Visiting BBO

The Beaverhill Natural Area is open to the public at all times. We maintain a series of trails throughout the area that visitors may feel free to use. Access to the site is via an unassumed road that leads through a neighbouring farmer’s cattle pasture: be prepared for a bumpy ride, as it is an active cattle pasture and maintaining the access road is often beyond our means. Visitors may park at the visitor parking lot at the end of the cattle pasture and hike in the rest of the way. Come prepared with water, bug spray and binoculars, and be ready to hike at least 2 kilometres.

Note: water levels in our trail network are often unpredictable, and some sections of the trail may be flooded, especially in spring and summer. Rubber boots are strongly recommended in wet seasons.

Banding at the lab itself is also open to the public. Depending on the time of year there are ticketed and non-ticketed events. To see songbirds being banded, read about our Songbird Migration Monitoring Programs, and for autumn owl banding, read about our Owl Migration Monitoring Programs, for further details and when to visit. 

Banding operations take place seven days a week, weather permitting, in the spring and fall, beginning half an hour before sunrise and continue for six hours. We do not open nets in high winds, temperatures below zero degrees Celsius or in rain in order to ensure bird safety.