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Birds in the 'Hood'

I have come to love birding, especially in areas close to where I live. This weekend, me and two other Outdoor Afros (Clay and Abu) came together as a result of our online planning to enjoy birds and nature near home at the Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline Park, a part of the East Bay Regional Park System.
The trip was a reminder that you don’t have to venture to remote areas or spend a lot of time to discover and benefit from the awesome bounty of nature.

I discovered in Clay an avid birder, and he was extremely knowledgeable about bird identification and shared some great experiences; Abu and I learned a lot from him.
Our chosen waterfront location is at the intersection of an urban core between the airport, a major freeway, and the homes of thousands of black and brown residents. With only an hour to spend as a group, we observed fifteen species of birds; some common and a few surprises, such as the California Clapper Rail.
I was disappointed that my camera battery died, but we were fortunate to run into Bill Thomas, a regular of the area, who took awesome photos of the birds we observed together, and generously sent them to me to share with you. Here are his photos of our adventure:

After two weeks of work related travel around the country, I found this was a perfect way to get re-connected to home, and it got my weekend off to a refreshing start!
The takeaway: You don’t need a lot of time, people, money, or knowledge to profoundly experience nature. All you need is the willingness to give it a try.
What birds do you notice in your local area? 

by OutdoorAfro

Farm Meets Fashion

Who says you have to give up your cuteness to be in nature? Check out Ola Ronke, a Brooklyn, NY yoga teacher and healthy food advocate, getting her garden on with much fashion!

by OutdoorAfro

Crunch, Crunch, Crunch: Black Families Sharing a Fall Hike

Contributed by Jennifer Chambers, founder of Hiking Along Science & Hiking for Kids
Last Sunday was one of those perfect fall afternoons in DC:  Bright blue skies, crisp autumn air and amazing colors of yellow, orange and red shimmered in the sunlight. Who wouldn't want to be outside? Ten families from Jack and Jill, an African American family organization said "sign me up!" and participated on a hike with  Hiking Along in Scott's Run Nature Preserve along the Potomac River.

by OutdoorAfro

#Occupy Nature

It does not matter if you choose to take to the streets, the #Occupy Movement has captured the imagination of everyone, and is not going away any time soon. The #Occupy prompt has become a symbolic directive to give voice to a wide range of concerns; from corporate bastions, to conceptual ideals, to icons of popular culture.
Of course, being me, I thought of nature – the outdoors, and found it almost ironic how Occupy protesters in my hometown of Oakland, and in every urban hub, were also making themselves sustainably visible in protest by camping outdoors in public plazas all over the country. An ironic twist on the Great American Campout!
As I sat at home with my children following on Twitter the frightening turn of events happening in Oakland recently, I also contemplated what alternatives we might find to affirm (Occupy) peace in our everyday lives. How might we balance the economic pain that has touched us all in some way?
With African American participation clocked as low as 1% in the National Park System, I thought of the 99% of people who look like you and me; those who do not benefit from this public and important resource that holds the possibility of personal enrichment and sustainability in ways hard to quantify in dollars.
Therefore, though Outdoor Afro, it is my goal to help generate a future where people of every hue know that not only public plazas, but also parks and wild spaces are their inheritance, and theirs to benefit from and support.
What might that look like?

by OutdoorAfro

Our Photo Contest Winner!

by OutdoorAfro

Birding While Black: Does it Really Matter?

Contributed by J. Drew Lanham

Birding while black; it's not something that I simply think about, it's something that I live.

