Bird Joy

The harassment of birder Christian Cooper, a Black man, by a white woman in Central Park who was offended that he dared to ask her to leash her dog and in response called the police, served as a catalyst for the creation of Black Birders Week in June of 2020. A group of Black scientists created the week to encourage Black birders to share pictures of birds as well as their experiences of birding and being outdoors on social media. It quickly became a large community, and Black Birders Week has become a yearly event. Though I was not a birder at the time, I joined that online community to support the birders and scientists participating. I began following many of them not only to learn, but also to enjoy their beautiful pictures of birds and nature, which, in 2020, a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, were an uplifting escape. By following a number of Black birders and nature-lovers on Instagram, in 2021 I came across a post about a newly started, Black- led birding group focused on making birding and the outdoors fun and welcoming to Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). The group was hosting a birding outing not far from where I lived. I decided to attend and was so happy I did. The group was incredibly welcoming, and I felt an instant sense of community.