The Spark Bird Podcast

In this episode of The Spark Bird Podcast, our hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally are joined by Tom Ryan, an ornithologist and former student of Janet's at Canisius High School. Tom shares his journey from a childhood love of ducks to a defining spark bird moment with a chestnut-sided warbler. He shares how birding has become a way to capture memories and moments in his life.

In this episode of The Spark Bird Podcast, our hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally welcome Nina Hale, a Minneapolis-based artist and activist who transforms birdsong into hand-beaded bracelets. Nina shares her art and passion for birding, as well as her experience living in Minneapolis during the recent federal immigration surge, which has brought thousands of ICE agents into the city. As communities mobilized in response, Nina became actively involved by joining neighborhood patrols, supporting local networks, and using her art not only to remember the birds that have been lost but to stand with those fighting for justice now. (Pictured above: The Ivory-billed Woodpecker Birdsong Bracelet Nina shared during the episode.) Links & Resources from This Episode 🧵Discover Nina's handcrafted designs and the birds behind the beads at the Birdsong Bracelets website. 📸 See her latest designs on Instagram @birdsongbracelets. 📱Follow Nina's personal Instagram account @helenahandbskt for more birding content and community updates. 📝The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota is a nonprofit organization that provides free immigration legal representation in Minnesota and North Dakota. 💜Stand With Minnesota offers a vetted directory of organizations supporting the people and communities directly impacted. If you're unable to donate, consider sharing these efforts, talking with your community, and staying informed.

In this episode of The Spark Bird Podcast, our hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally welcome Angela Schumpert, also known as The Berd Nird! What began as casual backyard birding turned into a moment that sent her reaching for her first field guide. Drawing on her background in the Air Force and law enforcement investigation, Angela shares how attention to detail, patience and observation naturally translate from her career into the art and joy of building The Flock. Links & Resources from This Episode 🦜 Join Angela's online birding community, The Flock, for meetups, contests, and birding trips! 🌿 Learn more about Angela and explore her resources at her website, The Berd Nird. 📸 Follow Angela's birding adventures and humor on Instagram @the_berd_nird. 🎥 Watch more of her content on TikTok at @berdnird4 ▶️ Subscribe to her YouTube channel, @theberdnird. 👍 Connect with Angela on Facebook. Show Notes by Kayla Gajewski

In this second special Birds on the Niagara International Birding Festival feature, our hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally welcome Corina Newsome, a conservation scientist at the National Wildlife Federation and the festival's keynote speaker. Corina's work is rooted in advancing urban biodiversity conservation with environmental justice. She challenges the idea that conservation only happens in remote places, reminding us that cities are unique landscapes full of wildlife and wonder waiting to be explored and protected. Links & Resources from This Episode 🐦 Follow Corina on Instagram and explore urban wildlife, birding, and environmental justice through Corina's lens. 💼 Connect with Corina on LinkedIn to learn more about her professional work in conservation science or to ask any questions you may have! 🎤 Attend her keynote address "Loving by Nature" at Birds on the Niagara International Birding Festival! To register and find full details, visit the Birds on the Niagara website events page. 🪶 Register at their website and come birding at the 2026 Birds on the Niagara Festival happening February 12th–16th. Show Notes by Kayla Gajewski

In this episode of The Spark Bird Podcast, hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally sit down with environmental educator Eva Matthews Lark to talk about how winter warblers became her spark birds during a difficult period in her life. Now memorialized in her bird-inspired tattoo, those birds helped her find comfort and a deeper connection to birding. Eva also discusses their work in environmental education, the importance of meeting people where they are through technology, and how inclusive, intentional birding spaces enable people to show up as their authentic selves, finding belonging both in nature and in community. Links & Resources from This Episode 🐦 Check out Eva's quarterly mini-episode "Tail Feathers" on the Voices of Open Space podcast for more birding stories and tips from the field. 🌿 If you want to visit Hog Island Audubon Camp, she'll be leading the Let's Go Birding Together session! 🏞️ Birding in Boulder County? They have insider knowledge from working with Boulder County Parks & Open Space and are welcome to give tips for the best local birding adventures. 📸 Follow her adventures and connect on Instagram at @flyingmullet.

