The Warblers by Birds Canada

The Bay of Fundy is one of Canada's best kept birding secrets. Following the ebb and flow of the tides are tens of thousands of Semipalmated Sandpipers - and just off the coast, the rocky islands are alive with nesting terns, razorbills, puffins and more! 
Lucas Berrigan and Avery Nagy-MacArthur join us to explain why this region is so magical for Semipalmated Sandpipers, and how the Motus Wildlife Tracking System has been essential in understanding how and why birds move through the area. They also give top-tier advice on how to help shorebirds across the country, and offer ideas for how locals can get involved with the birds at the Bay of Fundy. 
Fly like a bird onto a dream vacation with Birding Ecotours! Check out all their tour options at birdingecotours.com
Listeners of The Warblers now get 10% off Bird-friendly coffee orders from Birds and Beans with the code 'warblers' at checkout. 
Learn more about Space to Roost and Motus - start by exploring the Motus map for Semipalmated Sandpiper. 
Avery Nagy-MacArthur started volunteering with Birds Canada as a Piping Plover monitor in 2008 on the south shore of Nova Scotia, which sparked an interest in a career in ornithology. Throughout her Bachelor's and Master's studies, she focused on Whimbrel, and breeding Arctic and Common Terns. She now works as the Atlantic Canada Shorebird Programs Biologist for Birds Canada.
Lucas Berrigan completed a Master’s on the post-breeding behavior of Swainson’s Thrushes at Acadia University, then joined the Birds Canada’s team in the Atlantic Region in 2018 to run the Maritimes Marsh Monitoring Program. Since then, he has taken on more responsibilities related to the Motus Wildlife Tracking System – namely, managing the Atlantic array of Motus receiver stations and supporting Motus users worldwide. He works as the Motus Manager of Technology and Web Development for Birds Canada. 
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

The Warblers go birding! Join Andrea Gress and Jody Allair as they search for the Evening Grosbeak. While searching the woods, they chat about how to use eBird to find a specific species, discuss nerdy fun facts about Evening Grosbeaks, and encounter a variety of forest loving birds - from Western Tanagers to Pacific Wrens. Jody also shares why Birds Canada picked the Evening Grosbeak as the 2026 Avian Ambassador - what makes this species worthy of some extra love. 
Read Jody's blog on Evening Grosbeak, complete with stunning pictures and range maps. 
The eBird checklist from their adventure. 
When you order from birdsandbeans.ca/warblers you receive 10% off your coffee order, plus you support bird-friendly coffee farms which provide essential habitat for birds. It's a win-win!
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

With apps like Merlin and eBird, do field guides even matter anymore? David Scott and Gavin McKinnon share why they developed a brand new book: A Field Guide to the Birds of Alberta. Backed by their love of birds, this episode is full of birding adventure stories from the boreal forest to the Rockies to the prairies, along with interesting insights about writing a field guide - a massive undertaking that is still worth the effort.  
Get a copy of A Field Guide to the Birds of Alberta, sold at most major book stores. Huge thanks to Gavin, David, and all the photographers who contributed, for sending proceeds to Birds Canada. 
Listeners of The Warblers now get 10% off coffee orders from Birds and Beans with the code 'warblers' at checkout. Choosing Bird Friendly coffee is an easy (and delicious) way to support migratory species! 
Get on a tour with Gavin - check out Meadowlark Birding Tours. 
Gavin McKinnon developed a deep fascination for birds at an early age after he visited Point Pelee National Park on a weekend trip with his parents. Since then, he has traveled extensively in Canada and to numerous locations in the tropics and around the globe in search of unique birding opportunities. In 2022, Gavin founded Meadowlark Birding Tours, intending to share his passion for birds with others. After high school, he studied Renewable Resource Management at Lethbridge College and briefly worked in environmental consulting. In addition to leading tours, Gavin is actively involved in the local birding community, serving as a volunteer eBird reviewer. 
David Scott was born and raised in northern Ontario, and began venturing from home to find birds while in high school and has been an avid birder and naturalist ever since. After moving to southern Alberta, he came to love the birds of the prairies, badlands, foothills, and mountains as he did those of the boreal forest on the Canadian Shield. A librarian by trade, David works at the University of Lethbridge and volunteers for Nature Lethbridge, eBird, the Christmas Bird Count, and the provincial bird records committee.
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

The Louisiana Waterthrush or "Eastern Forest Dipper" exudes quiet and calm, much like the forests it's found in. Meanwhile, the Acadian Flycatcher screams "PIZZA" as it bursts from a branch to snag a bite (of insect!). Both birds are charming in their own ways, but both face a worrying threat: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an invasive species that has made it's way into Canada. 
We hear from researchers Brendan Boyd and Samreen Munim, who spend their summers deep in the forests with these birds. The joy they get from their work is contagious - this is a delightful episode about a very serious issue. 
As a special treat, listeners of The Warblers now get 10% off coffee orders from Birds and Beans with the code 'warblers' at checkout. 
Learn more about how to monitor and stop the spread of HWA. 
Samreen Munim, as the Ontario Forest Birds Program Assistant Coordinator for Birds Canada, works with volunteers, as well as private and public landowners across southern Ontario, to monitor, study, and conserve forest birds. She loves meeting people who are so passionate about forests and forest birds, and greatly enjoys getting to spend so much time outdoors with some of the most at-risk species in Ontario (and some of the best birds out there!).
Brendan Boy, Ph.D, Ontario Forest Birds Program Coordinator with Birds Canada, studied the long term effects of nesting in small forest fragments for Wood Thrushes– where he spent four field seasons living at Long Point, fully immersed in Ontario’s Carolinian region. He’s thrilled to once again be working in this amazingly biodiverse area, and excited to play a key role in the conservation of Ontario’s forest 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. 
Support the show

Bird nests literally come in all shapes and sizes: burrowed into a sand bank, tucked into grass, underground, high up, stretchy, sturdy, flimsy. Even the chicks are radically different, with some leaping out of trees at a day old, and others clinging to the nest for weeks. Each species has their own unique nesting strategy - Mark Peck helps us explore how and why they work. He also shares tips on how to observe the breeding birds around us! 
Join Project NestWatch here.
Grab a cup of Birds and Beans - Bird Friendly coffee that donates to this podcast when you order at: birdsandbeans.ca/warblers
From Madagascar to the Philippines, and even tours closer to home - Birding Ecotours has a dream trip for you! Explore their tours at birdingecotours.com

Mark Peck was the Collections Specialist in Ornithology at the Royal Ontario Museum for 41 years until his retirement in 2024. He is the author of Bird Eggs: A Young Naturalist’s Guide, is Vice-President of the Ontario Field Ornithologists,  who awarded him the Distinguished Ornithologist Award in 2024, and is a longtime member of the Toronto Ornithological Club. 
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