Trevor Herriot grew up exploring the aspen parkland and grasslands of southern Saskatchewan, deeply connected to the natural world around him. His passion for the prairies led him to become one of Canada’s most vocal proponents for the protection of grassland birds through his writing.

With a recently released first novel, The Economy of Sparrows, and several award winning non-fictions books under his belt, we were keen to sit down with Trevor to learn more about what drives his grassland focused writing, and explore the threats and issues that are top of mind for many across the prairies.

Help bird habitats today, simply by sipping on a cup of Birds and Beans coffee! When you purchase through this link, Birds and Beans will even donate 10% of the purchase price to Birds Canada. Thank you! 

Recommended reading from this episode:
The Economy of Sparrows - Trevor Herriot
Grass, Sky, Song - Trevor Herriot
Hours and the Birds - R. D. Symons
The Wind Birds - Peter Matthiessen
The Singing Life of Birds - Donald Kroodsma
The Spell of the Sensuous - David Abram
Arctic Dreams - Barry Lopez
Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Unsettling of America - Wendell Berry
Or anything written by Scott Weidensaul or Aldo Leopold

If you’ve got another book that listeners would love, please leave your recommendation in a review!

Trevor Herriot is a naturalist, grassland conservationist, and the author of several award-winning books, including Grass, Sky, Song and the national bestseller River in a Dry Land, both of which were short-listed for the Governor General’s Award for Nonfiction. He is a recipient of the Kloppenburg Award for Literary Merit and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. He and his wife Karen live in Regina, and spend much of their time on a piece of Aspen Parkland prairie east of the city. His latest work, The Economy of Sparrows is his eighth book, but first novel.

Jody Allair is an avid birder and naturalist who enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for the natural world. He is the Director of Community Engagement at Birds Canada and has written numerous articles on birds, birding and connecting with nature. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram at @JodyAllair.

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan, and then as the Ontario Piping Plover Coordinator. Years of sharing her love of plovers with beach goers has turned into a full time communications role with Birds Canada.  

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

Do you track bird sightings on eBird? Or have you participated in a citizen science project that helps to monitor bird populations, like Project FeederWatch or the Christmas Bird Count?

In this episode we learn what happens after the binoculars are put away.  Whether reporting a single American Goldfinch at your feeder, or the efforts of a really successful Big Day, your observations create a real impact in bird conservation actions across Canada!

Catherine Jardine joins us to explain how your findings feed into NatureCounts, a massive database that helps to track bird populations and leads to informed conservation actions.

Catherine Jardine is the Associate Director of Data Science and Technology at Birds Canada. Her work focuses on supporting hundreds of research and monitoring projects investigating the ecology, distribution and population dynamics of all bird species through two main platforms; NatureCounts (naturecounts.ca) and the Motus Wildlife Tracking System (motus.org).

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Program for Birds Canada.

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

The Roseate Tern is a dapper looking seabird that spends much of its breeding season far away from humans....yet most of the threats it faces are human related. Julie McKnight joins us to explore the challenges and joys of protecting and monitoring this threatened species.

Share Roseate Tern sightings and photos using eBird, you'll make Julie very happy! And if you're lucky enough to see a banded tern, report that sighting here. 
  
If you're fascinated by some of the finer details of Roseate Tern conservation in Nova Scotia, check out the Tern Reports by Ted D'Eon, an extremely passionate friend of the terns!

Julie McKnight is a Species at Risk Recovery Biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment and Climate Change Canada. Based in Halifax, NS, she works with species experts to develop recovery programs for a range of Species at Risk, primarily in Atlantic Canada. She co-chairs the Canadian Roseate Tern Recovery Team and can’t wait to welcome the terns back to Canada this May.

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Program for Birds Canada.

This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change is supported by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada. The views expressed herein are solely those of Birds Canada.

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

To celebrate Superb Owl weekend (or the big football game for some folks), we decided to throw you an episode about one of our star players, the Snowy Owl!

We all love owls! Please take a moment to learn more about safely observing and photographing owls.

