The Warblers by Birds Canada

• The Wake-up Call: Chestnut-collared Longspur

  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] 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

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• Bird Photography: tips and tricks from Liron Gertsman

  Taking good photos of birds isn't just about the gear - knowing bird behaviours and habitats is equally as important. Professional wildlife photographer, Liron Gertsman, joins us to offer helpful pointers for folks looking to take their bird photography to the next level. He also shares the stories behind some of his most iconic photos, important notes on how to practice ethical bird photography, and tips for following a similar career path in combining photography with a love of birds.  Donate today to get your copy of the 2026 Birds Canada Calendar! Visit birdscanada.org/warblerspodcast and click Donate. Any donation helps support bird conservation in Canada. Additional links:See Liron's photography, join one of his tours, or buy prints here: linktr.ee/liron_gertsman Ethical Owl Photography tips from Birds CanadaEthical Field Practices from the North American Nature Photography Association Liron Gertsman is an award-winning naturalist and professional wildlife photographer whose work has appeared in Canadian Geographic, Audubon, Sierra Magazine, The Smithsonian Institution, London’s Natural History Museum, and more. Liron combines his photographic artistry with his biology background from the University of British Columbia to create eye-catching images and unique photography workshops around his home in western Canada and worldwide.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

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• The Wake-up Call: Long-billed Curlew

  Join us on a road trip to Skookumchuck Prairie to seek out the Long-billed Curlew. Our editor Kris Cu takes the reigns, leading us through the grassy valleys of Southeastern British Columbia. Kris is joined by David Bradley of Birds Canada, and Dianne Cooper, the caretaker of the Skookumchuck Prairie Key Biodiversity Area. Through their eyes, we learn about the Long-billed Curlew - threats, challenges, conservation efforts - while also learning more about KBAs and how they offer essential habitat for species at risk. 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. Learn more:The Long-billed Curlew ProjectKBA CanadaThe migratory shorebird studyDavid Bradley is the Conservation Scientist & Director for Birds Canada in British Columbia. He completed his Ph.D in New Zealand on the ecology and conservation of an endangered endemic bird, the North Island Kokako. His postdoc, at the Birds Canada head office in Ontario and the University of Guelph, focused on migration and breeding phenology in Tree Swallows.  He is currently involved in an invasive mammalian predator study in Haida Gwaii, and a Long-billed Curlew migration tracking study in the Kootenay Mountains.Dianne Cooper has been the volunteer caretaker for Skookumchuck Prairie KBA for 8 years. She is very involved in the local birding community, being the eBird editor for the region and a compiler for the Christmas Bird Count. 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

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• Revisiting Chewie the Piping Plover, and Queerness in Nature

  While working with Piping Plovers in June of 2022, Andrea Gress and the rest of the plover team, observed a same-sex pairing between two well known plovers. It was a first for the species. But was it really? In today's episode, Andrea shares a brief history of how queerness in nature was viewed by the scientific community, and how these perspectives have evolved. To explore this further, we also re-share an episode originally aired in 2022: Piping Plovers - A Love Story. As promised, here are some additional resources to explore: Watch: Animal Pride: Nature's Coming Our Story, the Nature of ThingsListen: A Field Guide to Gay Animals by CanadalandThe Seagulls by RadiolabRead:Same-sex partnerships in birds: a review of the current literature and a call for more data by Gillies and Siddiqi-Davies 2025Same-sex sexual behaviour among mammals is widely observed, yet seldomly reported: Evidence from an online expert survey by Anderson et al 2024Andrea 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

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• Is the White-throated Sparrow Canada's most interesting bird?

  Discover the fascinating world of the White-throated Sparrow: birds with two colour morphs, a unique mating system, and songs that spread like the latest Taylor Swift release. Professors Ken Otter and Scott Ramsay reveal the surprising complexity behind these seemingly ordinary birds.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. Scott Ramsay is a Biology professor at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, ON, where he has been studying White-throated Sparrows since 2001. Since joining the faculty at Laurier, his research has included studies of the White-throated Sparrow populations in Algonquin Park, and Prince George BC in collaboration with Ken Otter.Ken Otter is a professor at the University of Northern British Columbia. Ken and his team were behind much of the song research for White-throated Sparrows. His primary interest is in how forest birds respond to anthropogenic disturbance.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

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