Update October 27, 2021: Birdability Week has past for 2021, but Sacramento Audubon looks forward to participating again in 2022.
Birdability Week is a celebration of birders with disabilities and other health concerns, and an opportunity to share resources and ideas to help the birding community be accessible, inclusive and welcoming to everybody and every body! An annual event held in October and supported by National Audubon, it was inspired by #BlackBirdersWeek, Latino Conservation Week and Let’s Go Birding Together.
Monday, October 18, 2021
Celebrate Birdability Week by sharing #ImABirder on social media. Birding is the act of enjoying wild birds. This means that anyone who enjoys wild birds is a birder! Help us celebrate the diversity of birders by sharing something about you as a birder using the worksheet or social media graphics, provided here.
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Empowering exploration: Going birding with an access challenge panel, 7-8.30pm Eastern.
This event is hosted by National Audubon and Birdability.org.
Join a panelist of birders—and potential future birders—with disabilities and other health concerns as we discuss their approach to adventure and exploration. What do you think about when planning a birding trip? How do you tackle obstacles, and what happens when something goes wrong? How can you frame your birding exploits to be a tool of empowerment, rather than seeing barriers at every turn? We hope you'll come away with a new approach to birding! Click here to register for this event.
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Accessibility for me: What makes a birding location truly accessible? webinar, 4-5pm Eastern.
This event is hosted by National Audubon and Birdability.org.
A birding location opens a new boardwalk and describes it on their website as “accessible”… but when you arrive, you discover it really isn’t… To help you submit Birdability Site Reviews to the Birdability Map, and to help you know where to hold accessible and inclusive bird outings, as well as learn a few things you may never have considered, join Birdability Coordinator and occupational therapist Freya McGregor to learn what can make a birding location truly accessible. We’ll hear from special guests explaining what they need, and get ideas on trail design and upgrades you can advocate for in your community. Click here to register for this event.
Thursday, October 21, 2021
A Good IDEA for Birding panel, 7-8.30pm Eastern.
This event is hosted by National Audubon and Birdability.org.
Join in for a conversation about inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA) in birding and the outdoors, and learn what you can do to be a more welcoming and inclusive birder for folks who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, who have a disability or other health concern, and who share intersecting identities. Come away with more understanding and appreciation for your fellow birder, and strategies you can start implementing immediately for yourself and any groups or organizations you’re a part of to help ensure birding truly is for everybody! Click here to register for this webinar.
Friday, October 22, 2021
DIY bird feeders for better backyard birding! workshop, 12-1pm Eastern.
This event is hosted by Birdability.org.
Backyard birding is an exciting and accessible way to enjoy wild birds. Adding a feeder will enhance your birding experience by attracting and supporting many species of birds. Feeders are as unique as the birders who put them out! Join Birdability Captain Emerson Milan to learn how to make different kinds of homemade bird feeders using everyday items.
This workshop is designed for participants aged 3+. Closed captions will be provided. Download instructions, including a list of items to gather, here. Register to participate here.
Saturday, October 23, 2021
Birdability Big Sit, 8am-1pm Eastern.
This event is hosted by Birdability.org.
Sponsor birders with disabilities and other health concerns and raise money to help cover the costs of Birdability Week 2021! Come birding with folks with access challenges via Facebook and Instagram Lives from 8-1pm Eastern. Pledge to donate $1 (or more!) per species of bird seen or heard by one (or more!) members of #TeamNuthatch and cheer on this example of birding for every body! Donations can be made online or via check and are tax deductible. Help us raise $5000 to cover honorariums for Birdability Week panelists, workshop and American Sign Language interpreter costs, and enjoy some virtual birding!
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Slow Birding™ Guided Workshop, 10-11am Eastern.
This event is hosted by Birdability.org.
Sometimes, the best birding happens when we stay in one place and let the birds reveal themselves. This online experience is open to beginner and experienced birders alike. Birders with limited mobility will find that Slow Birding™ is a practice that focuses on nature connection without the need to travel or cover long distances. This workshop will include a listening component, so it will be accessible for people who are blind or have low vision. Closed captions will be provided. This event will not be recorded. To attend, please register here.
Participants can choose a spot outdoors or near a window; find a spot where you feel safe and comfortable to spend some quiet time with birds. You may want to have: a beverage, a journal, something to write with, binoculars (although these are not required), a comfortable chair.