Join the Great Backyard Bird Count. It takes as little as 15 minutes to make a difference and you can participate from anywhere in the world!

The Nocturnal Owl Survey will be looking for helpers from February through April. And the Christmas Bird Count would love your help in December and January. 

Andrew Coughlan is a biologist with a wide range of experience working with birds. Born in England, Andrew has lived in Québec since 1996. Before becoming the Director of Quebec for Birds Canada, he worked for 10 years as a research officer at Laval University. Before that, in England, he worked for the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and the Zoological Society of London.

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Program for Birds Canada.

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

January is a tough time of year, but birds can help! We guarantee *good feels* by the end of this episode. 

We're joined by Dr. Melissa Lem who directs Canada's nature prescription program. She helps us explore the science behind why nature makes us feel good. Also joining the podcast, is Melissa Hafting, a powerhouse birder from British Columbia who shares her personal experience of using birding to benefit her health and also to create community through forming the BC Young Birders Program. 

This episode contains lots of bird songs, and will inspire you to head into the great outdoors!

Can't wait to read Melissa Hafting's book? Pre-order Dare to Bird: Exploring the Joy and Healing Power of Birds from Rocky Mountain Books,  Amazon, or Indigo.  

Get a prescription for nature with PaRX.

Dr. Melissa Lem is a Vancouver family physician who also works in rural and northern communities within Canada. Director of PaRx, Canada’s national nature prescription program powered by the BC Parks Foundation, and President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, she is an internationally recognized leader in the field of nature and health. As a widely published writer, climate change panelist on CBC Radio's Early Edition, in-house medical columnist for CBC TV Vancouver, and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, one of her major priorities is knowledge translation. Follow her on IG @drmelissalem or X @melissa_lem 

Melissa Hafting is an ecologist that is passionate about bird conservation. She runs the B.C. Rare Bird Alert website. She also founded the British Columbia Young Birders Program, which aims to bring youth of different backgrounds together for fun excursions in the natural world. She loves mentoring youth and making birding more inclusive and accessible to all especially to those in the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Follow her on IG @bcbirdergirl  or through her blog. 

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Program for Birds Canada.

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

Brrrr! A polar vortex is chilling western Canada while the east is being battered by snowy winter storms! Yet, we can still see birds out the window...how do they do it?

In this bonus episode you'll learn how tough birds really are, plus get some tips to help  the winter birds near you!

Join Project FeederWatch today! It's the perfect winter activity. Plus your data contributes to bird conservation.

Keep those feeders clean! Get some easy, helpful tips here.

Jody Allair is an avid birder and naturalist who enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for the natural world. He is the Director of Community Engagement at Birds Canada, a producer of this podcast, and has written numerous articles on birds, birding and connecting with nature. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram at @JodyAllair.

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Program for Birds Canada.

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

From British Columbia to Newfoundland, and everywhere in between...join Yousif Attia, Jared Clarke, and Andrea Gress, as they discuss some of the biggest birding news from 2023. Learn about how Red Crossbills might be more mysterious than you realize, hear their takes on Bird Names for Birds, and marvel over some of the best rare bird sightings of the year.

Follow Jared's birding adventures on Instagram, or hop on one of his tours through Bird•The•Rock!

Support the podcast! Your gift helps keep the podcast running, and supports bird conservation!

Jared Clarke grew up on the northeast coast of Newfoundland and was introduced to the outdoors at a very young age, mostly by his grandfathers. He discovered birds & birding while working for a local conservation group and never looked back. Despite his “official” training as a health researcher (Ph.D. Medicine), his love of nature and sharing it with others increasingly led him astray. He currently runs a small bird and nature tour business, called Bird•The•Rock, and routinely leads trips at home and abroad for various tour companies.