A birder since the age of eight, I've always been the odd one out; the "rare" bird in the flock. Now approaching the fifty year mark faster than I care to admit, it wasn't until my late twenties that I began to encounter the other rare birders of color out there. It's unfortunate that it's become normal for me to be "that guy". Accepting it has been a challenge and at times a chore. On a few occasions it's been downright scary.
Not that I haven't enjoyed the bird-filled days afield with my fair-faced friends, but being the only one at a meeting, or having the stares (real or perceived) linger on you just a little longer gets tiresome. Even more so, having my color factor into my thoughts as to where I might bird is a sad but true reality. Do I really want to chase Chukar into the same far flung areas that folks have set up to separate themselves from the "mongrelization" of America? Will the folks who live in places where black faces are uncommon (or not readily accepted) accept my crepuscular habits as something less suspicious than the search for secretive sparrows? Will the police really believe that I was just looking for the skulking Connecticut warbler that was reported in that shrubby corner of the park yesterday?
These have been just a few of the realities that I've lived and pondered over the years--almost on a daily basis. Perhaps, as some say, it's my own paranoia. Certainly with Obama in office all of the racism and hate has disappeared. African-Americans have arrived and so certainly among the largely liberal bastions of birders progress in the area of diversity has been made. Really?  Really? Guess again. I'm here to tell you that skin color still matters in 2011. Birding is among the "whitest" things a person can do. I just happen to be one of the few that adds a different hue to the mix. It's critical that along with biodiversity we think about the human component as something just as important. Linking humans of all hues to nature--through birds or otherwise, means that more will be engaged in trying to save it. Air, water, birds, trees--we all need them. That word has to get out.

Students birding at a Summer enrichment experience-definitely not the norm!

This past weekend I had the distinct honor of being a panelist at the Focus on Diversity: Changing the Face of American Birding meeting at the Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia.  A long overdue effort, it finally took the courage and uncanny persistence of a New Jersey birder and middle school teacher to turn the talk into action.  Dave Magpiong is not a star in the birding world. That was until yesterday when his dream for what should be took a flying leap off of the ledge of potential into being.

Dave & fledgling birders (photo courtesy- fledgling birders.org)

Quicker than a Cooper’s Hawk with the comedic comeback, Dave is as deeply impassioned and purposeful a person as I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. Beyond his daily work as a teacher he founded an organization dedicated to getting kids out into nature with birds as the vehicle for doing so. His Fledgling Birder's Institute ( http://www.fledgingbirders.org/ ) is proof that one person can indeed make a huge difference.  I met Dave  for the first time at the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival last November in Harlingen, Texas. There we and several other fine fellows including Dudley Edmondson, Douglas Wayne Gray, Jeremiah Alexander, Roy Rodriguez and Paul Baicich became the Sky Dawgs. (What are Sky Dawgs you might ask?  Well, they are ravens. The name was bestowed upon us by Dudley on a winter birding trip in Duluth and it has stuck.  It’s a complimentary thing I think as ravens are smart, playful, mischievous and mysterious birds that hold sway in the lore of many native cultures. Plus, they are black—like me!)

The Sky Dawgs post Aplomado: (r-l) Dudley, Jeremiah, Doug, Roy, Dave, Me

At Dave’s insistence, prodding, pleading, cursing and cajoling, we found ourselves together in a hotel room one night with a few beers (okay –more than a few), a pizza or two and a bag of pork rinds.  With the combination of nutritious food, wholesome drink and kind company, the recipe for something less than an intellectual discussion was primed. However, we gathered there not to exchange bird sightings or crude jokes (though both did slip into the conversation from time to time), our hearts and heads instead were ready to share our ideas about why diversity should matter to birders beyond their life lists. We all had anecdotes of racism on the birding trail—covert, overt and sometimes scary—to solidify why the discussion of diversity had to be enjoined by the almost lily white cadre of millions who call themselves birders.  The hours of talking were a boon to my soul as I learned from this group of extraordinary people why the face of American birding has to change. That night, after much laughter, some empathetic anger and maybe even a timid tear or two, we all committed ourselves to the effort—to making something happen beyond the talk that too many conservation organizations simply throw out as well-meaning politically correct double talk when pressed about why the lack of color is so prevalent among them.

Typical Outing--One of these things is not like the other!

