Hance Roy Ivor was born in 1880 and lived on the family farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. He gained a modest amount of fame at age 10 when he discovered the first nest and eggs ever found of the Richardson’s merlin.
This was back in the days when collecting bird eggs was a common hobby. Ivor never collected eggs, but he did become increasingly fascinated by birds. He eventually founded Windinglane Bird Sanctuary, located in the woods some 20 miles outside Toronto.
At this sanctuary, Ivor devoted his life to living with, caring for and studying a wide array of wild birds. He made intimate observations of chickadees, bluebirds, wood thrushes, hawks and many other species. He also obtained all the federal and provincial permits necessary for keeping native birds and built several large wire cages to house the birds. Some birds had injuries that made it impossible to release them in the wild, and they became his personal pets. A majestic golden eagle was kept only until its injuries were healed and then released.
