The Urban Birder

Do you spend more time listening to birds than to iPods? Is migration-watching more fun for you than watching NASCAR? Do you savour the sweet aromas of a forest after a June shower more than you enjoy the smell of popcorn at a movie theatre? If so, you're part of an ever-dwindling minority in the modern world.

Genuinely wild areas are disappearing even more rapidly than the people who love them. Our species' burgeoning numbers are encroaching on natural habitat not only for housing but also for growing the food, mining and drilling the natural resources and providing the recreation that billions of people need or crave.

The only way we can ensure that natural spaces will be protected in this ever more technological and populated world is to make sure the majority of people understand why nature is so important. Wild spaces are not just a playground for “nature nuts”. Their value as vital parts of ecosystems that make our very survival possible cannot be overstated. Along with cleansing the air we breathe and the water we drink, the natural world has the capacity to inspire our creativity, heal our hearts, intrigue our minds, and restore our souls. But as fewer people get outdoors to discover the wonders and value of nature, our shifting priorities as a nation start squeezing out natural places and wild species.

Award-winning author Richard Louv identifies the problem of “nature deficit disorder” in Last Child in the Woods. But how do we correct this deficiency, both for today's children and for the growing number of adults who have never been exposed to nature? We naturalists need a powerful arsenal to attack the problem!

One great tool at our disposal is “Celebrate Urban Birds!” (CUBs). This project, developed at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, encourages people of all ages and all walks of life to learn about birds, starting with 16 species easy to find in even the most urbanized areas. CUBs recognizes that people in cities often treasure every bird they see and may be frustrated and discouraged, or even angered, when naturalists disparage their beloved pigeons and starlings. Every species included in CUBs materials, from House Sparrows to Black-crowned Night-Herons, is treated as an interesting and vital part of the urban environment. Participants are asked to count the birds they see for ten minutes in an area the size of half a basketball court and then to submit their data online.

The basic CUBs kit includes a beautiful colour poster, information on urban greening, and all the tools a beginner would need for identifying 16 common birds. For naturalists, teachers, parents, Scout leaders, and others who wish to engage more people in nature study, Celebrate Urban Birds provides additional materials and many of the incentives for beginners to have successful experiences with nature and to become involved with citizen science. All CUBs materials are written in both English and Spanish, including downloadable PowerPoint presentations, online FAQs, and even complete educator kits that include DVDs, certificates, posters encouraging urban gardens, and the seed packets to get them started growing food for birds. As beginning urban birdwatchers grow more proficient, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology provides vast additional resources to help them build their awareness and understanding of birds.

In addition to specific bird-identification and habitat-improvement tools, CUBs provides a vast number of supporting activities to encourage city-dwellers to celebrate the birds in their midst, and even provides funding for local projects. CUBs mini-grants support all kinds of local bird-related activities, including programmes at parks, local museums, libraries, community centres, schools, and senior centres. These projects may be focused on the arts, sciences, gardening, family activities —the possibilities are endless.

Celebrate Urban Birds is an active participant in the National Forum on Children and Nature. In 2008, the Conservation Fund, a leading environmental nonprofit dedicated to reconnecting kids with nature, selected CUBs as one of the top 30 projects in their “The Birds & the Bees Challenge”.

A great many people are hungry for both outdoor experiences and accessible information that doesn't overwhelm them as beginners. Enthusiastic participants have sent CUBs hundreds of comments, including:

“I truly enjoy having birds in my small backyard and want to know more.”

“I have four grandchildren who stay in the house way too much. I would like to get them involved in the great outdoors.”

“We are an inner-city high school supporting engagement in urban biology projects.”

American cities are built along lakes, rivers, and other geographic features that are important pathways for migratory birds. Improving habitat within cities can support these migrant species as well as resident urban birds. One thoughtful CUBs participant wrote, “We automatically think of conservation as being “out in nature”, but as I look around me, I see that nature is right here with us in towns and cities, too. It seems to me that this is the new frontier for conservation. What a beneficial thing it would be if urban dwellers could learn to manage their ‘microhabitats’ as conservation areas!”

With increasing awareness of the energy savings of “green roofs” and “lights-out” programmes, what better time could there be for building awareness of the added benefits of these urban projects for the birds we love? Many of the materials provided by CUBs encourage gardening in small spaces, to provide food and habitat for urban birds. Friendly, inviting kits and resources for educators, many available free or for minimal cost, will provide invaluable resources for all of us who see the importance of giving the gift of nature to the largest number of people, for the benefit of both human beings and the natural world.

Laura Erickson
www.CelebrateUrbanBirds.org
(March 2009)