Episode 14

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Published on:

13th Apr 2026

Spring Migration! Learn Bird Calls with Park Ranger Kelly Blackledge

Kelly Blackledge knows her birds! She's so much fun to talk with, especially this time of year during spring migration as the woods, wetlands, lakes and bird feeders start getting busy baby. And, beautifully noisy! It's SO much fun hearing the first sandhill crane of the year, or the loon, or so many other birds we all love.

Kelly has over 30 years' experience as an Interpretive Park Ranger and a degree in Animal Ecology. She helps coordinate her local Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds, is a volunteer for the Minnesota loon watcher survey, and you’ll be able to tell… LOVES birds.

Listen in, hear some bird calls, and impress your friends with a few fun facts.

Resources:

https://birdcast.org/

https://journeynorth.org/

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About the Podcast

The Global Grit Experience
Stories of inspiring people with grit protecting nature, wildlife and the outdoor places we love.
The Global Grit Experience is about caring for nature, wildlife and each other by sharing stories of people making a difference in small and big ways. Real people, doing the work, who we can learn from, find some inspiration, and gather our grit to step up for the protection of our natural world. Erika Gilsdorf is an international, award-winning video producer and uses this podcast to be able to dive a bit deeper into a variety of environmental topics that are relevant, authentic and inspiring in today's challenging times. It's a podcast built on stories of hope, connection and action.

About your host

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Erika Gilsdorf

Hi! Thanks for being here! I’m Erika, the Global Grit Experience podcast creator and host. Though the podcast format is fairly new to me, I’ve been sharing stories close to 20 years in Minnesota, the U.S. and around the world. Some of those I’ve worked with include The Minnesota Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, General Mills, United Airlines, and National Geographic. I’m an outdoor enthusiast, adventurer, and climate and nature activist. I chose ‘grit’ because everything worth pursuing takes grit - passion, perseverance, courage, curiosity, hope and an unwavering determination to protect. Nature deserves a bit of our grit. Thanks for giving some of your grit for the love of nature.