My Journey Finding a Birding Community

Photo of Tori Varlack

By Tori Varlack, K-12 Education Assistant

I’m 10 years old, sitting at the breakfast table eating a muffin and a banana. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of black. Suddenly I’m at the window positioned perfectly in front of the bird feeder hanging in the Norway maple in my backyard. Before I know it, my camera has replaced the muffin in my hand, and I’m snapping pictures of what appears to be a….

Wait, I haven’t seen this bird before! Frantically, I’m flipping through my bird guide, looking for a small black bird with a white underbelly that apparently likes sunflower seeds. It’s not a sparrow… or a chickadee… it looks like… a Dark-eyed Junco!

The pages of my journal fly open, like a bird’s wings, and my pen races across the page, describing the Dark-eyed Junco’s foraging behaviors. I snap a few more pictures until my mom calls from the kitchen that I’m going to miss the bus. As much as I love school, I really wish I could stay home so I could watch the birds all day long.

Two years later it’s the first day of seventh grade and my homeroom teacher asks everyone to write three fun facts about ourselves on an index card. I write that I have two sisters, play the saxophone and piano, and love birdwatching. Easy! 

But to my horror, after my teacher collects the index cards, she begins reading them out loud. I’ve never told anyone that I like birds. No one that I know likes birds. I panic, feeling embarrassed; I shouldn’t feel ashamed of loving something that makes me happy, but it’s so hard when no one else likes the things that you do. 

Sure enough, my teacher reads my name and my index card, and my cheeks turn red as all eyes fall on me. The boy sitting at my table makes a snide remark, and I sink into my seat. I can’t wait to go home.

My freshman year at Cornell University I cross the Arts Quad on a foggy April morning. A few days before my friend sent me an email saying “Since u love birds u weirdo (hehe jk they’re cool)” with information advertising a birding trip to Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve.

Now, I’m walking to meet up with the birders, ecstatic to spend a few hours meeting new people and bonding over our love for birds. My friends might not understand why I like birding, but now I’ve learned there are other people who do. We spend the morning walking along the trails of the preserve, identifying everything from a Red-winged Blackbird to a Hairy Woodpecker. Our group of birders has vastly different backgrounds, with students from all across the world, yet we are able to connect in ways that I have never been able to with my own friends. I never want to go home.

A year and a half later I have joined the Lab of Ornithology’s K-12 Education Program. As a Human Development major I love this job because I get to help children learn more about the world around them. And as a birder, I’m fulfilled by sharing my love for birds with these children and my coworkers. I have found a community that appreciates the subtle beauty of birds just as much as I do. I don’t have to hide or excuse my love birds by how “I know it’s nerdy”. I’ve learned that birding does not have to be isolating; birding connects to us nature and our shared love for birds connects us to each other. 

Today I wish I could tell 10 year old me that she did not have to wait to be home in order to enjoy birds. There are a plethora of ways that we can incorporate birds into our lives, and I encourage any young birder to branch out and find a birding community!

Tips For Educators and Parents

If you’d like to encourage the young birders in your life, we recommend:

  • Search for a local bird club. For example, you may have a local Audubon chapter that is open to supporting the next generation of birders. Also, here’s a list of Young Birder Clubs gathered by eBirders. The Cornell Lab K-12 team is also building an online Young Birder Club that we hope will continue to grow and expand… see the current offerings at our site. 
  • Enroll your young birder in Bird Academy courses available at the Lab of Ornithology. There are a variety of topics to choose from, from learning about crows to nature journaling courses to understanding bird behavior. (Recommended for ages 13 and up.)
  • Check out our Cooped Up Kids lessons, which are designed to be self-guided and interactive. (Leveled materials for grades K-8.)
  • Find a citizen science project that fits your classroom or your family. Your data about your local birds contributes to our global understanding of birds. You’re making a measurable contribution to our body of knowledge about birds, inspiring kids to continue with their passion. (Great for families and classrooms, for kids of all ages!)