'I bird because I like doing it:' The color of bird watching and why diversity is needed

WASHINGTON (7News) — This week starts Black Birders Week to highlight Black nature enthusiasts, to show what unique challenges they face and why it’s important for Black and brown people to be active in talks about conservation.

Birds come in so many beautiful colors, so it’s ironic that the world of birding and ornithology is void of color. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, only 4% of birders are Black.

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“I bird because I like doing it, and I wanna make sure that everybody feels like this is something that they can do,” says Tykee James of DC Audubon Society.

James' favorite bird is the belted kingfisher and he says it is what got him started in birdwatching.

“It's something that connected me to my community," he said. “I realized being present for that connected me to the environmental movement.”

James now works giving bird walks and educating people on our local natural resources.

“When I'm meeting my neighbors where they are my fellow community, I talk about how this heritage of being in the outdoors is stolen, to some respect."

Dr. Drew Lahman, professor of wildlife ecology at Clemson University says having a seat at any decision-making table on conservation is important for Black and brown people.

“That environmental justice can't be separate from civil rights, and birds really can be conduits for understanding that.”

“If we're not, then we're going to be left out of those green space decisions. We're going to be left out of those discussions about clean air and clean water.”

It is not always easy being part of those conversations or even taking in nature when you are black. Back in May of 2020, the police were called on a black bird watcher in Central Park in New York.

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"You know what, racism is everywhere, bias is everywhere, no matter where you go. So our heads are always on these swivels, not just looking for birds, but you've almost got to have a third eye that's looking out for that person that might not want you there."

“Whether it's being misplaced or being disrespected because of being in certain places, that comes unfortunately with the territory of living while black in this country.”

I have to connect birds to my being, that's what I do. It's not just watching them, but it's also watching how others, watch me, watch them.

"I think that's one of the keys for me that as much as we appreciate diversity in birds, we ought to be appreciating that diversity in humans, by race, by ethnicity, by gender, non-gender designation, by all of those labels that we can have that we ought to be able to come together under that umbrella of shared care for nature, including birds."

James feels the same way in finding joy and strength in what he does.

"You know, I don't bird because white people do it, I bird because I like doing it, and I wanna make sure that everybody feels like this is something that they can do.”

A recent conference Taking Nature Black provided by DC's Audubon Naturalist Society provided a platform for birders, such as Dr. Drew Lanham and Tykee James, to speak to the joys and pains of birding while Black. Black Birders Week runs from May 30th to June5th.