Kiirsti Owen, PhD (she/her)
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kiirsti.bsky.social
Kiirsti Owen, PhD (she/her)
@kiirsti.bsky.social
790 followers 700 following 1.6K posts
Senior Wildlife Biologist at Keefer Ecological Services 🦆 Vortex Canada Brand Ambassador 🐦 Eagle Eye Tours guide 🌿 she/her

👉 https://linktr.ee/kiirsti
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kiirsti.bsky.social
On Thursday, I attended the 71st Fall Convocation at the University of New Brunswick and received my doctoral degree. My parents and I flew across the country so that I could walk across the stage and accept my degree, and they could witness it. It's official: I'm a doctor! 👩‍🎓📃 #classof2025
Me standing on a balcony dressed in the bright red and blue robes of a doctoral graduate with the black beefeater hat. Yellow and green maple leaves make a stunning contrast at the backdrop.
October 25, 2025 at 9:20 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
The next in the series: Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan. I've seen the other three; this one I haven't (but would looove to). Some day 🤞

Okay what do I do? Do I just keep painting all the toucans or is it time to move on to another group of birds? (Or other animals?!)
Painting of a close-up view of the head of a Plate-billed Mountain-toucan qith a lavender background 💜
September 14, 2025 at 6:05 AM
kiirsti.bsky.social
Post-PhD life.

I was pretty good at work-life balance during 7 years of grad school, but this past year was really intense and I'm enjoying the freedom and time by painting members of Ramphastidae (why? Why not!).

#PostPhdlife #PhDone
Three small painted canvases showing cokourfyl close-ups of toucan heads (Keel-billed Toucan, Fiery-billed Araçari, and Northern Emerald Toucanet). A paintbrush and a messy palette sit on the table beside the paintings.
September 13, 2025 at 4:43 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
Yesterday I successfully defended my PhD and can now say that I am officially ✨Dr. Kiirsti Owen✨ (or Ducktor, if you will 🦆). #PhDone
Opening slide of a PhD defence featuring a wetland at sunrise as the background with text "Wetland bird response to anthropogenic habitat change of the Chignecto Isthmus"
August 15, 2025 at 3:59 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
And I got to teach it this year! 🥳

Thanks to @halibirdnerd.bsky.social for trusting me with her course 🙏✨
A group of students birding at sunrise in a forest clearing.
July 7, 2025 at 11:10 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
This was Dalhousie University's SEASIDE Ornithology, a 17-day intensive field course. Very hands-on, very fun, and introduces students to bird behaviour, anatomy, physiology, conservation, and common field methods.
A group of students learn about bird banding operations from a guest. Tarp is spread out on a recently cut area at the edge of a field with banding equipment.
July 7, 2025 at 11:10 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
13 new bird nerds fledged from the nest and I am one happy instructor! 🪺🪹🐦

So proud of this group of super keen undergrads. They learned >50 birds by sight and sound in less than 2 weeks and they completed field research projects with only 3 days of data collection.
Class photo (16 people) standing in front of an old farmhouse with solar panels.
July 7, 2025 at 11:10 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
Got to do some fieldwork last week in my new role as Senior Wildlife Biologist with KES(keefereco.com). Amphibian surveys, soil sampling, camera traps, bar detectors, and general wildlife surveys. Lots of fun!
View from 1700 m elevation A large Western Toad on the edge of a wet area amongst some grasses, sedges, and other short wetland vegetation. Me smiling and holding a Columbia Spotted Frog that we caught in our amphibina traps. Grabbing a photo together before releasing this friend safely back into the wetland. View from 850 m elevation.
June 7, 2025 at 3:19 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
I recently guided my first birding trip with Eagle Eye Tours in Costa Rica. It was so much fun. The people were all interesting and enthusiastic, the birds were, of course, incredible, and the weather was perfect 😚👌

It was hard to say goodbye at the end & return to reality! Back to #PhDlife.
Three male Red-legged Honeycreepers perched on a branch. A three-toed sloth sleeping in a tree. Four tanagers sharing a banana: Scarlet-rumped, 2 x Silver-throated, and Blue-Gray Tanagers. Sunset on the Tárcoles River.
March 4, 2025 at 2:00 AM
kiirsti.bsky.social
Yesterday was one of those perfect winter days: sunshine, fresh fluffy snow, chickadees singing and lots of woodpecker activity... oh and lots of squirrels for the pup to watch
A brown dog sitting in the snow with her back to the camera and looking up towards a tree (out of frame) with a squirrel on it. Sunlight is coming through the trees which are covered in snow. Blue skies beyond.
February 13, 2025 at 3:44 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
Happy #SuperbOwlSunday!

