Artist Tanya Chaly releases a bird banded by the Innis Point Banding Association

Ayatana residents patrol with Safe Wings Ottawa for birds injured or killed in collisions with buildings.

Residents visit the National Museum of Natures archives

Residents visit the chickens of Forest and Farm

Expert owler Bernie Ladouceur leads residents to listen to nocturnal birds

Montreal artist Marjorie Lemay films a pair of eagles
through binoculars with a super 8 camera

Residents work with the Wild Bird Care Center's x-ray collection


Artist Estravan watching an Osprey


Artists work with the Innis Point Bird Banding Association


Artists exploring with birder Gregory Zbitnew

A Downy Woodpecker in an artists hand


One of thousands of drawers at the Museum of Nature's archives.

Laying Black Star hen at Forest and Farm

Looking for owls


Residents spot a Baltimore Oriole at Mud Lake

Bird Nerds

Bird School for Artists
10 webinars in May, 2026

Applications due January 18, 2026

This ten day online research residency is designed to be as immersive as possible in a virtual setting and will offer opportunities to learn from experts in their research labs and to develop ideas with other artists around the world. The program will give insight into the experiences of birds from a wide range of perspectives.

Science:
Artists will learn about the lives and ecology of wild birds directly from ornitholigists and conservationists. The program features daily live video lectures with international ornithological researchers on a range of bird related topics. Artists will have oportunities to ask questions, make conversation and connect with people working on cutting edge ornithology projects around the world. We will focus on bird inteligence, communication, migration and ecology among other topics.

Artists:
Biophilium residencies are designed to facilitate research that will enrich visual and conceptual artists' practice within a small group of like minded creative people. Artists, writers, musicians, film makers and dancers are encouraged to apply. The jury will select eight international artists based on their portfolio rather than how they fit into any description of an artist. We will enjoy many short one-on-one meetings with artists who make art related to birds and their experiences. Built in to the 2 - 2.5 hours of daily programming are discussions, recommended assignments and show and tell.

Outline
Activities will be tailored to participants research interests.

Artist talk: We invite you to give an artist talk to share your work with the group.

How to use birding apps: eBird for counting birds and Merlin for identifying them with an expert birder from the Ottawa Field Naturalist Club.

The Evolution of Brood Parasitism with the University of Illinois

The Historical Symbiosis of Humans and Pigeons with Washington University

Nocturnal Birds of Prey

Crow Friends and Funerals: Corvid behaviour with Cambridge University

Identifying Birds by Ear: Chirps, Tweets and Trills- a crash course in earbirding with the Ottawa Bird Count.

How Birds Manifest and See Color, with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

How Wildfires Affect Birds and Their Migration, with the Audubon Society

The Effects of Discarded Plastic on Bird Populations

How White Throated Sparrows Changed their Tune

Backyard Birding During Migration with a conservationist from Birds Studies Canada.

Artist talk: Cormorants and Urban Ecologies with Cole Swanson.

Conceptual Art History: Contemporary artists working with wild birds.

Cost 
$600 USD

We are offering a 50% scholarship to artists who apply before Jan 1.

We are flexible and forgiving with application formats and deadlines. For best results let us know what you do and what you'd like to study with us as early as possible.

Residency places are limited to 18 artists.

Click here to see all the artists who have studied birds with us.

Follow us for future calls for applications and posts about art and science