The Warblers by Birds Canada

Latest Episodes:

The Wake-up Call: Roseate Tern Feb 26, 2024

Show notes

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.

Send us your bird questions! Email podcast@birdscanada.org, DM us on social media, or comment on any episode or review platform. We will answer the top questions on December's episode.

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The Superb Snowy Owl Feb 09, 2024

Show notes

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.

Send us your bird questions! Email podcast@birdscanada.org, DM us on social media, or comment on any episode or review platform. We will answer the top questions on December's episode.

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The healing power of nature and birds Jan 29, 2024

Show notes

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.

Send us your bird questions! Email podcast@birdscanada.org, DM us on social media, or comment on any episode or review platform. We will answer the top questions on December's episode.

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How do birds survive the extremes of winter?! Jan 12, 2024

Show notes

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.

Send us your bird questions! Email podcast@birdscanada.org, DM us on social media, or comment on any episode or review platform. We will answer the top questions on December's episode.

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A Year for the Birds: 2023 highlights from across Canada Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

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

Send us your bird questions! Email podcast@birdscanada.org, DM us on social media, or comment on any episode or review platform. We will answer the top questions on December's episode.

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The Wake-up Call: Black Swift Nov 21, 2023

Show notes

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.

Send us your bird questions! Email podcast@birdscanada.org, DM us on social media, or comment on any episode or review platform. We will answer the top questions on December's episode.

Support the show

The Wake-up Call: Burrowing Owl Oct 23, 2023

Show notes

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.

Send us your bird questions! Email podcast@birdscanada.org, DM us on social media, or comment on any episode or review platform. We will answer the top questions on December's episode.

Support the show

Indigenous-led Conservation Protects Bird Habitats Sep 26, 2023

Show notes

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

Send us your bird questions! Email podcast@birdscanada.org, DM us on social media, or comment on any episode or review platform. We will answer the top questions on December's episode.

Support the show

Sharing Anishinaabe Bird Names through Tourism Sep 12, 2023

Show notes

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.

Send us your bird questions! Email podcast@birdscanada.org, DM us on social media, or comment on any episode or review platform. We will answer the top questions on December's episode.

Support the show

Every egg counts; an extraordinary conservation story Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

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

Send us your bird questions! Email podcast@birdscanada.org, DM us on social media, or comment on any episode or review platform. We will answer the top questions on December's episode.

Support the show

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