In this episode of The Spark Bird Podcast, hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally welcome Kelly Sue O'Connor, creator of the mental-health and birding project Birder Brain. After recently returning home to Nova Scotia from Ontario, Kelly Sue shares the unexpected spark that ignited her birding journey by rescuing a domestic canary, lovingly nicknamed Banana Bird, on a Toronto street. From that moment, birding became not just a hobby but a grounding practice. Links & Resources from This Episode ⭐ Explore Kelly Sue's work on her website: 👉 https://www.birderbrain.org/ 📸 Follow Kelly Sue's personal birding journey on Instagram @birder_ks 🌿 Connect with the Birder Brain community on Instagram @birderbrain Birding reminds us we're never truly alone. Just as birds flock together, we can reach out for connection when things feel heavy. Whether through birding, community, or conversation, reaching out is a sign of strength. 💬 If you ever feel isolated, know there's always someone to listen. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available anytime. For more information and resources, visit the 988 Lifeline website. 🍁 For listeners in Canada, compassionate support is available. You're part of a larger community that cares. For Canadian suicide prevention support and resources, visit the Government of Canada. Show Notes by Kayla Gajewski

In this episode of The Spark Bird Podcast, hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally welcome Ivan Phillipsen, creator and host of The Science of Birds podcast and co-owner of Wild Latitudes worldwide nature tours. Ivan shares how a seemingly ordinary moment with his friend led him to his spark bird, the California Towhee. Ivan also shares his journey shifting from academia to science communication, the joy of returning to a more holistic view of the natural world, and the importance of scientific literacy in an age of misinformation. Links & Resources from This Episode 🐦 Explore more of Ivan's work and listen to his podcast on The Science of Birds website. 🌍 Discover global birding adventures by visiting Wild Latitudes, the tour company Ivan co-owns. 🎧 Revisit the episode "How to Find Birds" from The Science of Birds, which they discussed in this week's episode. 🔍 Build your field ID skills with Ivan's episode, "How to Identify Birds in the Field." 📸 Follow Ivan on Instagram for bird science, naturalist insights, and behind-the-scenes snapshots on his work. ▶️ Watch more from The Science of Birds on Ivan's YouTube channel. Show Notes by Kayla Gajewski

This week on The Spark Bird Podcast, hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally are joined by Rosy Tucker, Program Manager at Hog Island Audubon Camp. Rosy shares how a Red Knot first ignited her love for birds and how that moment eventually led to a career as a teacher and environmental educator. From memorable classroom moments to the Atlantic Puffin Restoration Project, she reminds us that nature isn't far away, it's right in our own backyards. Links & Resources from This Episode 🌐 Learn more about Hog Island and explore upcoming programs at hogisland.audubon.org/programs/camp. 📸 Follow Hog Island on Instagram @hogislandaudubon for stunning bird photos, updates, and camp highlights. 🪶 Discover the island's history, volunteer opportunities, and ways to get involved at hogisland.audubon.org. Show Notes by Kayla Gajewski

In this week's episode, hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally welcome writer, educator, and professional rock climber Pedro Hoffmeister. What began as a remembrance trip for a friend's grandfather turned into an unexpected spark bird story. Despite setbacks, Pedro embraced the adventure! He shares how spending time in nature, along with meditation and cognitive therapy, helped him slow down, observe more birds, and heal after a traumatic brain injury. Resources & Links from This Episode 📸 You can follow Pedro to catch snapshots of him rock climbing, his daily life, and writing updates on Instagram at @pedro_hoffmeister. 🎬 He also shares videos and creative work on TikTok at @pedro_hoffmeister. 📖 To connect with him on Facebook, visit Pedro Casapardo Hoffmeister. 🌐 Learn more about Pedro and explore his books and projects on his website, pedrohoffmeister.com. 🎙️ Pedro's newest project, the American Afterlife Podcast, launches this October! Find it and follow for new episodes this Fall on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. Show Notes by Kayla Gajewski