Beyond that initial meeting, the rest of the week with my fellow Sky Dawgs was spent cruising the South Texas landscape, finding Aplomado falcons and other birdy treasures.  I’ve never laughed as hard as when we encountered the mother of all western diamondback rattlesnakes or thought we’d been locked behind the gates of Laguna Atascosa one evening (Stay tuned for the story!). Watching the sun set on rafts of redhead ducks was a bonding over birds I’ll never forget.  I’ve also not felt as close to a group of birding friends as when we shared our hearts and minds over the serious issue of how people matter too.  I must throw a huge debt of gratitude to Mary Gustafson who organizes the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival and  made the very courageous decision to diversify the leader group at the  event last year. She doesn’t know it yet, but she is also one of the Sky Dawgs. I’ll teach her the double-secret handshake when I make my way down there in a couple of weeks.  I don’t think the others will mind!

And so last month, it happened.  The meeting Dave Magpiong dreamed of and we all talked about in that hotel room happened.  A room of folks—of all colors and persuasions-- filled a conference room at the John Heinz Refuge to capacity at the first Focus on Diversity: Changing the Face of American Birding meeting.  They listened, asked questions, net-worked and shared their heads and hearts as we had in that room that November night in Texas.  I felt honored to be among the number and humbled to serve on a couple of panels that spoke on the issues.  Private citizens and folks from several federal agencies (USFWS, USDA Forest Service), the American Birding Association, Audubon Together Green  and various other organizations showed up to support the cause. Folks as famous as Kenn Kaufman, John Robinson, Richard Crossley and Mamie Parks were there to lend their celebrity to the cause.
Unfortunately, several other organizations that should have been there to support the cause weren’t. The absence of folks from such an important gathering who say they care about such things spoke volumes to perhaps a lack of true commitment to the cause and a deeper problem that needs to be addressed.  We’ll all be watching to see if they join the push to make the community of birders a more inclusive neighborhood. We’ll welcome all comers to the party.  It matters if we want to conserve birds, habitats and have generations of people who look like the future of America to do so. Their perceptions of nature, the issues and ultimately passion and commitment to protect birds, water, air, trees and all the natural things that matter to all regardless of color will be shaped now.

Regardless of the absence of some of the “big guns”, I think one conclusion was obvious from the gathering.  Changing the homogeneous face of American birding will start with the individual.  For each of us, reaching out to someone of a different hue, mode of thinking or simply different somehow than ourselves will go a long way to making birding look more like America.  And that my Dear Kindred Conservationists, matters as much as the birds.

Philly Sky Dawgs--r-l; Dave, me, Paul, Doug, Roy, Dudley

Kudos to Dave and to my Sky Dawgs! Here's to the work ahead and the next adventure! And here's a hearty toast and tip of the hat to all those all who attended and committed to changing the face of American birding. Until we meet again! Good Birding!
J. Drew Lanham is a Professor at Clemson College, and a Certified Wildlife Biologist and Senior Ecologist

by OutdoorAfro

October's Bird of the Month

Last month's bird was the very common Warbling Vireo.  The proverbial pendulum has swung dramatically to the other side with this month's rare Indiana bird.

I sometimes have difficulty deciding on which bird to mention for a "Bird of the Month".  Trying to decide which particular bird species stood out during a particular span of time...can be a daunting task for someone who simply loves to observe birds and their behavior.  (This probably manifests itself in my capacity to watch, what may be a very common species, for long periods of time.  Even the most common of birds will do "something extraordinary" and mind blowing if you observe them long enough.)
However, this month's bird stands out quite readily; it is the Long-tailed Jaeger (also known as the Long-tailed Skua in many parts of the world).
The Long-tailed Jaeger is indeed a rare visitor to our state.  It is a bird more closely associated with the Arctic Tundra and Open Ocean rather than Central Indiana's Eagle Creek Park where it was spotted.  The uniqueness of this bird showing up actually forced me into my "Brock's Birds of Indiana" to see just how often this bird has been reported in Indiana. (“Brock’s Birds of Indiana” is an exhaustive work by Dr. Kenneth Brock. You can purchase it from the Indiana Audubon Society.  It is invaluable to Hoosier Birders.  I highly recommend it for your library.)
Brock notes there have been 22 recorded sightings of this bird in Indiana, with almost all of those sightings at Lake Michigan.  There had been no sightings for Central Indiana.  So, seeing this bird out at Eagle Creek was indeed a treat for not only me, but many, many others as well.
The adult Long-tailed Jaeger during breeding season is almost unmistakable to identify.  Its long, central tail feathers extend 5-10 inches beyond the rest of the tail, giving this bird its name. The juvenile bird that prompts this BOTM did not have this long tail feature.  Even so, Indiana birder and photographer Ryan Sanderson was able to help with a positive ID by capturing the bird's two outermost primary feathers showing notable white shafts.
While observing this bird, I noticed it to be a very agile and graceful flyer.  It even seemed to be catching insects on the wing at one point.  I also noticed the bird showing its proclivity and ability to steal food from other birds.  (Laughing Gulls and Ring Billed Gulls in this jaegers’ proximity experienced the somewhat aggressive nature of this bird firsthand.)  For the most part, this bird seemed to have no problem catching its own fish with some proficiency.
As a birder, I get joy in being very surprised by birds every now and again.  Because they have wings, birds can surprise us with their potential to show up almost anywhere.  A Long-tailed Jaeger in Central Indiana?  When it comes to birds, it’s true; they have wings and tend to use them.

