Inglewood Bird Sanctuary

Fantastic walk with the family, enjoying God's beautiful scenery. Small museum at the front, side gate on the side of the museum which allows access to the sanctuary. Birds, deer, porcupines, beavers have been seen here. Best time to go, in my opinion, is Fall! See photos.

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in Calgary, Canada, is a delightful haven for nature enthusiasts and bird watchers alike. My visit was thoroughly enjoyable, as the sanctuary offered a serene and picturesque environment. The well-maintained trails are clearly marked, making it easy to navigate through the lush greenery and various habitats that attract a diverse array of bird species. The sanctuary is home to numerous bird species, and I was fortunate to spot several during my visit, including some rare finds. Each trail is designed to enhance the viewing experience, with strategically placed benches and viewing platforms that allow for unobstructed observation of the birds in their natural surroundings. The reception center is impressively designed, providing a welcoming atmosphere with a wealth of information about the sanctuary and its inhabitants. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, offering insights and answering questions with enthusiasm. The center also features clean and well-maintained washrooms, which are a much-appreciated convenience. Overall, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a gem in Calgary, offering a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. Whether you're a seasoned bird watcher or just looking for a tranquil place to enjoy nature, this sanctuary is well worth a visit. Highly recommended for its beautiful trails, abundant bird life, and excellent facilities.

We took a beautiful walk along the river, where we saw lots of wood ducks, magpies, northern flickers, two sharp shinned hawks and both a juvenile and adult bald eagle. There are benches along the trail that provide peaceful places to sit and watch the river flow by. This sanctuary is close to downtown Calgary with plenty of parking and a very nice visitor center with washrooms. I’d love to visit during the peak of spring and fall migration. I’m sure it’s teeming with birds then!

It’s a nice place to visit with family and kids. My kiddo enjoyed the walk over those bridges and finding new birds. There is a small but beautiful museum through which we start the bird watching walk. It’s a free entry and with beautiful views and so many words.

Lovely area. Fairly large walking path with excellent bridges. Lots of birds, also ran into deer chasing a coyote which was exciting. Birds and thrills. The Colonel Walker House was a neat viewing, historical sight. Lots of nice river areas. In general a beautiful spot and hidden gem in Calgary. Must visit.

Nice and quiet, close to downtown, sufficient parking area, free entrance fee, many benches and some tables with roof over head. A couple of looping routes to follow along (see map). Good spot for relaxing, walking, reading, and wild bird photography hobbyists.

Perfect place for birdwatching and other river inhabitants. There are a lot of quiet corners where you can hide from city rush. In the enterece section, you can get acquainted with the current situation in a bird sanctuary and observe sculls of different animals.

Beautiful place to walk around. Enjoy wildlife and nature ! We walked 2 loops 3km .

This is a nice little escape inside the city. There are no joggers, cyclists, dogs being walked. We saw a lot of Canada Geese and deer frolicking in the water and near by bushes among other small birds. It's free to enjoy and the paths are well kept. The building houses some information on the birds that we might come across as well as it offers rest rooms and a water fountain. It's just too bad Deerfoot is surrounding it to take away from the peacefulness and drowns out the sounds of nature.

This is one of those places that once you go to, you feel lucky our city has it. Just like Wendy P. mentioned, this place rules for stopping off for an afternoon walk on a wintery day. We spent an hour or so walking around here and exploring the area. It's an easy walking area, it would be suitable for anyone really. There was also a helpful bird lady (probably not the proper name for her - ha ha!) that was setup as a resource on behalf of the centre. She had her bird book and gave us some wicked information about birds we had seen and the ones we had questions about. All in all - super fun place to spend a few hours outside. Yelp Kicks Butt: 2/10