Yousif Attia grew up chasing birds and exploring the wilds of central and southern Alberta since he and his family immigrated to Edmonton when he was four years old. After moving around the country, he is now settled on the Fraser Estuary on the West Coast of BC. Yousif has worn many hats at Birds Canada, including work on species-at-risk in southern Ontario, field surveys in the boreal including the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas-2, and overseeing the Long Point Bird Observatory where he became a North American Banding Council certified trainer. Yousif is now part of a team at Birds Canada that leads the Christmas Bird Count and eBird in Canada, and he manages the Birds Canada website and media library.  Follow Yousif at @biophylia 

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Program for Birds Canada.

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

Join Black Swift researchers on a journey through the forest to find one of the most elusive species in Canada....will they succeed?

As Black Swift populations decline, the crews at Birds Canada strive to understand the whole picture, and find ways that we can all help these aerial insectivores. In this episode you'll learn all about Black Swifts, and also glimpse into the lives of wildlife researchers.

To continue learning, and see incredible footage of Black Swifts, check out our short video, Of Waterfalls and Wings - Surveying for the Mysterious Black Swift.

In 2022 the team recorded the first instance of a Black Swift colony with multiple active nests in coastal B.C. Read more about that exciting finding here!

Rémi Torrenta has always had a passion for wildlife and birds. He obtained a MSc in Ecology in the south of France, and then a PhD at Université de Moncton, NB. After 8 years of work experience with forest birds in eastern Canada, he has been the BC Projects Coordinator for Birds Canada since 2021. Remi delivers Citizen Science programs, as well as various Species at Risk research and monitoring projects, and outreach and education programs in western Canada.

Lindsay Lalach grew up in the Southern Interior of BC and developed a deep appreciation of biodiversity and wildlife. She completed a degree in environmental studies and geography from the University of Victoria and is passionate about Species at Risk. Lindsay is currently completing her Masters degree at Simon Fraser University.

Eve Kenny was the Conservation Area Interpreter for Birds Canada during the summer of 2023, and has been lucky enough to have spent time birding in New Zealand, Ireland, and Japan! She was thrilled to be a part of the Black Swift surveying efforts, and encourages everyone to learn more about this remarkable bird.

Kris Cu grew up in the bustling city of Manila, Philippines and often watched the Pied Fantails forage around the neighbour’s garden. Upon moving to Canada, he completed a Biological Sciences degree from Simon Fraser University and has embarked on numerous science communication roles. Currently, he supports the Birds Canada team through photography, videography, social media, outreach and connecting minority communities to birds and the natural world.

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Program for Birds Canada.

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

Burrowing Owls...those weird little owls that nest underground, and scowl disapprovingly at us with their bright yellow eyes. This episode is for them! We've invited Graham Dixon-MacCallum from the Wilder Institute to share quirky facts about this captivating species, help us understand why they're threatened, and learn more about a few of the conservation tools being used to help.

As promised, here are some pointers for photographing owls without causing them harm. 

Check out these many great organizations working to help Burrowing Owls in Canada!

• Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program
• Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Center in Moose Jaw
• Operation Burrowing Owl ran by Nature Saskatchewan
• Grasslands National Park and Parks Canada
• Operation Grassland Community in Alberta
• Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC

Graham Dixon-MacCallum leads the burrowing owl project at the Wilder Institute. His job requires coordinating with the federal and provincial governments, local ranchers, soldiers, graduate students, and multiple departments across the Wilder Institute. Aside from his work with burrowing owls, Graham has also studied anti-predator behavior in the conservation breeding population of Vancouver Island marmots at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. Graham has worked on a wide variety of species across Canada, and in Costa Rica, Peru, and Gabon.

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Program for Birds Canada.

This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change is supported by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada. The views expressed herein are solely those of Birds Canada.

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

We can learn a lot about conservation by looking to Indigenous leadership. In this episode, we head to Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick to learn about how Indigenous-led conservation may be exactly what the birds need.

Our guests, Gordon Grey from Bilijk First Nation, Jamie Gorman from Neqotkuk First Nation, and Kelsey Butler of Birds Canada, offer exceptional insights into Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA), and get us motivated and excited about a future where IPCAs are a key tool for protecting natural areas and critical habitats.

