Blair's Blog

One of the Easter weekend traditions in my family, going back to when I was a kid, is to go for a walk at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary by the Bow River in Calgary. Depending on when Easter falls, there are at least a few early arrivals; Canada geese, Wood Ducks, Common Mergansers as well as chickadees, magpies, seagulls and the occasional woodpecker.

This year we went with my folks and my two brothers, there was a bit of a cool wind blowing, but once we were into the trees and down by the river’s edge it was quite pleasant in the spring sunshine. The kids had fun skipping rocks at the river’s edge or holding their hands out until inquisitive chickadees would land on their fingers, just in case there was something to eat.

In year’s past we’d often head to a restaurant for a meal out after the walk, but this year we all came back to our place and had barbecued chicken burgers on home made rolls. We also made caesar and tabouli salads. Then to round out the meal my Mom brought an ice cream cake from DQ – no sense letting any semblance of exercise go unpunished!

ps.  I was curious about the area around the bird sanctuary, and knew that there once had been a refinery to the west of the Col. Walker farm property that became the bird sanctuary.   A little digging and I found this old airphoto from 1951 on the Alberta AirPhoto Collection website.

Tags: Great Outdoors

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