The most recent owl that I saw (and my only "lifer" yet this year!!) was this truly #SuperbOwl: The Northern Hawk-Owl.
February 9, 2025 at 2:03 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
We had one of those cold days yesterday where the snow is squeaky and the frost is exceptionally beautiful.
A cold morning looking over an old field with saltmarsh (not really visible) in the background before turning into a mostly-evergreen forest. The sky is orange-ish with a low winter sun. Snow on the ground and frost on everything. Hoar frost on a dead but standing Solidago sp. (goldenrod) with the early morning sun hitting one side and a blurry background of snow behind.
January 19, 2025 at 1:48 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
This research was made possible with support from Ducks Unlimited Canada (Atlantic), Mitacs Canada, and the Society of Canadian Ornithologists. Also, with tireless efforts from six field assistants (Emily, Ruby, Sarah, Hannah, Fawn, and Joel) and countless volunteers!
Three people standing in a saltmarsh, smiling Two techs with bug nets at dawn with hundreds of mosquitoes around. Holding a mist net pole. Four people standing in dikeland smiling. Midday with blue skies.
January 6, 2025 at 4:14 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
Finally, given their ability to use human-made habitats for breeding, we should consider ways to reduce disturbance during nesting season by collaborating with landowners & local governments where possible. #conservation
A Nelson's Sparrow perched on a small shrub in dikeland. A metal band is visible on the right leg of the bird.
January 6, 2025 at 4:14 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
It also highlights the importance of #saltmarsh habitats for Nelson's Sparrows (much higher densities in saltmarsh vs. dikeland), therefore, we should focus on protecting existing saltmarsh and restoring where possible. #habitatrestoration
A single Nelson's Sparrow perched in the distance on a clump of grass in the saltmarsh.
January 6, 2025 at 4:14 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
What does this mean? With #climatechange, sea-level rise, and increasing storm events, tidal marsh nesting birds, like Nelson's Sparrows, face increased risks. Maybe being able to adapt to human-made habitats will help the Nelson's Sparrow persist in areas where other tidal marsh birds disappear.
A very high tide in saltmarsh. Plants that are usually not submerged, are now underwater or in water.
January 6, 2025 at 4:14 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
Our results suggest that Nelson's Sparrows are able to take advantage of readily available human-made habitat for breeding.
A photo looking straight down at a grass nest with 3 sparrow nestlings.
January 6, 2025 at 4:14 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
We also found that females that nested in dikeland had a higher chance of their nest being successful than those that nested in saltmarsh.
Two graphs, side by side, showing daily nest survival in dikeland and salmarsh by exposure days. The curve on the saltmarsh graph drops away from 1 (i.e., probability of survival less than 100%) earlier in the saltmarsh than in dikeland.
January 6, 2025 at 4:14 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
We found that most individuals used mostly saltmarsh during the breeding season, and few individuals used mostly dikeland.
A study area map with coloured polygons showing different home ranges of sparrows tracked using radio telemetry. More polygons are located in saltmarsh, many are also in both habitats, and very few are only in dikeland.
January 6, 2025 at 4:14 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
We investigated how and why this population uses dikeland for breeding habitat compared with saltmarsh by tracking their movements, examining their diets via fecal samples, monitoring their nests, and measuring vegetation in the two habitats.
A grass nest with 4 eggs. Eggs are light blue with reddish-brown speckling. Field tech (Emily) crouched low in some grass in saltmarsh near a nest that she just found. A pink flag marking a location where we had previously flushed a female is located very close to where we found the nest (note* flag was removed after finding the nest to reduce attraction by predators). A quadrat square made of PVC pipe and pink duct tape on the ground in grass. Me holding a yagi antenna high over my head in the saltmarsh.
January 6, 2025 at 4:14 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
The Acadian subspecies of Nelson’s Sparrow breeds in saltmarsh from northern Massachusetts to New Brunswick & eastern Quebec and is often considered to be a “saltmarsh specialist,” but in the Canadian Maritimes, this subspecies also successfully breeds in diked agricultural lands.
A Nelson's Sparrow perched on an old fence post surrounded by shrubs.
January 6, 2025 at 4:14 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
Our paper, "Breeding Ammospiza nelsoni (Nelson’s Sparrow) exploits both saltmarsh and hayfields in northern habitats" is now fully available online in @amornith.bsky.social's journal "Ornithology" #OpenAccess

Read it here 👉 academic.oup.com/condor/advan...
Graphical abstract showing an adult Nelson's Sparrow perched on some grass to the left of a graph showing the daily nest survival by exposure days for nests in saltmarsh and dikeland. The curves for nests in saltmarsh drops away from 1 (i.e., survival probability less than 100%) much earlier (~3 days) than for dikeland nests (~ 10 days). To the right of the graph are two nestlings, one with mouth open. The title reads "Acadian Nelson's Sparrows (Ammospiza nelsoni subvirgata) have higher nest success in human-made dikeland than in natural saltmarsh."
January 6, 2025 at 4:14 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
Okay the real #ChristmasBirdCount N°5 and my final one of 2024! Parrsboro, NS. Another fun count. Loved meeting so many nice birders at the tally-up too! 🥰 #birding
A large flock of geese flying over an estuary at low tide with snow covering the top of the banks. A small ommunity in the background. Us three bird counters standing in the snow. Colin stands in the middle and is much taller than me and Yiyi. It's foggy behind us. A Song Sparrow perched in some shrubs. A male Bufflehead on the water.
December 30, 2024 at 12:04 AM
kiirsti.bsky.social
...and finally, our high count for a single species was Northern Cardinal! Wow, 27 individuals and ALL MALE 😱
A feathery red cardinal on a Christmas garland. A red bird decoration that vaguely resembles a cardinal. A ceramic cardinal decoration hanging near the bottom of a Christmas tree. A felted cardinal decoration sitting on a tiny branch that is hanging from. A Christmas tree.
December 27, 2024 at 3:05 PM
kiirsti.bsky.social
Now for the owls. Normally I don't like to post locations of owls since they are sensitive species, but I know y'all are a respectful bunch.

Barn Owl, Snowy Owl, and a fledging unknown Owl species(?)
A hanging owl decoration that reserves a small fledging owl perhaps. A felted Snowy Owl decoration hanging in front of a bauble on a Christmas tree. A felted Barn Owl in a Christmas wreath.
December 27, 2024 at 3:05 PM