A Family's First Trip To A Wonderful Bird Sanctuary

When you live in Alberta, winter can sometimes feel like a season to endure rather than enjoy. But on one crisp, mild winter day, my family and I discovered a pocket of paradise just a short drive out of Edmonton in Spruce Grove. It was my Beau’s birthday, and after hearing a radio segment about a local sanctuary where the birds would eat out of your hand, he knew exactly how he wanted to celebrate. A recent interaction had also harnessed his own need to get closer with birds. There was a recent trip where a brave and friendly chickadee decided to perch itself on his shoulder. He was both astonished and at ease for that single moment in time.

We packed up the family—including my brave Mother-in-Law (MIL), who refused to let a bulky work-injury boot cast stop her from enjoying the day, and my stepson, who was bubbling with curiosity but a little unsure about the wildlife.

A Sparkling, Silent Wonderland

The moment we stepped onto the trail, the atmosphere shifted. It was a beautiful, quiet afternoon where the sun made the blanket of snow sparkle like diamonds. The boardwalk was fairly clean, so the loudest sound was the occasional rhythmic crunch of my MIL’s boot whenever she stepped into the deeper snow beside the path. Other than the boots, all you could hear were the songs of nature, mostly the hymm of the chickadees.

What struck me immediately was the sheer respect people have for this sanctuary. Resting against the boardwalk were multiple shovels, left out for patrons to clear the path if needed. Being the ever-helpful, hardworking man he is, my Beau didn’t hesitate. He grabbed a shovel and happily went to work clearing away the remaining patches of snow for any guests that would come behind us. In all our visits since, I’ve never seen a single person disrespect this beautiful park. It truly belongs to the community.

Meeting Our First Feathered Friends

We didn’t have to walk far before the quiet woods came alive with the sweet, frantic sing-songs of a large group of Black-capped Chickadees. In fact, we really didn’t even have to walk at all. As soon as we exited our vehicle, the greeting symphony of the Chickadees had begun.

We had forgotten our birdseed at home and had to make a frantic pit stop on the way, only managing to find a bag of unsalted peanuts, which we crushed up into smaller pieces. We weren’t sure if they’d care for them, but we held out our hands anyway.

Almost instantly, the brave little birds descended. To feel the tiny, feather-light scratch of a chickadee’s feet on your open palm as it snatches a peanut is pure magic.

We made our way through the entrance to the park. There was an open picnic area, which would be a great place to have a peaceful evening with friends and family. Not long after the picnic area, we spotted a nice boardwalk standing over an icy marsh. We continued down the boardwalk, stopping often to reach out our hands with our offering of crushed peanuts.

Here's a quick little video of me and my MIL feeding the birdies off the boardwalk. You may notice that it looks like this video is in fast forward mode at some parts. That's actually just how fast these little sweeties fly. The video was not doctored or changed in any way.

My stepson wasn’t quite brave enough to have them land on his bare skin just yet (though on a later birthday trip, he came up with the genius idea to put seeds on his winter hood, resulting in the biggest smile when a chickadee used his head as a landing pad!

Because of the boot cast and the winter chill, our first trek was short-lived, as we only made it down to the first bench and the information board. But it didn’t matter. The short trip was powerful enough to turn the sanctuary into our absolute favorite family tradition—a staple stop every spring, on Father’s Day, and on birthdays since, and a perfect waypoint whenever we drive down to the beach in Devon, Alberta.

If you are looking for a place to reconnect with nature and experience a little bit of wild trust, grab a handful of black oil sunflower seeds (their absolute favorite, as we later learned!) and head out to the boardwalk. You won’t regret it.

Eventually, I will post more on our adventures at this park. It has easily become one of my favourite place to just chill, relax and enjoy nature. Other than chickadees there is so much wildlife is this protected piece of land. It's better in the summer and spring if you want to see more birds and critters. However it's still a peaceful and serene spot to visit in winter also.

You can also visit my WordPress, were I will be sharing these adventures as well. There is also more blogs, book reviews and my own fiction stories there. My stories are mostly in drafts or the first and second revision, so I should apologize in advance for any structural errors 😅.