Learn more or get in touch with Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick.

If you're curious about Bicknell's Thrush, you can get that episode here.

Gordon Grey is the Impact Assessment Manager for Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick (WNNB). He is a community member of Bilijk (the Wolastoqey community at Kingslcear) who works primarily with an environment first approach to assessing  the multitude of projects within the Wolastoqey territory for adverse impacts to Aboriginal and Treaty Rights.  He leads the Environment and Culture team for the WNNB, whose role includes cultural surveys, Indigenous monitoring and Indigenous Land and Resource and Use Studies (ILRUs).  He has Western Science degree in Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Science from UBC, with mixed lineage but includes his Grandfather Wilfred Charles "Wimpy" Solomon , a renown medicine man and bastian for the Wolastoqey culture, he strives towards understanding for proponents and government officials through his two-eyed seeing approach.

Jamie Gorman is a resource development consultation coordinator - Neqotkuk /Tobique First Nation - I have the honour of working with a passionate and determined team focused on protecting Wolastoqey rights. Interest in language reclamation and oral histories -  old trees and running rivers.

Kelsey Butler supports the management and delivery of all Atlantic programs for Birds Canada.  She credits her father for helping her become an amateur (but enthusiastic) birder while growing up in New Brunswick. Kelsey has a Master’s in Environmental Management from the University of New Brunswick, and has been working in the environmental non-profit sector ever since. Most recently she worked for the Wolastoqey Nation as their Conservation Lead and Consultation Manager.

Andrea Gress (she/her) studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

You might remember Joe Pitawanakwat from a previous episode, Bneshiinyik, where he shared knowledge about how birds are named in the Anishinaabe language. Since we last spoke with him, Joe has been working on many projects to continue expanding and sharing Indigenous Knowledge.  In this episode, we tag along with him for one of those projects. Join us for a birding adventure on Manitoulin Island!

Wikwemikong Tours offers an array of Indigenous Tourism experiences in the Manitoulin Island and Killarney Region. Their year-round services specialize in cultural tours and land-based learning experiences. Check them out!

Get a copy of Joe's Anishinaabe bird name pamphlet here.

Joseph Pitawanakwat is an Ojibwe knowledge keeper for ancestral knowledge of plants, medicine and language. He is from Wiikwemikoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island and he is the founder and director of Creator’s Garden, an Indigenous outdoor, and now online, education-based business focused on plant identification, beyond-sustainable harvesting, and teaching every one of their linguistic, historical, cultural, edible, ecological and medicinal significance through experiences. He is uniquely blending and reinforcing that Indigenous knowledge with an array of western sciences.  @creators.garden on Instagram and Twitter. 

Mandaago Osawamick and Jack Rivers are cultural tour guides for Wikwemikong Tours. 

Andrea Gress (she/her) studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

With only 150 individuals in the Great Lakes region, every single egg matters. In 2023, the Piping Plover conservation effort went to great lengths, as Ontario eggs were raised and released from captive rearing in Michigan, for the very first time. Sydney Shephard joins us to share the juicy details about this effort, the chaos of a Piping Plover field season, and good news from the Great Lakes region.

Birds and Beans delivers bird-friendly certified coffee across Canada, and donates 10% of your purchase to this podcast and bird conservation in Canada when you use this link. Plus, it's yummy.

As we get updates on this story (did the captive reared fledglings survive?!), we will share them on our socials @ontarioplovers

Sydney Shepherd firmly believes that by bridging science with outreach and education, we can foster communities of stewards and tackle environmental goals together. She is grateful to work with Birds Canada on the Ontario Piping Plover program and see the synergy between scientific research and community action every day.

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

This episode features two groups that are working to improve representation in the outdoors. They're creating welcoming spaces for Indigenous, Black and/or Racialized people, and the 2SLGBTQ+ community to have outdoor and nature based experiences, often centralized around the thing that we all love....birds!

Learn more about FREED, or support their great work with a donation. Head to Special Bird Service to get involved, and follow the link in their website for donations.

