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 episode of the Spark Bird Podcast, hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally welcome musician Nandi Rose of Half Waif. Nandi shares her Spark Bird story, recounting how a flash of color spotted in Costa Rica opened the door to a quieter, deeper noticing back home in the Upper Hudson Valley. For Nandi, it’s less about sight and more about sound, and bird song has become her guide. Even without binoculars, there’s a sense of recognition in the songs. A feeling of being spoken to, of returning to something familiar and sacred. Her music, like her birding, is shaped by this listening, drawing inspiration from moments of hearing the flute of a Wood Thrush or catching a glimpse of an Indigo Bunting in flight.

(Photo by: Logan White)

✨ Explore more from Nandi Rose:

🌐 Visit halfwaif.com to dive into her music, visuals, and creative world.

📝 Read her Substack, Ordinary Talk, where she writes beautifully about creativity, nature, and the quiet moments in between.

🎧 Listen to Half Waif on Spotify and wherever you stream music. Her songs echo the landscape she so often birds in. To listen in, start here.

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