The Noticer Idea
You can't protect what you've never seen.
North America has lost nearly 3 billion birds since 1970. Most disappeared not because of a single catastrophe, but because almost no one was paying attention.
The first act of conservation is noticing.
Noticer is a small, calm app for families. It doesn't ask you to identify rare species, or compete on a leaderboard, or buy expensive gear. It asks you to do one quiet thing: look up.
Each bird in the journal comes with its story — the surprising fact, the song, the behavior — and one small, doable thing you can do to make life better for it. Skip the lawn pesticide. Keep the cat in. Plant a native shrub. Leave the dead branch standing.
When children learn to notice birds, they learn to notice everything — the way the light falls, the silence before rain, the difference between two greens. We think the world could use a few more noticers.
From Chris
The duck that started it all.
Years ago, I renovated a ski chalet at Georgian Peaks for Brian Skinner. He was an advertising genius in Toronto, and he became a good friend.
One day he called me over. He’d done his homework. There was a brochure with “Chris Rogers Designer/Builder” on the front. No fancy company name. Just me. Brian’s point was simple: people want to deal with a real person.
Then he handed me a shoebox. Inside was a duck decoy. Not much to look at, honestly... but the idea was stellar.
Brian said I should have wood ducks hand-carved and painted, then give them to clients with a thank-you underneath. I found Ross Uttley (1923–2015), a carver in his eighties — a classy old craftsman out of Ontario. He carved them, and his wife painted them.
“Thank you for the opportunity to create your lovely chalet, it was a pleasure, Chris Rogers Designer/Builder.”
Those ducks became part of my working life. We even had people calling to ask if they could buy one. LOL.
A wood duck makes its home in a tree cavity. A bird with a wooden home... a pretty good companion for a fellow who built them, don’t you think?
So this isn’t a new mascot we dreamed up. It’s an old friend coming along for the next chapter. Craftsmanship. Taking responsibility. Saying thank you. That’s what I want Quiet Flock to carry forward.
Thank you, Brian. You were onto something.
— Chris
In memory of Brian Skinner.
The artist
Glen Loates, R.C.A.
The wood duck that lives on this site comes from a painting by Glen Loates — one of Canada's great nature artists, a self-taught naturalist out of Toronto, and a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. His waterfowl hang in collections right across North America.
Glen, your brushwork brought me more joy and pride than I can properly say out loud. This duck has been with me through a whole working life, and it's going to keep going. Thank you for letting it.
— Chris