Douglas “Birdman” Gray has been birding almost all of his life. He grew up on a family farm near Clarksville, Tennessee, where they grew crops ranging from apricots to wheat, and most things in between. They also raised chickens, guineas, pigs, horses, and a cow named…….Apples. Doug’s grandfather identified the birds they would see daily on the farm.
Doug now resides in Indianapolis and works in Parenteral Engineering with Eli Lilly and Company. Most of his current birding takes place in Indiana, with a concentration on Central Indiana, where he leads bird walks for “Backyard Birds”. Doug can be reached at 317-255-7333.

by OutdoorAfro

Balanced Rock Foundation's Annual Women of Color Backpack Trip

Contributed by Outdoor Afro Chelsea Griffie:
Here is the follow-up from Balanced Rock Foundation's  Women of Color Backpacking Trip we wrote about last summer - check out all the fun they had!

The 2011 Women of Color Backpacking Trip participants knocked my socks off, and they went straight into the washing machine!  We had a professional videographer and photographer who is also the mother of the two cutest twins I know; an esteemed aerialist; a nearly 50-year-old "Bike Diva" takin' some just-shipped-her-daughter-off-to-college time; and a smart and practical sister who has become a mother by taking charge of her two young nephews. Plus, there were two instructors with enigmatic pasts…
The  trip for 2011 was incredibly fun and engaging.  The conversations were often so compelling that I had to remind myself that we were on a backpacking trip.  We often discussed how things run back in the default world, and offered reinterpretations of how things could be.  I felt honored to be among these women of color in nature.

As usual, we all worked together to prepare the meals and perform other camp duties.  What was funny was that three of the participants were mothers, and the fourth was self-described as having OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).  So things got done! We joked that Balanced Rock should start a screening process, so that future trips would run as smoothly!

Our destination was Ostrander Lake in Yosemite National Park.  We spent one night in the Bridalveil Creek campground, which is near our trailhead.  It was a surprise that there was a lightning-started fire nearby, which was controlled, but allowed to burn.  That’s how they do things these days in Yosemite, after years of snuffing out all fires.  It was smoky on the road, and we constantly debated the wisdom of sticking to our itinerary in the days leading up to the trip.  We stuck to it, and it turned out alright.  We did end up wearing bandannas like rogue desperados, but that was just for one day.
We took two days to get to Ostrander Lake, and found a deluxe campsite along the way to set up shop for the night.  There was a lot of laughter and camaraderie along the way, and we found a fine balance between getting to our destination and enjoying the journey.
Once we got to the lake, it was refreshing to dip in, as well as a plentiful source of water to sustain us.  There is a busy campground at the lake, but we opted for a more primitive spot where we could be more secluded.  We were lucky enough to encounter the Ostrander Ski Hut occupied by NPS rangers on a break.  We introduced ourselves and got a tour of the facility.  It is such a great place to ski to during the winter months.

by OutdoorAfro