Have I mentioned how much I love the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary? It's now one of my favourite places to head for a stroll on a gorgeous wintry day. The path is easy to walk, it's nice and quiet, and there are photos to be taken at every turn if you so choose. During the summer, there's a lot more selection as far as bird watching goes. But come winter, you'll still find some chickadees and the likes fluttering through the bushes. So grab your walking shoes (maybe ones that are snow ready), your camera, and a thermos of hot cocoa. This is one park you should check out! Yelp's 30 Day Challenge 26/30

I first visited the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary a couple years ago on a chilly September day following brunch at The Coup with some couchsurfers. Despite my couchsurfers' incessant whining about the temperature being only 12 degrees Celsius (silly Hawaiians, that is a BEAUTIFUL day in Calgary), and trying to trick me into believing I kept missing GIANT HAWKS flying by, I was quite enchanted. I have visited the bird sanctuary many times since then, both by myself and others. The little centre you walk through to get to the sanctuary is both interesting and educational. Taxidermic animals of any kind creep me out, but I really enjoy the donated collection of wooden bird carvings. The sanctuary itself is rather peaceful. Mostly untouched with the exception of it being gated off, with a couple manmade bridges and benches to sit. If in a calm state of mind, I can spend a long time there by myself. To be honest, sometimes I see more birds while driving past flocks of seagulls swarming to a McDonalds parking lot for french fries. But really, how can you rate a BIRD SANCTUARY on the amount of birds you see per visit? I always manage to catch a few pretty little things, and there are usually ducks. I have also seen a couple beaver, and some deer in the area which is quite cool. It would kind of make my life to come across an owl, but it's not like that is a controllable variable, haha. *Review 7/30 of Yelp's 30 Day Challenge 2012

Ok this place is pretty amazing. Right in the heart of the city you have a cool little bird sanctuary. The staff there was so friendly and helpful. It's an oasis of nature in the city. Just go. Your soul needs it. There are winding trails and a pond, birds, deer, we even saw a muskrat or something similar in the pond along with some beautiful wood ducks. Best of all it's free and has plenty of free parking as well.

Here's the backstory. I knew I would be in Calgary for just a day, so ahead of time I looked on Yelp for things that would be interesting and bookmarked them. This was one of only two places that I got to visit in Calgary (the other one was the hatchery) and both are awesome! This was my first bird sanctuary so I didn't have any expectations. It's a beautiful place to spend an hour or a day. There's a body of water with lots of animals and birds and fish. Bring binoculars and/or a camera and a snack for yourself. Great spot for kids too. The lobby has a lot of information about birds and models of birds that you may be able to see. Also nice, clean restrooms.

My friend and I went to Calgary for my birthday. Since my birthday was on a Monday it seemed like all the museums I wanted to visit were closed, but a little search on Google told us about the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. It's free to visit and there is a small interpretive centre as well. It's right in the city, but is quiet and peaceful, and feels like your far away from the traffic. There are several walking trails and ponds. My friend and I saw a few different birds, though neither of us are hardcore birders and didn't know what they were. We also only had our phones with us and taking pictures of birds on your phone leaves you with pictures that make you go, "why did I take a picture of a black/brown dot?" If you like birds and want photos bring a camera with a nice lens. I'm pretty sure we saw some hawks but again my photos are just of brown spots against a blue sky. A pretty nice place altogether though. If you're looking for something free to do and you like nature/birds check ou Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.

Very nice and relaxing place in the city to go for a walk and see some wildlife. Staff is very nice, when I went I was carrying a big backpack and they let me leave it at the front desk while I was exploring. The maps on the trails are not very clear since they don't show you where you are so you might get lost a bit bit it's not so big anyway.

With your eyes alone, you would think that you are in the middle of the wilderness. It's only the hum of Deerfoot Trail nearby that would give you any indication that on a map, you are pretty much in the dead centre of a metropolis of 1.2 million people. There's an information centre with a bunch of teaching on the local plants, birds and wildlife to be seen in the area. This is undoubtedly the destination of many a school field trip. Myself, when I lived in the area, I used to go running here in the mornings. I love all the different wildlife I would see. Almost always deer, plenty of elk, coyotes and even a moose and a wolf once. At least I think it was a wolf... I turned up the pace pretty quickly!! It's also nice to just stroll through here - take your time, read the signs and see if you can spot any of the birds they tell you about. Walking or running only though - No bikes or blades allowed. For a date, I once went here and ate a full roast chicken dinner in front of the ducks. True story. I should probably feel bad about it, but I don't. Birds are delicious!