Bird-friendly coffee is an easy way to help birds every morning! Birds and Beans donates 10% of your purchase to this podcast and bird conservation in Canada when you use this link.

Other groups mentioned in the episode:  Diversity of Nature, BIPOC Outdoor Gear Library, Green Career Center, Feminist Bird Club, Vancouver Queer Birders, Colour the Trails, Takeover Skateboarding, Incluskivity, BIPOC Bloc, and Wild & Climb. 

Aranya Iyer is the co-founder and co-director of FREED (Field Research in Ecology and Evolution Diversified), which is an BIPOC-led organization for BIPOC undergraduates to increase access to fieldwork and green careers. She also works at WWF-Canada for conservation research and is a host for Animalogic, a popular science Youtube channel. Her interests are centered on how humans interact with non-human kin and the social dimensions of conservation.

Trenton Schulz-Franco is a non-practicing lawyer, photographer, writer, violist, ecologist and cricketer. Originally from WSANEC Territory in what’s colonially known as Victoria, BC, Trenton has lived between the west coast and the UK whilst attending university and playing cricket for the past 10 years. A first generation “Canadian”, Grandson of Dorothy Boyd and Jaya Mary Reddy, Trenton is of South Indian, German, and Anglo-Saxon heritage. He enjoys spending time with his dog Hugo, his partner Drew and their families when he’s not traveling, birding or playing cricket.

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

The Whooping Crane population plummeted to a mere 15 birds in the 1900s, but thanks to intensive conservation efforts we now have over 500 individuals in the wild.... but Whooping Crane populations are not in the clear. John and Mark explain what conservation efforts currently look like, and the challenges they anticipate for the species in the coming years.

Bird-friendly coffee is an easy way to help birds every morning! Birds and Beans donates 10% of your purchase to this podcast and bird conservation in Canada when you use this link.

John Conkin is a Wildlife Biologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) where he contributes to science, monitoring and recovery planning for species at risk. John has worked on CWS’s whooping crane program since 2012 with responsibilities related to long-term monitoring on the breeding grounds and during migration. John currently represents CWS on the International Whooping Crane Recovery Team. He lives in Saskatoon with his wife, Katherine, and son, Emmett.

Mark Bidwell is a Research Ecologist with the Wildlife and Landscape Science division of Environment and Climate Change Canada, where he conducts research on the ecology and health of whooping cranes and the landscapes they rely on during breeding and migration. Mark’s research involves fieldwork in Saskatchewan and at Wood Buffalo National Park, which is Canada’s largest park and the world’s largest fully protected forested area. Mark is currently lives in St. John’s but will return to his home base of Saskatoon with his wife and two sons this summer.

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Program for Birds Canada.

This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change is supported by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada. The views expressed herein are solely those of Birds Canada.

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

This epic battle featured 6 beaks from around the world; Loggerhead Shrike, Wrybill, African Openbill,  Atlantic Puffin, Laysan Albatross and White-tipped Sicklebill...but wait! If you haven't listened to the first two episodes of the "Battle of the Beaks", you absolutely must listen to those before learning who the winner is in this minisode.

Huge thank you to each of our wonderful guests, and big thank you to everyone who voted!

Kris Cu grew up in the bustling city of Manila, Philippines and often watched the Pied Fantails forage around the neighbour’s garden. Upon moving to Canada, he completed a Biological Sciences degree from Simon Fraser University and has embarked on numerous science communication roles. Currently, he supports the Birds Canada team through photography, videography, social media, outreach and connecting minority communities to birds and the natural world.

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Program for Birds Canada.

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

On this episode Andrea and Amie MacDonald nerd out about shorebirds! Amie shares the joys of researching Red Knots in James Bay in northern Ontario, and helps us explore the threats these long distance migrants face across their full range. Did someone say...horseshoe crabs?!

Bird-friendly coffee is an easy way to help birds every morning! Birds and Beans donates 10% of your purchase to this podcast and bird conservation in Canada when you use this link.