In this episode of The Spark Bird Podcast, our hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally are joined by Mike Sacopulos, an attorney and publisher of Bird Watcher's Digest (BWD) Magazine. Mike shares how birding brought him comfort during a challenging period of his childhood, carrying him through big life transitions and eventually leading him to BWD. They also discuss the magazine's global artwork, the letters that remind Mike of its lasting impact, and how birding with BWD creates connections across generations of readers and birders alike. Resources & Links from This Episode 🌿 Learn more about Bird Watcher's Digest and subscribe at the BWD website. 📘 Connect with the BWD birding community on the BWD Facebook page. 🎁 Give the gift of birding! Surprise someone with a BWD subscription here. 🦆 Explore conservation efforts with Ducks Unlimited. ℹ️ Read more about their mission on the Ducks Unlimited About page. Show Notes by Kayla Gajewski

In this episode of The Spark Bird Podcast, our hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally talk with Laura Marris, Visiting Assistant Professor in the English department at the University at Buffalo. Laura shares how birding with her dad as a child shaped the way she sees the world. And we discuss her book The Age of Loneliness, reflecting on the decline in bird abundance, the role of community science, and what it means to truly notice the living world around us. This conversation is about more than birdwatching; it's about presence, memory, and the quiet ways nature holds us through change. *During the episode, Jenn mentioned a word she couldn't recall at the time, it's the Romanian word "dor," which captures a deep sense of longing or missing something you love.* Resources & Links from This Episode 📖 Learn more about Laura's upcoming book The Age of Loneliness from Graywolf Press. 📚 Order your copy on Bookshop or listen to the audiobook on Libro.fm. 🌐 Visit lauramarris.com or follow @lauramarris for more of Laura's work. 🦉 Watch Norman Smith's The Snowy Owls of Logan Airport. 🌱 Learn about the Silo City remediation project. 🕊️ Get involved with Cornell Lab's Community Science projects. 🌳 Explore the work of the WNY Land Conservancy 🔬 Read the Science article on the loss of bird abundance. 📖 Check out the children's classic Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. Show Notes by Kayla Gajewski

In this episode, hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally speak with Chris Allieri, founder and executive director of NYC Plover Project, which he launched in 2021 after recognizing a gap in conservation efforts right in his own city. During the height of the pandemic, when New York City's plover nesting grounds were especially vulnerable, Chris stepped up, not just to protect the birds, but to build a stronger culture of conservation in the city. His story is one of grassroots action, intergenerational learning, and a call to all of us to take part in protecting what's wild and at risk right in our own backyards. Photo Credit: Benjamin Forbes Resources & Links from This Episode 🌐 Visit nycploverproject.org to learn about the mission, meet the volunteers, and find out how to get involved. 📸 Follow @nycploverproject on Instagram for updates from the beaches and behind-the-scenes conservation work. 🕊️ Log your bird sightings on eBird, a powerful tool for community science and bird tracking. 📱 Download Merlin Bird ID to help identify birds by sight or sound while you're out exploring the world. Show Notes by Kayla Gajewski

In this special crossover episode, The Spark Bird Podcast's Jenn Lodi-Smith teams up with Bill Michalek of The Field Guides Podcast for a walk through Buffalo's historic Forest Lawn Cemetery. As they explore the grounds, Jenn and Bill reflect on their spark birds, discuss bird migration and conservation. The episode also features Spark Bird stories from a variety of voices from the Feminist Bird Club of Buffalo in Forest Lawn Cemetery, showcasing the power of community in birding. Resources & Links from This Episode 🔗 Listen to more nature adventures with Bill and Steve on The Field Guides Podcast YouTube channel. 🌼 Plan your next birding experience at the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage. 🌳 Learn more about Buffalo's historic parks and Forest Lawn with the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy. 🚫🐱 Lights Out! Cats In! is a campaign focused on bird-safe practices like keeping cats indoors and turning off lights at night during migration. Check it out here. 📖 Want a deeper dive into bird-safe, compassionate cat management strategies? Read this piece in Conservation Biology here. 🦜 Meet the Western New York Young Birder Club, uplifting the voices and skills of young birders across the region. 📍 Seen a bird strike a window? Report it on dBird to help researchers make cities safer for birds. 🌍 Visualize global data on bird-window collisions with the Global Bird Collision Mapper. 🧭 Explore how the birding community is becoming more inclusive and accessible at Birdability Show notes by Kayla Gajewski