Not a lot of birds today, but last week saw an owl, blue heron, chickadee, wood duck and merganser!! Flood did a lot of damage hope they can repair it soon! Still a beautiful serene park!! Don't bring your dogs please!! Not allowed.

I recommend the Inglewood Bird sanctuary as a great spot to go for some serenity and quiet while surrounded by the hushed bustling of nature. It's perfect in any weather, and Isn't so large that you have the option to take a quick stroll. It is also an easy stroll, which makes it suitable for anyone. Bring your walking shoes and your camera. lots of photo-ops at every turn!

We went here last summer after it had reopened after the flood. They did such a great job of mitigation you can't even tell any damage had occurred. I don't own binoculars or know anything about birds so I really just went there to take a stroll in nature. It was lovely and peaceful. Lots of professional bird watchers in full gear probably annoyed at my talking voice. It is a unique place in the heart of calgary! Check it out if you haven't!

An oasis in the inner city! This is a great place to go for a walk along a number of different trails. Wonderful for bird watchers and those who want to glimpse wildlife. Nice little interpretive centre.

Go Nature or go home. When I first moved to Calgary I lived in Inglewood -- an inner city community where a brewery covered everything like a blanket of fermentation, Recordland was on the west side of 9th avenue, H.A. had yet to patch-over the Reapers, and the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary was at the very end of 9th avenue -- not alone yet not well-known. Over two decades later I have the ability to declare to the world my feelings on the Sanctuary -- a subtle monastery of biophilia. A place which is -- to me -- as complete a signature for Calgary as one could hope for. A universal metaphor in which one may be immersed. The heart of this city. The IBS is a space one should plan to go to, at first. If you wish to sequence your trip, check various sites to give you a sense of the situation (IE http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Locations/SE-parks/Inglewood-Bird-Sanctuary.aspx). Here is an example of what you may experience: http://www.calgaryarea.com/calgary_parks/inglewood_bird_sanctuary/inglewood.htm What cannot be conveyed completely in photographs is the immediacy of the occasion of experience. Especially in juxtaposition to the proximity the IBS has to the industry of south east Calgary, as well as to the downtown core. The reality of this point on the planet sans post-industrial development by homo sapiens can be quite striking. If you meditate, like to think or do types of yoga, this is the place downtown. If you like a minimum of human interface while writing, drawing or thinking -- yet still like doing so in public -- go to the IBS. I'm not mentioning the specific analysis which can be done at the Sanctuary concerning birds, trees, plants, or other aspects of biology/botany. User groups online, as well as literature and staff at the interpretative centre will be of more use to you than I regarding the details of the various classifications. Trust me, you will want to go to there. Good times!

This is definitely my go to spot any time of the year. Its good for pictures, for a walk or run, or just to relax and enjoy Calgary. You can see a lot of wildlife so a camera is a must! I was recommended by my colleagues of mine to check this place and finally I did last summer. Probably the best decision I made all year. I have returned multiple times with my family and friends and just love it. Last time we actually made really good use of the information centre and learned so much on the birds and wildlife that was around. Definitely recommend =)

I think its great that a spot like this exists within the city limits. Going there I didn't feel like I was in the city, and I got photographs of about 15 species as well as baby deer and some falcons. Kudos to Calgary for keep this area for nature rather than more development.

when we were there at 5:15pm all we saw was magpies, robins, and some starlings. Very disappointing. Also uncomfortable as there are no bathrooms outside and the center (where I assume there were bathrooms) was closed.