In this special Birds on the Niagara International Birding Festival feature, The Spark Bird Podcast welcomes Marcus Rosten, a birder and conservationist whose journey into birding began with one unforgettable encounter.

This episode celebrates birds as a gateway to conservation, community, and understanding our place within a larger global ecosystem. Highlighting why events like the Birds on the Niagara International Birding Festival matter now more than ever.

In this photo, Marcus is holding the American Woodcock from his Spark Bird story he shared with us!

Links & Resources from This Episode

🐦 Want to visit Buffalo and experience the Birds on the Niagara International Birding Festival? Learn more about the festival, events, birding along the Niagara region and come bird with us February 12th-16th!

🌿 To learn more about the Western New York Wildway, explore the conservation work Marcus discusses and how land protection keeps habitats connected, visit the Western New York Land Conservancy website.

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 talk with author and naturalist Leigh Ann Henion about what it means to really pay attention to the world around us, especially after dark.

Leigh Ann shares her early love of birds, names the Great Blue Heron as her spark bird, and reflects on how certain species have shaped her curiosity and connection to nature. They discuss her book Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark, where she challenges the idea that darkness is something to fear or avoid, and instead, invites readers to take another look as a living habitat full of possibility.

Resources & Links from This Episode

🌿 Visit Leigh Ann Henion's website to learn more about her writing and work.

📘 Connect with Leigh Ann on Facebook.

📸 Follow Leigh Ann on Instagram @leighannhenion.

📚 Learn more about Leigh Ann's books here, including Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark, and Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer's Search for Wonder in the Natural World

🌙 Explore Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark and order the book here.

💡 Learn more about the Lights Out Program, an initiative to reduce light pollution and protect birds.

Show Notes by Kayla Gajewski