Inglewood Bird Sanctuary

Last updated
Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.jpg
Colonel Walker house seen from Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Type Urban park
Location Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Coordinates 51°01′48″N114°00′35″W / 51.03000°N 114.00972°W / 51.03000; -114.00972
Area0.36 km2 (0.14 sq mi)
Operated by City of Calgary
OpenAll year

The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is an urban park and nature reserve located along the Bow River in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The park includes an interpretive nature centre, where educational programs and summer camps are offered. [1] The park is a popular location for birding and wildlife viewing in the city, and is part of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network. [2] The historic Colonel James Walker house is also located within the park. [3]

Contents

The park is situated within the larger Inglewood Migratory Bird Sanctuary area, which is managed by the Canadian Wildlife Service. This area consists of the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, the Inglewood Golf and Curling Club, and part of the Canadian Pacific Railway yards. [4]

Wildlife

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is located on the southern bank of the Bow River. It is primarily riverine forest surrounding a large central lagoon, however, the park also has of areas of grasslands, shrubs, and a small pond. [5] This variety of habitats makes Inglewood Bird Sanctuary a common location to find birds, mammals, and plant life despite its location inside the city.

There have been 270 recorded bird species, 21 mammal species, and 347 plant species identified at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary over its entire history. [1] Over the park's history, numerous species rarely seen in Alberta have been recorded here. This includes a scissor-tailed flycatcher in 2000, a purple sandpiper in 2013, and a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron in 2021, among others. [6] Several species of birds commonly use the area to nest in the spring and summer, including wood ducks and European starlings. In the winter the central lagoon typically freezes over, however, the adjacent Bow River remains open. Because of this, several species of waterfowl can commonly be found here over winter, including mallards and Canada geese. Mammals such as short-tailed weasels and mule deer, as well as coyotes, can be found in the park year-round. [5]

A female wood duck and ducklings in the lagoon Female wood duck and ducklings.jpg
A female wood duck and ducklings in the lagoon

History

The area on which the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is located has been used by the plains First Nations for thousands of years. Archaeologists have uncovered hearths and bison bones within the park, indicating that this area may have been used as a campsite [7]

The Colonel James Walker house Colonel James Walker Estate S.jpg
The Colonel James Walker house

In 1882, the site was settled by Colonel James Walker, who built a homestead and a sawmill on the property. In 1910, the original homestead was replaced by the current Colonel Walker house. The house is still in use today as a classroom and office for park staff.

In 1929, the family's property was designated as a federal migratory bird sanctuary by the government of Canada, after an application by Shelby Walker, Colonel Walker's son. From 1929 to 1952, part of the property was leased to several Chinese families, who used the land to establish market gardens. [1] The property was acquired by Ed Jefferies in 1953, who leased the location to the Alberta Fish and Game Association. [5] A pond bearing Jefferies name is located northeast of the lagoon. In 1970, Jeffries sold the sanctuary to the City of Calgary. [1]

In March 2022, the City of Calgary began a project to reconnect the lagoon to the Bow River. The goal of the project was to improve the water quality of the lagoon while minimizing the risk of damage from future floods. The project caused the closure of a portion of the northern end of the park. The entire park reopened in October 2023. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banff National Park</span> National park in Alberta, Canada

Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, 110–180 kilometres (68–112 mi) west of Calgary, Banff encompasses 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 sq mi) of mountainous terrain, with many glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes. Provincial forests and Yoho National Park are neighbours to the west, while Kootenay National Park is located to the south and Kananaskis Country to the southeast. The main commercial centre of the park is the town of Banff, in the Bow River valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calgary Zoo</span> Zoo in Alberta, Canada

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is located in Bridgeland, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, just east of the city's downtown and adjacent to the Inglewood and East Village neighborhoods. It is accessible via Calgary's C-Train light rail system, by car via Memorial Drive, and by bicycle and footpath via the Bow River pathway. A large portion of the zoo is located on St. George's Island in the Bow River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fish Creek Provincial Park</span> Park in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Fish Creek Park is an urban provincial park that preserves the valley of Fish Creek in the southern part of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is bordered on three sides by the city, and on the west by the territory of the Tsuu T’ina Nation (Sarcee), a First Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowness, Calgary</span> Neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Bowness is a neighbourhood and former town in west Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The former town was amalgamated into the City of Calgary in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Wildlife Service</span> Branch of the Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada

The Canadian Wildlife Service or CWS, is a Branch of the Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada, a department of the Government of Canada. November 1, 2012 marked the 65th anniversary of the founding of Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inglewood, Calgary</span> Neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Inglewood is an urban neighbourhood in central Calgary, Alberta, Canada, centred on 9th Avenue SE for several blocks east of the Elbow River and downtown. It also contains the Business Revitalization Zone of Inglewood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saskatoon Island Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Alberta, Canada

Saskatoon Island Provincial Park is a provincial park located in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located 20 kilometers (12 mi) west of Grande Prairie in the Peace River Country, on the southern shore of Saskatoon Lake.

The Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest Ramsar site in Sindh, covering 566,375 ha, and is located in the Rann of Kutch in Badin District, Sindh, Pakistan. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary by the government of Sindh in 1980.

Lagunas de Mejía National Sanctuary is a protected area on the coastal plain of Peru, in Islay Province, Arequipa, in the mouth of the Tambo River. It is a sanctuary for migratory and resident birds, and was designated a Ramsar site in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgeland, Calgary</span> Neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Bridgeland-Riverside, formerly known as Bridgeland and Germantown, is a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is located northeast of Downtown Calgary. It is bounded to the south by the Bow River, to the east by Deerfoot Trail, to the west by Edmonton Trail and to the north by the community of Renfrew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince's Island Park (Calgary)</span>

Prince's Island Park is an urban park in the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is developed on an island on the Bow River, immediately north of downtown Calgary.

The Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory (SABO) is a nonprofit membership-supported scientific and educational organization founded in 1996 in Bisbee, Arizona, USA. The mission of the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory is to promote the conservation of the birds of southeastern Arizona, their habitats, and the diversity of species that share those habitats through research, monitoring, and public education. The observatory's founders are Tom Wood and Sheri Williamson, former managers of The Nature Conservancy's Ramsey Canyon Preserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calgary</span> Largest city in Alberta, Canada

Calgary is the largest city in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is the largest metro area within the three Prairie Provinces region. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in Canada.

Pearce Estate Park is a city park located in Calgary, Alberta. The park occupies 21 hectares along the Bow River to the east of downtown Calgary. The park contains Pearce Estate Wetland, described as "constructed wetlands filled with native plants and animals". The land was donated to the city around 1929 by then prominent Calgarian William Pearce.

Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary is a National Historic Site of Canada, located in the rural municipality of Last Mountain Valley No. 250 in Saskatchewan. The migratory bird sanctuary was the first established in North America. The 47.36 km2 (18.29 sq mi) area is within the Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area, an International Biological Program site, and includes adjacent uplands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esquimalt Lagoon Migratory Bird Sanctuary</span> Migratory Bird Sanctuary in British Columbia, Canada

The Esquimalt Lagoon Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a migratory bird sanctuary near Esquimalt Harbour in Colwood, British Columbia. The Esquimalt Lagoon is found on the traditional territories of the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. The park was established in 1931 with the objective of creating a safe haven for migratory birds, and has become a popular place for birdwatching. Many other species can be found within the park, such as coho salmon and cutthroat trout. Pacific herring also spawn in nearby waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carburn Park</span> Park in Calgary, Alberta

Carburn Park is a city park located in northeast Calgary, Alberta, along the Bow River adjacent to Sue Higgins Park. It is named after Carburn Aggregates, the company that developed the park. It is a popular site for recreation year-round and is also an important area for wildlife. The ponds in the park are stocked annually with trout by Alberta Fish and Wildlife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wood's Douglas Fir Tree Sanctuary</span> Park in Calgary, Alberta

Wood's Douglas Fir Tree Sanctuary also known as the Douglas Fir Trail is a nature sanctuary and park in southwestern Calgary, Alberta. It preserves one of the oldest stands of Rocky Mountain Douglas Fir still remaining in the province.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Inglewood Bird Sanctuary". City of Calgary. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. "Canadian Migration Monitoring Network". Canadian Migration Monitoring Network. Birds Canada. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  3. "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  4. "Inglewood Migratory Bird Sanctuary". Inglewood Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Government of Canada. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Elphinstone, Dave (1990). Inglewood Bird Sanctuary (1 ed.). Rocky Mountain Books. ISBN   0-921102-10-0.
  6. "Alberta Rare Bird Records". University of Lethbridge. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  7. "Uncovering Human History: Archaeology and Calgary Parks" (PDF). Parks History. City of Calgary. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  8. "Inglewood Bird Sanctuary Reconnection Project". City of Calgary. Retrieved 20 September 2023.