Podcasts about fort erie

It's my birthday and I'll bird if I want to bird if I want to.  You would bird too -  if it was you.   Welcome to the birthday edition of the Big Year Podcast. Well, the only thing that makes it a birthday edition is, well, because it's my birthday.  I'm Robert Baumander and I'm 66 years old today.  Do you like numbers?  Of course, we all do.  So, here's a little birthday math for you. I was born on the 16th in 1960, and 1+9+6+0 is 16. How about that.  Hey, it's my birthday, and I'll add if I want.  As birders, how do you celebrate your birthday?  Me, I watch the backyard birds while sipping a morning coffee, then hope that my birthday wish of a rare bird alert comes true.  So far, not so much. Any hoo I've spent much of the dog days of summer birding in my back yard and building a mini green house and rock garden.  And lots of baby birds are fledging from the trees. Just this week, there was a baby Downy Woodpecker, baby Common Grackles, and House Sparrows.  I've seen young Baltimore Orioles, Northern Cardinals, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and even a recently fledged Black-capped Chickadee.   Out in the wilds of Southwestern Ontario there are still moments of excitement to be found, as a couple of rarities dropped in for a visit during the past few weeks.  In Hamilton Harbour, along with a group of excited birders, I was able to enjoy watching a Brown Pelican.  Very rare sighting for Ontario, and in fact I only saw my very first one last year along the Niagara River in Fort Erie. Perhaps this is the very same bird.  The other great find was even more personal, a Eurasian Collared-Dove, right here in Brantford.  Again, I had only ever seen one in Ontario, way back in 2018.  That's how rare they are in these here parts.  A couple of weeks ago our very own Eurasian Collared-Dove showed up in a local back yard and the homeowner was gracious enough to allow visitors to come see it.  So, what have we learned over the years from The Big Year Podcast?  Well, the life of a birder seems to be long drives followed by brief but beautiful experiences in the middle of nowhere looking for a bird that might not be where you hoped it would be or might not show up at all.  Someone once said, birding is not always about the birds you see, but often the places where the birds take you.  The places you might never have seen if not for the birds. Yes, there is more to birding than Big Year Birding.  Yes, there is something to be said about the thrill of the chase and the discovery of one of the rarest birds you've ever seen.  But then, once the Big Year is over, there is the return to the purest form of birding.  Just you, your binoculars and the birds, somewhere in the woods or a park or even, where I sit right now, in your own backyard. Well, I'm not actually in your backyard, but you get the idea. For me, and many others,(especially those of us with ADHD), birding quiets the mind,(when not chasing rarities), and lets you take a step back from the noise and chaos of life.  The quiet of the woods, only broken by birdsong is what makes birding truly special. It's not the bird, it's the journey.  Well, sometimes it is the bird.  So, was that too much?  I mean, really, that just sounded a little too sentimental for me.  I was trying to end on a lighter note and I just sounded like I was trying to be profound.  Well, maybe I wasn't trying to sound profound, so I hope it didn't seem over the top.  I think I really did from the heart.  Well, the brain.  Certainly not the heart.  The heart can't do anything more than pump blood and get clogged arteries.  It's the brain where thoughts and words come from.  Sorry for waxing a bit philosophical, but hey, it's my birthday and I'll wax if I want to. And with that as I sit here, enjoying my backyard birds, about to head out to go birthday birding with Sue, then for a free birthday latte at Starbucks, let's meet our guest for today's episode: Tarik Shahzad is a Chicago birder who broke the Cook County Big Year record in back to back years.  We recently spoke about his Big Years and birding along the shores of Lake Michigan.   Enjoy!

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#929 Payton Morningstar from Fort Erie, Ontario, raced his first-ever AMA Pro Motocross National at High Point MX in Pennsylvania. We called him up on the following Monday to talk about how it went and what his plans are for the rest of the summer and beyond.

Guest Host Rob Fai spoke with Brittany McNutt, Cat owner about Together again after 12 years. How a Fort Erie woman reunited with her 21-year old cat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest Host Rob Fai spoke with Brittany McNutt, Cat owner about Together again after 12 years. How a Fort Erie woman reunited with her 21-year old cat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The biggest night at Mohawk featured multiple Stakes races including the $1 Million North America Cup. On the thoroughbred side, after almost 2 months of racing at Woodbine, the leading Stakes winning trainer is Dale Desruisseaux. He talks with us about his 4 Stakes wins. The 4-year-old Conn Smythe won again to become the first horse to capture 3 races this year.Which Canadian-born trainer has won the most races in the last decade at Saratoga? Her name is Melanie Giddings and we got her on the phone.The Fort Erie jockeys paid an emotional farewell to Francine Villeneuve, the Queen of Fort Erie. And we pay our weekly visit to Ajax Downs to see how the quarter horses are running. Spoiler alert – they're running really fast.

We're not angry, but we do have the Fury Stakes from Woodbine. What happened to the unbeaten Beau Jangles when he met the strongest field of his 16-race career in an elimination for the North America Cup? The 158th Belmont Stakes went to Kentucky Derby champ Golden Tempo thanks to another last to first surge. Canadian Melanie Giddings scored a win last week at Saratoga, and after Tawny Port won the Belmont Gold Cup in record time, Garnet Barnsdale issued a warning to any bettors planning to bet that horse in the Melbourne Cup.Down The Stretch remembers the career of jockey Francine Villeneuve, who died last week. Opening Day at Fort Erie was a tour de force for jockey Sofia Vives and owners Icon Racing. Trainer Anthony Adamo tells us he had never before won 4 races with the only 4 horses he sent out on the same day.A mare with a North American resume won the famed Elittlopet in Sweden. We have the call...in Swedish.And at Ajax Downs, Cassandra Jeschke won for the first two times this year, Cristian Benitez added to his leading win total and Had To Be Fabulous suffered a rare defeat.

