit education & research facility on a sustainable farm. We invite you to visit us!

We promote best practices to conserve & protect nature through our events. Our research focuses on Mountain Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, & other cavity-nesting birds. Located in the heart of central Alberta, Ellis Nature Centre is both a working farm as well as a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of Mountain Bluebirds, Tree Swallows and other native cavity-nesting birds. Drop-in v

isitors and tour groups are welcome at Ellis Nature Centre during the summer months, when we are open to the public. We invite you to stroll the trails, enjoy the beautiful gardens, see the world's largest outdoor collection of bluebird nestboxes, take a tour out to our bluebird trail, visit the Visitor Centre and linger in the Tea House. Butterfly gardens, orchards, native wildflower gardens, hummingbird gardens and water gardens are linked by a network of trails, including an extensive wheelchair path. Check out our website for more information on our Tea House, Programs and Events! There is no charge to visit Ellis Nature Centre but donations are welcomed. Ellis Nature Centre is closed on Mondays, unless it is a holiday. Ellis Nature Centre is proudly supported by MEGlobal Canada.

Do you want to attract hummingbirds and other native pollinators to your yard this summer? This Saturday, June 6th we ar...
06/02/2026

Do you want to attract hummingbirds and other native pollinators to your yard this summer? This Saturday, June 6th we are offering two hummingbird planter workshops. In these workshops you will get to build your own unique planter with plants specifically picked to attract hummingbirds! Come learn some tips and tricks to make your garden a welcoming spot for the birds and pollinators this season!

Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026
Time: 10am & 1:30pm
Location: Ellis Nature Centre
Cost: $85 per person
Spots available: 25

Did you know that mountain blue birds sometimes lay white eggs? This is a rare occurrence with only ~5% of eggs being wh...
06/01/2026

Did you know that mountain blue birds sometimes lay white eggs? This is a rare occurrence with only ~5% of eggs being white. Usually these birds lay small pale blue coloured eggs. It is currently unknown as to why blue birds occasionally lay white eggs, some people think it is genetic; while other proposed ideas include that a female that lays white eggs could have a blockage of the duct that carries the blue colour, it is also thought it could be a birth defect that isn't necessarily inherited.

Come and enjoy the sight and sounds of this year’s spring migratory birds with our site birding tours! You will wind yo...
05/31/2026

Come and enjoy the sight and sounds of this year’s spring migratory birds with our site birding tours! You will wind your way through the beautiful grounds and gardens of Ellis Nature Centre, birding as you go. Throughout these sessions, we will review ID keys such as habitat, behavior, color patterns, shapes, and ranges of the birds we encounter. We will re-introduce our community science apps and demo them in the field together, including iNaturalist, eBird, and Merlin. Birders of all experience levels are welcome to join!

Date: June 7, 13 & July 5 �
Time: 8-10am
�Location: Ellis Nature Centre
�Cost: $8 Pre reg & drop in

Photo Credit: Del Spenst

Check out this chickadee nest! These birds are highly selective cavity nesters with a distinct nesting style, making som...
05/31/2026

Check out this chickadee nest! These birds are highly selective cavity nesters with a distinct nesting style, making some of the coziest looking homes! Because they are secondary cavity nesters, meaning that they do not create their own cavity but instead they utilize cavities made by other birds. They are also more than happy to move into human-made bird houses. Chickadees make their nests packed with corse mosses on the bottom, oftentimes spanning upwards of 2-3 inches. Then the nest is then topped with layers of animal fur lining the cup, which is where the eggs will eventually be laid!

Join us next Saturday, June 6 for a hummingbird planter workshop! Curate your own unique planter with flowers and plants...
05/30/2026

Join us next Saturday, June 6 for a hummingbird planter workshop! Curate your own unique planter with flowers and plants that will be selected with the purpose of attracting hummingbirds and other pollinators to your yard! You will also get tips and tricks to attract other pollinators to your yard this summer!

The $85 fee allows each participant to make one 16″ planter with 7-9 plants to take home with them.

Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026
Time: 10am & 1:30pm
Location: Ellis Nature Centre
Cost: $85 per person
Spots available: 25

Tomorrow, May 30th is our annual Bioblitz! Dip your toes into the world of citizen science by joining one or more counts...
05/29/2026

Tomorrow, May 30th is our annual Bioblitz! Dip your toes into the world of citizen science by joining one or more counts lead by a staff member to see how many different types of species we can count in a single day! This is a free event, with no registration required, simply come on down and enjoy the fun of citizen science.

The Fibres & Firs club is up and running again this year! If you knit, embroider, cross-stitch, etc. and love doing it s...
05/28/2026

The Fibres & Firs club is up and running again this year! If you knit, embroider, cross-stitch, etc. and love doing it surrounded by nature, this is the perfect combination of the two! Enjoy the site after hours to come together with other like minded crafters. This group meets every Friday from 6-8pm, no sign up or payment required.

Thank you to Hunting Hills High School for bringing a group of students to spend the day with local elders and knowledge...
05/28/2026

Thank you to Hunting Hills High School for bringing a group of students to spend the day with local elders and knowledge keepers. They lead sessions on native plant identification, tipi practices and ceremony, medicine wheel teachings, along with traditional songs. And a special thanks to all of the knowledge keepers who came out to share their knowledge and stories with the students!

It's official, our first mountain blue birds hatched yesterday! We can't wait to see the rest of our boxes hatch over th...
05/27/2026

It's official, our first mountain blue birds hatched yesterday! We can't wait to see the rest of our boxes hatch over the next couple of days!

If you want to see these beautiful birds up close, we offer driving tours to one of our active nests every Sunday at 2pm. It's offered on a first come first serve, and $8/person.

This Saturday May 30th, join us at Ellis for our annual Bioblitz, this free event is open to folks of all ages and level...
05/26/2026

This Saturday May 30th, join us at Ellis for our annual Bioblitz, this free event is open to folks of all ages and levels of experience with no registration required! Come participate in citizen science species identification along with special guests. This event is happening all day, with activities around the different species on a rotating schedule!

Address

39502 Rg Road 260
Lacombe, AB
T4L1W7

Telephone

403-885-4477

Website

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