Dive deeper with Amie's book recommendations, The Narrow Edge and Moonbird! Amie also shared this immmpressssive flight path of a Red Knot that was tracked using Motus.  

Amie MacDonald is working to expand the Motus Wildlife Tracking System in Western Canada. Prior to joining Birds Canada, she studied Red Knots on the James Bay coast for her Masters degree. She has also spent several years working as a field technician, primarily with shorebirds in the Bay of Fundy and James Bay, but also with seabirds, passerines, and small mammals on various projects.

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers

This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change is supported by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada. The views expressed herein are solely those of Birds Canada.

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

This is the second episode in the ultimate Battle of the Beaks!! We're featuring six of the worlds most unique and specially adapted bird beaks over two episodes. Only one will be crowned the winner!

VOTE HERE for your favorite beak. 

If you think we missed a reeeally cool beak, let us know! Leave a review, or comment on our socials. Find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Learn more about bird conservation programs in Africa.  BirdLife South Africa and Nature Kenya are great starting points.
 
Hookpod! A new and innovative tool to help Albatross and the fishing industry get along. Listen to a previous episode featuring Sarah and the Laysan Albatross for so much more!  

See photos of these epic beaks: African Openbill, Laysan Albatross, White-tipped Sicklebill. 

Andrés' said it best! Bird Friendly coffee will help the White-tipped Sicklebill and many other birds. Order from Birds and Beans today! 10% of your purchase supports this podcast when you use our link.  

John Kinghorn represents the mighty African Openbill. John is a qualified terrestrial and National bird guide through the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA). He has formed part of three historic bird race teams (2017-2019) to have participated in the globally acclaimed Champions of the Flyway bird race for conservation, raising a combined amount of over R250,000 over two years for the respective BirdLife International partners involved. 

Dr. Sarah Gutowsky is bringing Laysan Albatross facts. Sarah is a Research Adjunct and Instructor in Biology at Dalhousie University and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Acadia University.  All of her research projects have found a way to tackle conservation issues threatening birds all over the planet, on land or at sea.  Her current research focus is on studying the drivers of regional trends in Common eiders on the east coast, supported through the Mitacs Accelerate Program in partnership with Ducks Unlimited Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Andrés Jiménez thinks White-tipped Sicklebills are the clear winners. He is a close friend of the podcast! You'll recognize his voice from earlier episodes. He is a Costa Rican wildlife biologist with a keen interest in snakes, frogs, birds and how human relationships are interconnected with the living world. He studied Tropical Biology in Costa Rica and has a Masters in Environmental Problem Solving from York University.  Follow him at @andresjimo

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Pipi

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

Six beaks enter the ring, only one will be crowned the ultimate BEST BEAK!

In this special two part episode, we explore some of the weirdest, and most fascinating bird beaks, with experts from around the world.  Voting will open after the second episode is released, and YOU will decide which beak is the best!

Learn more about the good work that Wildlife Preservation Canada is doing for Loggerhead Shrike and many other species.

Get involved with Puffin Patrol in Newfoundland through CPAWS, and learn more about the incredible Puffling Patrol efforts in Iceland.

See photos of these epic beaks: Loggerhead Shrike, Wrybill, Atlantic Puffin.

Bird-friendly coffee is an easy way to help birds every morning! Birds and Beans donates 10% of your purchase to this podcast and bird conservation in Canada when you use this link.

Hazel Wheeler (they/them) has worked with Loggerhead Shrikes for a decade, and is their biggest fan.  Hazel is the Conservation Programs Director at Wildlife Preservation Canada. They have been bitten by shrikes more times than they care to remember, but they have never bitten back.

Russell Cannings represents the underappreciated Wrybill. Russ grew up in the birdy Okanagan Valley, British Columbia where his nature-loving family left him no choice but to become obsessed with the great outdoors. A university exchange to New Zealand in 2008 would prove formative for his birding (and future nuptials!) and he now calls it home. He has swapped biology fieldwork for teaching history but he still gets out as much as possible in his local "patch".