Jason welcomes in Doug McPherson from Fort Erie and Woodbine to talk opening weekend at the Fort, the Woodbine meet so far, his visit to French racetracks, and more! 

Meet Lisa Sirgi, a 6'5 Estonian rim protector (Class of 2027) representing Fort Erie International Academy (Canada) and her national team — and she's chasing college basketball in the U.S. and beyond.In this episode, Lisa breaks down her unique path from Estonia's club system to North America's high-level competition, why she chose Fort Erie for development, and what she's looking for in a college program. We talk rim protection, rebounding, mindset, patience, teamwork, and the growth of the modern big — including her goal of expanding her versatility by handling and facing up.Lisa also shares life off the court: her love for drawing and painting, family and home, and a piece of Estonian culture you might not expect.

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

Steve interviews Mark Hebscher (00:34:37) the author of a new book called, "Madness: The Rise and Ruin of Sports Media." Mark is making his debut on the podcast and he starts off with a bang. Mark and Steve disagree with the outlook of Blue Jay's fans after a devastating World Series. Mark proclaims he knows more about baseball than anyone else to appear on the podcast. Mark talks about the state of sports media in Canada, the control teams have acquired over the narrative since COVID, and gives his Mt. Rushmore of Canadians in the sports media. Mark and Steve also talk about Canadian rock music and eating Chinese food in Fort Erie. Steve starts the show with First things First and his thoughts on the Italian National Team, the yo-yo that is the 2025-26 Sabres, and a few pieces of Atlanta Braves news. The sports media story of the week looks at Donald Trump's appearances on the Pat McAfee Show and inside the booth during an NFL game on Fox. The show ends with one last thing about red sauce just not being the same since Nonna and Bisnonna died. For more information follow the podcast on twitter @sports_casters Email: thesportscasters@gmail.com

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

We have the $750,000 Canadian International Stakes from Woodbine along with the Nearctic and the Dance Smartly Stakes as well. Let's just say Woodbine were very good hosts to visiting horse people. There were fireworks at Mohawk Park earlier in the week - on Monday, Doug McNair took down 3 OSS Golds - then on Tuesday, Bob McClure did the same thing.Tom's Magic won the Breeders' Stakes. His owner, CJ Johnson is from Texas but tells us why he loves racing at Mohawk and how important it is to lower the takeout for bettors. You might expect the best horses to break track records, but last Monday, a $9,000 claimer shattered the mark for 6 ½ furlongs at Fort Erie. And, as the quarter horse season winds down, we've got races from last Wednesday's card at Ajax Downs.

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

On Turf Champions Day, there were 5 Stakes races at Woodbine, including the $1 Million Woodbine Mile. Lots of action at Mohawk Park – on Friday there were 2 Champlain Stakes and an Elegant Image warm-up that produced a $100 winner: on Saturday, Beau Jangles and Frantic Hanover dazzled as Sylvia Hanover and Twin B Joe Fresh renewed their rivalry. A Canadian horse – Lexus Kody won the $1 Million International Trot at Yonkers Saturday. We've got the Prince of Wales from Fort Erie; let's just say Ryan Munger was happy to be reunited with Runaway Again. Harness driver Gilles Barrieau figured out how to get on the podcast – just win 9 on one night at the Charlottetown Driving Park. Ismael Mosqueira moved closer to winning the riders' title by having a good day at Ajax Downs. And we remember one of our favourites, Zippy Chippy, who warmed our hearts by losing every one of his 100 races.

Jason welcomes in Fort Erie racecaller Doug McPherson to talk about Tuesday's Prince of Wales Stakes! 

Tuesday's Race of the Day is Fort Erie's Prince of Wales Stakes. Ashley Mailloux analyzes here.

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

We've got the Wonder Where Stakes and the Singspiel Stakes from Woodbine and let's just say jockey Rafael Hernandez had a good day. There were 5 Grand Circuit Stakes at Mohawk on the weekend – we have the stretch calls of all of them. At Truro Raceway in Nova Scotia, veteran driver Claire MacDonald won 4 of 8 races on a recent card, but that wasn't the most unusual result for her that night. We have the uplifting but disturbing story of a pacer named Tyler, who raced over 200 times, but had to be rescued hours before being slaughtered out of a kill pen. Jockey Kirk Johnson has been fully vindicated. The AGCO says there was no bad behaviour in the unusual finish of a race at Fort Erie. Jockey Alexis Sanchez pulled off the natural hat trick at Ajax Downs last week, and when Pretty Runaway won the Maturity Stakes, we learned this speedball has a unique appreciation of heavy metal music. We were on the phone to race caller Frank Miramahdi, who wraps up the summer meet from Saratoga. When he learned that Peter Gross didn't get to the spa this year, he got his friends to lay into him pretty good. And we have a race from Laurel Park in which a flock of geese flew right into the horses as they came into the stretch.

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

A reading of articles and features from the Fort Erie Observer

In the second of a two-part series, we travel to the US-Canada border to find out what people, businesses and industries are thinking ahead of the US election. From one of North America's busiest border crossings, to Canada's energy capital, we hear from those who might be impacted by November's result.South of the border, in Mexico, we hear how tension with China is benefitting America's closest neighbours.(Image: A road sign in Fort Erie, Ontario points in the direction of the Peace Bridge crossing to New York. Credit: Getty Images)Presenter: Sam Gruet Producer: Megan Lawton