Our Staff

Jana Teefy - Head Biologist, NABC Certified Bander and Trainer 

Jana's started as a volunteer at BBO in 2019 and fell in love with the organization. She was thrilled to become Assistant Biologist in the summer of 2021 and Head Biologist in 2023. Jana's was an Animal Health Technologist in her previous career and graduated from Lakeland College in 2022 from the Environmental Sciences program majoring in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation. She enjoys all aspects of BBO, especially connecting with the public and sharing her knowledge with them. Aside from birding, she enjoys hiking, camping, and photography. Black-Capped Chickadees are her favorite bird because they are adorable and feisty. 

Jon Van Arragon - Assistant Biologist, NABC Certified Bander and Trainer 

Jon became a member of the BBO staff in 2020 after being a regular volunteer for several years. His interest in birds started at the BBO and he completed the Young Ornithologist's workshop in 2017. During the banding season he has been known to bombard his coworkers with all manner of bird puns, feather or not it's appropriate. Outside of the field he enjoys backpacking, baking, and Broadway music. His favorite birds are the Bohemian Waxwing and the Hermit Warbler.

Ethan Denton - Summer Field Biologist and permitted bander

Ethan got into birds aged just 5, and the obsession has only snowballed since. Growing up in Canmore, Ethan spent a lot of time with mountain birds, and developed a passion for studying migration in all its aspects. In 2021 he completed an Alberta Big Year, setting the accepted record at 325 species. In his down time, Ethan can usually be found trawling wet fields for shorebirds or beating around the bushes in the hopes of an interesting Warbler. His favourite bird is the Peregrine Falcon, thanks to the "My Side of The Mountain" books, and their nomadic nature.

Xavier Quantz - Summer Field Biologist

Xavier has always loved nature and being outside. However, his love for birds only started a few years ago, but it didn't take long for this passion to become all-consuming. Since then, he has been part of the YOW, volunteered at the BBO, led interpretive walks through the Beaverhill natural area, and gone birding there many times. Now that he has graduated from NAIT he is ready to dive head-first into his career as an ornithologist! Besides birdwatching, Xavier enjoys backpacking, botany, and Dungeons & Dragons. His favourite birds are the Le Conte's sparrow and mourning warbler.

Emelie Dykstra - Summer Field Biologist

Emelie is a recent graduate from the University of Alberta in Environmental and Conservation Sciences, where she completed winter bird biodiversity research that sparked her passion for birds. With a background in forestry research and science communication, birding has remained a consistent hobby for several years. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, backpacking, and searching for bugs. Her favourite bird is a magpie, even though they get a bad rap!

Jasper June - Seasonal Biologist and BirdSmart Presenter 

Jasper June (they/she) is a queer, disabled, researcher, artist, and graduate student at Yorkville University. For their undergraduate thesis, they studied American Pika in Kananaskis for the Animal Communication and Cognition Lab at MacEwan University. They are working on a master's thesis on monarch migration, which surveyed butterflies, and milkweed habitats in Alberta. They appreciated the opportunity to complete the Grassland Breeding Bird Census internship at Beaverhill Bird Observatory this summer. Jasper is passionate about making conservation and local biodiversity accessible and engaging to the public through community science and education. Jasper enjoys studying connections between citizen science, and psychology for fostering conservation efforts and community mental health. As a visitor of BBO since childhood, Jasper is excited to be joining the team!