The Chestnut-collared Longspur is an icon of the Prairies – an aerial acrobatist, singing and dancing in the sky. Jody Allair shares his love for this longspur, helping us understand why this charming species should be on everyone’s life list.  As he describes his road trip to seek out the Chestnut-collared Longspur earlier this spring, Jody offers helpful advice on how to find a rare bird – this advice can be applied anywhere, to find any species. And with all Wake-up Call episodes, we’ll also learn about threats and challenges, and how you can help the Chestnut-collared Longspur. 

We touched very briefly on how purchasing grass-fed beef can help grassland species. For more depth on this topic, listen to our episode Grasslands, Birds and Beef. 

If you live in the Prairies, try seeking out local organizations that are doing work to help grasslands, such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Nature Saskatchewan. 

In Saskatchewan you can report Chestnut-collared Longspur sightings to 1-800-667-HOOT or [email protected]

When you order from birdsandbeans.ca/warblers Birds and Beans donates to this podcast, plus you support bird-friendly coffee farms which provide essential habitat, simply by drinking a cup of coffee. 

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

Support the show