In this week's episode, our hosts Jenn Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally welcome Michael Lombardo, the creator of the McGolrick Bird Club in North Brooklyn. Michael shares his journey from a career in the tech industry to becoming a passionate birder and community leader. Michael discusses the creation and growth of the McGoldrick Bird Club, highlighting the importance of weekly bird walks, community engagement, and the power of noticing the natural world around us.

Explore more from Michael Lombardo and the McGolrick Bird Club

📸 Follow @mcgolrickbirdclub on Instagram for bird walk updates and moments of wonder from North Brooklyn.

🌐 Visit birding.website for resources, events, and reflections from the McGolrick Bird Club community.

📝 Subscribe to the McGolrick Bird Club Substack for thoughtful essays on birding, awareness, and slowing down in a fast-moving world.

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 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