In Color Birding Club

This month we had another incredible outing at Tyler Arboretum Tyler Arboretum with a lovely group of folks including a handful of brand new birders! In total we tallied 40 species over about 3 hours. There were great views of 3 Brown Thrashers together (one carrying food to a nest) and a pair of “ready to fledge” Red-tailed Hawks (see video).

Huge thank to Dave and Terry for welcoming us to this space once again and thank you to all of the smiling and joyful folks that came out.

In early June your homies over here held our first ICBC Book Club or ICBC-BC 🤣🤣🤣🤣

It was such a lovely time. The homies over at Free Library of Philadelphia ensured we had a safe and joyful space to gather. The homies on our events committee made sure we had food and drink to sustain ourselves during the discussion. We spent almost two hours discussing Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy which is a “dystopian novel about Franny Stone, a woman who follows the world’s last flock of Arctic terns on their final migration from Greenland to Antarctica in a near-future world ravaged by climate change and mass extinction. The narrative intertwines her present journey on a fishing boat with flashbacks revealing her traumatic past, exploring themes of grief, love, loss, and the devastating impact of environmental collapse, all while she seeks redemption and connection.”

We were able to tackle a number of topics that ranged from conservation, mental health, extinction, grief, love, loss, and some really cool connections between the loss of nature and the loss of people we love.

We cannot thank folks enough for showing up and brining a very uplifting vibe. Next quarter we will be reading Christian Cooper’s acclaimed book “Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World.”

Huge thank you to our all volunteer events committee Malvika Duphare Mita Banerjee Tianna Godsey and Kim Godfrey for getting this going!

Join us for a Juneteenth bird outing at John Heinz NWR.

***This walk is specifically for folks of African descent across the diaspora. This event is not open to allies who do not identify as part of the Black community, and we ask that you respect this space and look forward to attending one of our future events this summer***

We will celebrate our access to nature and our love of birds as a testament to many of our ancestors. Those ancestors who endured and overcame so that we could be here finding joy in the outdoors with one another.

Look forward to seeing you all out there!

Join us this Saturday, June 13th from 8am to 11am at Tyler Arboretum as we enjoy a tour of the garden in its full summer glory along with a number of breeding bird species.

RSVP through the link in our bio or visit incolorbirding.org

Nice walk this weekend at with

The walk was led by and

We enjoyed a couple of hours of walking amongst the beautifully managed landscape at Awbury. We saw about 25 species across the group (including some frogs, fish, and turtles). Afterwards a few of the homies got to walk with the goats around the same space. This is always a lovely walk and it was our 4th year doing so. It’s a great way to see some birds, hang with goats (and learn about the incredible work PGP is doing), and maybe explore a place you’ve never been to. Looking forward to next year!

Our trip this year for was up to the Far Rockaways with the homies from

It was a fitting way to end the week. We experienced birding at the Averne Nature Preserve and on the beach. We peeped a ton of cool birds including Piping Plovers. We had lunch and joyful some community time with at .by.the.bay

To see how a community has come together to enrich and empower thier space, to not only be a haven for the residents but also the birds, was really powerful. Shout out to and for leading the outing and welcoming us so warmly.

After lunch we popped into Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to try for a Hudsonian Whimbrel (no luck) but a bunch of folks got lifer Purple Martin among a few other birds. We got one last good hand with the homie who dropped off a few gift bags from the Garden By The Bay homie.

It was a full day. Pretty sure everyone slept well last night 🤣

Thanks to for snapping some great content and to for a couple of choice bird photos! More to come on this day for sure.

📰Welcome to the Birding Community—You Belong Here, Too
by Bernie Wilson, Bird Photographer and In Color Birding Club Board Member

I am a retired English Professor and have always loved photography. I accidentally came to the world of intentional birding as I endeavored to learn new equipment purchased for a road trip. Many years and thousands of hours later, I continue to hone my skill and also my knowledge of the birds I record.

What began almost by coincidence is now a major element of my daily life. I have learned the names of most of the birds in our area and we have traveled fairly extensively in search of birds in other places, domestic and foreign.

As a person of color, it did not escape my attention, early on, I saw few others who looked like me, but that did not deter me. The joy, peace and sense of connection I feel with the natural world buoyed my spirit, lifted my mood and lowered my stress levels immensely. To become a “birder,” all that is needed is the desire to spend time looking for or at birds. As the species are ubiquitous, this activity can be done anywhere and everywhere, anytime of year, and can be done by anyone who has a desire.

Thankfully, today, there are more people from otherwise marginal communities that are embracing our beloved pastime. This is true in our region and is being replicated across our vast country.

Continue reading: https://fow.org/welcome-to-the-birding-community-you-belong-here-too/

📷Bernie Wilson