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.

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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 Pi

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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

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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

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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

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 “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

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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

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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

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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

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