Meet Our Flock!

We are Kindell and Joshua Tolmie and we own & operate Wild Birds Unlimited in Kanata. We opened our store in July 2020 and have been loving every minute of it!

We both grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, a beautiful city on Lake Superior, which is where our passion for nature and the great outdoors began. Following our education, we moved to Ottawa to start our careers and family.

Kindell enjoyed a fulfilling career as a nurse for 15+ years and hung up her scrubs in January 2020. Her passion for people, combined with her passion for birds and nature, is what brought her to Wild Birds Unlimited. Kindell’s enthusiasm for the hobby of backyard bird feeding embodies the Wild Birds Unlimited mission of “Bringing People and Nature Together.” Kindell loves to share her knowledge and stories about birds and nature and she can’t wait to hear about the birds and critters that visit your backyard.

After spending 15+ years in the HR industry, Joshua joined WBU full-time in November 2021. Joshua is excited for the opportunity to partner with the community to create awareness and local actions that will have a positive impact on our local habitats. He loves camping, fishing, hiking, birding and sees everyday as an adventure.

In July 2022, Kindell & Joshua purchased the Wild Birds Unlimited Ottawa store, which has served the Ottawa community for 30+ years. 

When we're not having fun in the stores, we're hanging out at our country home with our teenage daughters, Paige and Marlow, our collection of pets (Cedar the Golden, Ripley the Berner & our 3 cats!) and of course, watching the birds from the porch!

Deb - Assistant Manager

Hiya, My name is Debbie (Deb). As a British Nursery Nurse, toy store manager and Doula. I've worked with Moms and babies all of my working life, including bringing up my own 3 kiddo's. When my, now, grown up kids decided to "fly the nest" I "filled the void" with 2 cats, Charlie and Lulu. They're indoor cats, but love to sit on a window sill and watch the world go by. It was this that got me into encouraging birds and critters into my back garden to "entertain" them. From this grew my interest in birds, coming to a head when we moved into our new home last year. A new construction with a plain backyard with nothing but fresh sod and no wildlife! The cats and I have spent the last 9 months researching how to create a habitat to encourage attractive birds and discourage the larger, more aggressive birds and less welcome critters (the coyote amongst them). I'm enthralled by how many different species of birds there are and even their behaviour, which brings me to WBU. Another dream job for me, and I'm looking forward to bringing my years of retail experience, carrying on my own learning, working with Kindell and her flock and meeting lots of twitchers.

 

Bonnie - Assistant Manager

Hi! I'm Bonnie and I'm glad to be part of the Wild Birds Kanata flock! I grew up in Kingston, moved to Ottawa, and reside now in Carleton Place, inside the Mississippi watershed, where there are plenty of opportunities to observe nature along the Trans-Canada Trail. I was first introduced to birding by a friend and found it to be fascinating topic. We took our kids to the Ottawa Greenbelt and hand fed chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches, which was a fun experience. I started noticing and learning more things about nature and birds in my own back yard. The cardinals we see often serenade us in the morning and early eve, the chickadees, finches, sparrows and blue jays all enjoy our back yard feeders. Although I'm not much of a gardener, I have managed to make my small front flower bed a pretty pink haven to attract hummingbirds. I'm looking forward to learning so much more through my experience at WBU Kanata.

 

Hi! I'm Deanna. I grew up on an acreage in rural Alberta, and learned early to develop a love of nature. We had non-stop flocks of Chickadees always visiting our back forest, and my Grandmother used to say they were calling my name as they said "dee dee dee". As a result, I've always had a fondness for these little birds. A little over 10 years ago, I became involved in a community project to help protect some amazing woodland in Kanata. Through this project, I was introduced to the stunning array of bird species that call this area home, or pass through in changing seasons. My spark for birdwatching was born, and it wasn't long before I was spending hours trekking through forests, by myself or on a guided tour, to learn more about our local birds. I have a passion for birds and nature, and I enjoy spending time both enjoying it, and photographing all of the interesting species and landscapes I come across. I'm so excited to be part of a team that helps to share the joy of the natural world with members of our community.

 

Hi! I'm Ian, and I'm very excited to join the flock at Wild Birds Unlimited Kanata! My experience with birds began when I was young, starting with my Grandpa teaching me how to identify different species of birds. Ever since then I've always had a love and appreciation for birds, nature, and the great outdoors. Over the past two years, my passion and interest in birds has grown, and I am really enjoying learning more about identification, food preferences, and behaviours. I feel very fortunate to be able to work at a store that encompasses all these things! I am also a professional classically trained musician. My main instruments are piano and pipe organ, as well as choral conducting. Naturally, this has sparked my interest in bird song, and identifying birds through their unique melodies. In my spare time, my hobbies include photography (especially birds!), cooking, exploring nature, current events, golf, and spending time at the lake! I look forward to meeting everyone and helping you with all your birding needs!