Jim and his wife Lynda own the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop located in Toronto. Since they met in 1986 they have been feeding birds and enjoying nature together. Their love of nature and backyard birding brought Jim and Lynda to Wild Birds Unlimited where they were customers for 10 years eventually leading to their purchase of the business in 2001.
Lynda and Jim purchased their house in 1990 and immediately started gaining practical hands on experience on how to attract and feed birds in their backyard and then through their store in 2001 started helping members of the local community enjoy the fun hobby of backyard birdwatching. Jim and Lynda launched a new and very successful program in 2010 called BirdScaping. Customers hire them to evaluate their yards and then recommend the changes required to create a successful bird habitat. Recommendations included the correct food, feeder, nesting box, birdbath, and native plants that should be used and where located.
Jim and Lynda:
- Have graduated from the Toronto Botanical Gardens/George Brown College Garden Design Certificate course which takes a practical approach to garden and landscape design by looking at both the art and the process involved in layouts and plantings
- Are certified instructors in the Canadian Wildlife Federation sponsored Project Wild/Project Zero environmental and conservation education program with a goal to help children of all ages understand the importance of their relationship to the environment and wildlife
- Participated in the first ten day expedition at the Long Point Bird Observatory to learn the art of bird banding and continue to volunteer at Longpoint
- Bird Banding volunteers at the Tommy Thompson Bird Research Station (located on the Leslie Street Spit)
- They have also banded birds at the Ruthven Park Bird Banding Station and Norval Outdoor Education Centre
- Participants in numerous Bird udies Canada Volunteer Programs such as:
- Project Feeder Watch
- Marsh Monitoring Program for Birds and Frogs
- Swift Watch (Chimney Swift observation)
- Sponsor and lead Great Backyard Bird Count Hikes and counts
- Jim has been a featured speaker at many events which include:
The 2014 International Home and Successful Gardening Show
The 2013 Birkdale Ravine Community Centre Jane’s WalkIn 2011
Jim was a featured speaker at the 2011 POND (Places of Natural Discovery) Conference held at Humber College to help educators understand how bird watching/feeding can help children learn about their environment and wildlife.
