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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!
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