Becky Whittam
Atlantic Canada
Program Manager
becky.whittam@ec.gc.ca
Telephone 506-364-5047

I was born with a genetic predisposition to work at Long Point as my Dad was the tip warden some 30 years ago. I grew up in Midland, Ontario and spent the summers at our cottage near Washago where I explored gravel pits, marshes and meadows searching for insects, frogs and wildflowers.
I became interested in research on birds while pursuing a biology degree at Queen’s University in Kingston. I spent two summers in Churchill, Manitoba, where I assisted with work on Smith’s Longspurs, and carried out Honour’s research on song variation in Yellow Warblers (they’ve got more to say than just "sweet sweet sweet I’m so sweet"). After graduating I spent a too-short summer working as a naturalist in Algonquin Park. I then travelled to Halifax where I pursued my Master’s research with Marty Leonard at Dalhousie University. I studied the effects of gull predation on a colony of Roseate, Arctic and Common terns nesting on a small Nova Scotian island. After graduating I coordinated a "tern restoration project" at the same site for the Canadian Wildlife Service. One of my duties involved running around the island and shooting off noisemakers to scare the gulls away. The best part of the tern project was living for three summers on a beautiful tiny island in an abandoned lightkeepers’ house (with no electricity or running water) surrounded by terns, Leach’s Storm-Petrels, gannets, guillemots, Common Eiders and the occasional Dovekie, puffin, or Harlequin Duck. It was an exceptional experience.
I spent two years working at BSC Headquarters in Port Rowan as Volunteer Projects Biologist, but decided to move back east when the opportunity arose. I now live in Sackville, NB, with my husband Sean and a whole bunch of house plants.