Katja Kochvar thinks you need to love Atlantic Puffins as much as she does. Katja fell in love with biological field research in the deciduous forests of her home state, Pennsylvania. Now, she is studying Atlantic puffin visual communication as a Master's Student at Memorial University of Newfoundland. In the Fall, she will be starting a PhD at Princeton University in the pursuit of more exciting research on avian colouration! Stay tuned for updates on her research at @gotcha__katja

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

Have you noticed little cigars in the sky? Perhaps they torpedo into a chimney in your neighbourhood? ....no, those aren't strange escaped creatures from Alice in Wonderland, they are Chimney Swifts!

In this episode we learn more about these captivating birds who many of us can call our neighbours. We explore their steep population decline, and learn how each of us can play a role in the species recovery. 

Get involved! Join SwiftWatch today!

Do you have a chimney that swifts might be using? Check out this quick guide to become the best neighbor the birds could have! And learn more about the Chimney Swift Chimney Restoration Fund.
 
See intimate footage of a Chimney Swift nest in a barn and of the wonderous 'Swiftnado'.

Read Natasha's recommendation "A Roadmap to Rescuing Aerial Insectivores"  and learn more about how to help this declining group of birds.

Don't forget to grab some Bird Friendly Certified Coffee! 10% of your purchase from Birds and Beans goes towards supporting this podcast and bird conservation in Canada when you use this link.

Véronique Connolly studied the habitat preferences of Bicknell's Thrush in southern Quebec as part of her Master's degree at McGill University. Over the last 20 years, she has held numerous positions working with bird ecology and conservation for organizations such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Now she coordinates the Chimney Swift Chimney Restoration Fund with Birds Canada. 

Graham Sorenson became hooked on bird research while studied Leach's Storm Petrels in New Brunswick as part of his undergraduate studies.  He worked with numerous species, including Canada Jays, Common Loons, Savannah Sparrows, and Island Scrub-Jays, before pursuing a Master's degree on Thick-billed Murres. He worked for Birds Canada in BC, before relocating to New Brunswick to coordinate the Aerial Insectivore Conservation Program.

Natasha Barlow grew up near Point Pelee National Park in southern Ontario, and didn't fully appreciate the area until she had already moved away. Thankfully, she realized the error in her ways (kidding), and was able to work with many species, including Common Terns, Black Terns, and forest passerines in Ontario, Yellow-breasted Chats in BC, and Swainson's Warbler in Jamaica, before pursuing a master's degree in northeastern Wyoming. Her extensive background has been particularly helpful in her role as a Projects Biologist in Ontario for Birds Canada, primarily focusing on aerial insectivores and grassland birds.

Andrea Gress studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa.

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

In this episode, Andrea speaks with Adam Dhalla - a 17-year-old birder, designer of the game Find the Birds, and recipient of the ABA's Young Birder of the Year award. Adam's passion is the intersection of nature and technology.

Adam describes becoming interested in birds and bird conservation as an 11-year-old. He quickly realized that birds are in trouble and that there weren't many people his age engaged in birding and bird conservation. As a gamer himself, he decided to create Find the Birds, a game that would teach kids like him about birds and conservation issues with the eventual goal of putting the game down and going out into the field.  Adam talks about the journey of finding mentors, pitching Find the Birds, and eventually launching it in 2021.

Andrea Gress studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

 “One day a black-capped chickadee landed on my hand and a birding monster was born.” 

Paul has been an active birder for decades and he has dedicated himself to changing how the hobby is perceived, what people picture when they think of birders, and how to connect more people to birds through art and gaming.

In 2011, Paul cut his hair into a mohawk and embarked on the Punk Rock Big Year then tattooed the latin name for each of the species he spotted on his body. He caught people’s attention and changed how we think of birders. And he hasn’t stopped! Paul is an artist who has contributed t-shirt artwork to the ABA, Kaua’i Forest Recovery Project Birds Not Rats, and our Birds Canada Birdathon.

