Episodes
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"Quick, three beers!" Jody Allair joins us to propose that the Olive-sided Flycatcher is one of Canada's best boreal birds. Will you agree?
While they do breed in the boreal forest, the cosmopolitan Olive-sided Flycatcher can be seen right across Canada during migration. Join us to learn more about their charming song and hunting habits, so that you can spot this bird the next time it perches on a tree top near you. And as usual, learn how you can help this threatened species and others like it.
Pick up your very own Olive-sided Flycatcher t-shirt here. All proceeds support bird conservation in Canada. Yay, merch!!
And continue to learn more about Birds Canada's 2024 Avian Ambassador.
Pick up some Bird Friendly coffee to support habitat protection! Purchase through this link, or type "Warblers" into the coupon code box, and Birds and Beans will donate 10% of the purchase price to Birds Canada. Thank you!
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. -
This bonus episode is all about getting to know swifts and swallows, those speedy aerial acrobats that make summer skies so lively.
Rielle Hoeg joins us to help shed some light on these two groups of birds. You'll get pointers on how to tell them apart, and which species are present across Canada. We also learn about their population status and a cool new project in Atlantic Canada aiming to protect Bank Swallow habitats.
Learn more about how you can help Aerial Insectivores across Canada. And check out this incredible story about Chimney Swifts...in a barn.
Rielle Hoeg grew up in rural Nova Scotia, playing in the woods and developing an appreciation for all the wonderful critters, plants and fungi around her. During her undergraduate and Master’s degrees at Acadia University, she had opportunities to work with shorebirds, aerial insectivores, and her spark bird: the Leach’s Storm-petrel! At Birds Canada, Rielle splits her time amongst Chimney Swifts, Piping Plovers, shorebirds, and Leach’s Storm-petrels, and is grateful to work with so many passionate, inspiring people (colleagues and volunteers alike!).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.
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Missing episodes?
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Around 37 warbler species nest in Canada each summer. But how much do you really know about them?
Long overdue, this episode is all about warblers! We explore the quirkiest behaviours, the best warbler songs, marvel over fun facts, and hear tips on where to find warblers no matter where you are in Canada. If you've ever wondered what that quick flash of bright yellow in the tree is...this episode is for you.
Help warbler species and help The Warblers Podcast at the same time! Order Bird Friendly Certified Coffee from Birds and Beans. They'll donate 10% of the proceeds to Birds Canada when you check out with the code "Warblers", or use this link.
Brendan Boyd has been working with birds in some way or another for most of his life. Growing up in Toronto, he spent his free time exploring green spaces across the city and volunteering at the Toronto Bird Observatory. While birds started off as a hobby, they have now turned into a career. Before joining Birds Canada as the Ontario Forest Birds Program Coordinator, Brendan completed his PhD, which examined how the size of forests that adult Wood Thrushes choose to nest in, affects their long-term survival.Alex Isreal is an aspiring naturalist, wildlife biologist, and an all-around nature enthusiast. Alex’s interest in birds began during her undergraduate degree, and she continued to pursue this interest into her Master’s degree where she studied nesting behaviour in Wood Thrushes. Although Alex is currently working as a bat researcher, her first love and introduction to wildlife biology will always be birds.
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. -
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, or type "Warblers" into the coupon code box, 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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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.
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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. -
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.
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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. -
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.
Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery ProgramSaskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Center in Moose JawOperation Burrowing Owl ran by Nature SaskatchewanGrasslands National Park and Parks CanadaOperation Grassland Community in AlbertaBurrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC
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!
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. -
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
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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
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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 -
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 -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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 Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Program for Birds Canada. - Show more
