DARE TO BIRD

You can buy my book at Amazon.ca in Canada HERE You can buy the book from Amazon.com in the USA  HERE You can also buy my book at Indigo/Chapters HERE You can also buy a copy directly from the publisher Rocky Mountain Books  HERE Thanks to everyone who supports me! It means the world!

Young Birder program graduate and professional wildlife photographer Liron Gertsman and his friend Jack Bailey asked to film a documentary short for CBC about grief and birding and the impact that birds have on people. They also wanted to discuss the BC Young Birders program I founded and the joy the kids get from birding and the joy they bring to me.  I was honoured to be a part of this project but I admit some of the topics (the death of both of my parents) was hard to talk about. You can see I do tear up in one section. I hope that being open about the pain and my grief will help others who are grieving as well. Birds and the young birders really do help me cope with the profound and immense losses. My dad has been gone 6.5 months and my mother 21 months but I am far from over them and in fact I never will be. I am sad every day without them and just letting life grow bigger around my grief day by day. Thank you to the Young Birders who took part in the documentary and for the kind

Hi All, I’m excited to share with you my cover for the book I’ve written called “Dare to Bird - Exploring the Joy and Healing Power of Birds” It won’t be on sale until May, 14-2024 (next year) but for now you can see the cover and read more about it at the publisher’s website Rocky Mountain Books (RMB)  HERE I am so grateful for this opportunity and thankful to RMB but so sad my parents aren’t alive to read it. They were my main inspiration for this book, so my greatest thank you goes to them for supporting me in everything I did and loving me so deeply. My father knew the book was coming but never got to read it or see the cover art sadly. Thanks to all my friends and the young birders as well for their support, inspiration and encouragement in writing this book. I truly hope it will help anyone going through similar challenges of loss and adversity. I also hope that for those who have thankfully not experienced loss like this, that one can relate to the main message of how birds brin

You may remember that Cliff Swallow nests with chicks and eggs inside were destroyed and power washed clean at the Pitt Lake site in  2019. This also happened in 2009, 2013 and 2015. You can read my article on the past history at this site HERE Unfortunately, this year in July, my friend Larry Cowan and I noticed that out of the 30 nests at the site many had been knocked down. On July 5th there were 14 nests left up. I reported it immediately to federal wildlife enforcement at ECCC and the BC conservation service as this breaks the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act and the provincial BC Wildlife Act.  14 nests were still left up on July 5th -2023 On July 29th I returned to the site with several young birders and we noticed only 3 nests were left up and 2 of the nests had live chicks inside being fed by adults. A lone Barn Swallow nest with chicks was also destroyed.  Larry and I truly do not believe it’s a Barred Owl as in 30+ years of going there Larry has never seen one. Also a

Atlantic Puffins have such interesting faces! - Photo: Melissa Hafting I recently led a birding tour to Newfoundland for Avocet Tours, just like I did last year  but this time with Chris Charlesworth. You can read about last year's trip HERE . This year was great as well and was sold out once again. If you are interested in joining this tour next year click HERE .  Also if you enjoy arctic tundra landscapes and have done NFLD before I have another tour going to Nome and Barrow in 2024. If you want to sign up for that click  HERE Newfoundland 2023 We got in to St. John’s a day before the tour started on July 8th a nd headed to Burton’s Pond, to look at the long staying Pink-footed Goose. Here we saw a rare for the time of year Eurasian Wigeon, some Common Terns and pure American Black Ducks and Hooded Mergansers. We went to Mundy’s Pond hoping for the Tufted Duck that was there on July 5th but it seemed just like the rare Black-tailed Godwit and Little Blue Heron, that was present i