Paul was also featured in the CBC documentary Rare Bird Alert where he journeyed across North America and explored how the climate crisis is affecting birds, from the viewpoint of birders. More recently, he helped create the game BRDR BATL and illustrated portraits for over 400 birds!

Check out this fun conversation that covers a lot of ground!

Paul Riss Creative, Punk, Birder, Father of twins. And sometimes a good husband.

Jody Allair is an avid birder and naturalist who enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for the natural world. He is the Director of Community Engagement at Birds Canada and has written numerous articles on birds, birding, and connecting with nature. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram at @JodyAllair.

Andrea Gress studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers

Additional Mentions:

Kenn Kaufman’s Kingbird Highway – order it from your favourite local bookstore!
PRBY Art is where you can buy some cool bird shirts and merch designed by Paul

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

Season 3 of the Warblers Podcast launches today with an episode about the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). Andrea connects with experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon Society, and our own Kerrie Wilcox, who all work together to organize the GBBC in Canada and the US. They talk program history, the evolution of birding and technology, and the importance of having engaging entry-level bird monitoring opportunities for people.
 
 Spoilers...you don't need a backyard to get involved. Join the Great Backyard Bird Count.
 
The Warblers is brought to you by Birds Canada a non-profit, charitable organization. Please make a donation today to support the podcast and bird conservation work in Canada.  
 
Kerrie Wilcox manages the Great Backyard Bird Count in Canada and Project FeederWatch, a program that turns people’s bird feeding hobby into research for conservation.  She loves feeling the enthusiasm and commitment of the volunteers and seeing how much we've learned from their contributions.

Becca Rodomsky-Bish is the project leader for the Great Backyard Bird Count with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Becca also works as the project leader for Nest Quest Go!, a crowd-sourced project where citizen scientists help transcribe historic nest records.

Kathy Dale is the Director of Science Technology and Community Science Team Lead at the National Audubon Society. She leads the delivery of programs such as the Great Backyard Bird Count and the Christmas Bird Count.

Andrea Gress studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

Patrick Nadeau returns for a follow-up chat about his time at COP15; the Convention on Biological Diversity. He highlights some of the key outcomes and what they mean for biodiversity in Canada and the world as a whole. Tune in for some feel good vibes and what to watch for in 2023.

The Warblers is brought to you by Birds Canada a non-profit, charitable organization. Please make a donation today to support the podcast and bird conservation work in Canada.  

Patrick Nadeau is a biologist by training, with over a decade of experience in leadership roles in the environment sector.  He  is now the President & CEO of Birds Canada, always striving to protect the beauty and diversity of life on Earth.

Andrea Gress studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here. 

This isn't your typical holiday tradition, but it might become your favourite! The Christmas Bird Count runs from December 14th to January 5th each year.  It is a long-running program that helps researchers get a grasp on how the bird populations are faring across the western hemisphere.  Yousif Attia joins the podcast to help us understand the significance of the CBC for both the participants and the birds. Plus he shares tips for how you too, can turn this into a winter tradition. No eggnog required!

Join a CBC with Birds Canada, or if you're tuning in from outside of Canada, visit Audubon for locations near you. 

Please consider supporting the podcast you love and bird conservation in Canada with a donation today. The Warblers is brought to you by Birds Canada a non-profit, charitable organization.

Yousif Attia grew up watching birds and exploring the wilds of central and southern Alberta since he and his family immigrated there when he was four years old, he is now settled on the Fraser Estuary on the West Coast of BC. Yousif has worn many hats over the years at Birds Canada, including work on species-at-risk in southern Ontario, field surveys in the boreal including the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas-2, and managed the Long Point Bird Observatory where he eventually became a North American Banding Council certified trainer. Yousif is now part of a team at Birds Canada that coordinates the Christmas Bird Count and eBird in Canada, and another that develops content on the website.  Follow on @ysattia or @biophylia

Andrea Gress studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers

Join the Birds Canada Birdathon today! Sign up here.