Always Be Birdin'

Another double Creature Feature with two of my all time favorite birds, the Double-crested Cormorant and European Starling. I feature them today not only for their beauty and wildly amazing adaptations, but for their history and stories as birds thriving despite a level of human hatred that should be deeply concerning to any birder lover. In this episode I also only begin to touch on the ways in which these two birds are examples of how racism shows up in birding and goes way beyond what black, indigenous and brown folks have to deal with in the field, but that the act of birding is literally done through a racist lens. It surely doesn't have to be this way. So, don't hate the player, hate the game. 

Remember to donate to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AlwaysBeBirdin 50% of the proceeds go to my BIPOC guests. 

Check out the article "9 New Revelations for the Black American Bird Watcher" by J. Drew Lanham https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/05/nine-new-revelations-for-the-black-american-bird-watcher

The racist article that National Audubon still has on their website https://www.audubon.org/news/the-killing-warden

Today we celebrate women's history month with my new friend Aster Real who is an expert birder at 15 years old from Macas, Ecuador. She tells stories of what it's like to experience a Harpy Eagle in the wild (twice), being a young female identified birder surrounded by older men, plant medicine and the beauty in the small and large worlds that surround us. Aster is full of wisdom, knowledge and stories. Join us as she takes us on a magical journey through the rainforests that are her backyard and into one of the more beautiful minds I've ever met. She is a true joy and I look forward to how she will affect the world in her future.

Aster does not have any social media. 

In this second addition to our "Let's Dig Into It" BIPOC interview series, I chat with my good friend Rosie Sanchez who works for Defenders of Wildlife. She explains why the Quetzal is her favorite bird, the cultural importance this iridescent bird has within her family, and how it got it's red belly. We dig into the separation of soul and science, DEI efforts within conservation organizations, the trauma that BIPOC suffer because of it and the power that we as BIPOC folx have right now to enact change. We also laugh at our first experiences with field work and how cute baby Cedar Waxwings are. Rosie is an amazing human doing amazing work and she is made of sunshine and badassery!

Catch Rosie on IG @rorosanchie and check out Defenders of Wildlife's work here: https://defenders.org/

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In early November 2020, Politico.com posted an article calling National Audubon into the very dim spotlight after several minority affinity groups, BIPOC leaders and anonymous survey takers began loudly vocalizing about the very real disparities between BIPOC, queer and femme workers and the all white, cis male dominated top at the organization and it's chapters. In this episode, I outline the basics of the Politico article and expand upon why it is such an important article and push for BIPOC leaders in our community and push even harder for the white allies into a call to action surrounding this very troubling insight into one of the largest environmental organizations in the country. Please listen with intention. 

Politico Article National Audubon:  https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/12/audubon-society-claims-intimidation-threats-436215

Politico Article Nature Conservancy: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/07/nature-conservancy-ceo-tercek-exits-as-shake-up-widens-1517846

Affinity Group Letter: https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000175-ba7b-d1da-a775-ba7ff9a20000

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Need help finding a local wildlife rehabilitation center? Try Animal Help Now:

https://ahnow.org/#/

Oregon Wildlife Rehabilitation Association

https://www.owrawildlife.org/

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@alwaysbebirdin_podcast

Catch Bushra's radio show, Nature And Nonsense on www.moremuzicradio.com

Find her on twitter and IG @bushyb94

Follow @MinoritySTEM on twitter for amazing content from BIPOC (or BAME) studying and working in STEM. 

As always, find me on twitter @AlwaysBeBirdin and IG @alwaysbebirdin_podcast

When BIPOC experience joy in its purest form, it seems as though it can't go unchecked or without control by the white gaze. Especially in the outdoors. This episode talks about personal experience with this and why it is so important to shed light on and work to dismantle racism.

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We dig into the cool things about Burrowing Owls and what makes them odd little critters. We also feature the river otter as they are one of my favorite mammals and I finally got to see 3 of them in the wild and so I just HAD to share what makes them so special. 

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https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/burrowing-owls-hiss-rattlesnake

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The passions of why I love birding and why I chose to make this podcast arise as I sit in my car at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge driving tour in Ridgefield, WA. I then move into a pre-recorded outing with friend and wildlife rehabilitation mentor, Lacy, in the same location. We chat about swifts, cowbirds and try really, really hard to ID an unknown bird that is flycatching near us. The next bit of chaos is another pre-recorded outing with friends Tara, Abby and Tim at Whitaker Ponds Nature Park. 

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/ridgefield/

https://www.portland.gov/parks/whitaker-ponds-natural-area

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