Happy Spring! The snow geese linger into early April here in Skagit as the daffodils wane and the tulips burst in the fields. Check out this overlap (below) of the birds juxtaposed with fields of blooms.
Snow geese on the left and daffodils on the right, all looking like fields of blooms. March 2025.
Robins, house finches and Red-winged blackbirds are trilling outside as I write this. May bird song offer you uplift in the current state of the world.
Some good things—like bird song in spring—are constant, and I’m sharing some resources to help you sustain that levity.
Where, how and why to bird in a city setting this Spring
For readers in a city, spring is here for you, too. David Williams, known locally in Western Washington as The Street Smart Naturalist, just published Wild in Seattle, a collection of essays about the hidden wilderness of that increasingly urbanized, formerly provincial Pacific Northwest city. Consider this book a primer for ideas for how to approach your own city’s wilderness.
David’s content aligns with mine for its examination of what is right in front of us, noticing the details of what is overhead, underfoot, and at eye level of our everyday existence. His authority is for geology, though his media output covers the scope of all natural history within a city setting. His book, Seattle Walks is GOLD for anyone living in that city wanting some ideas for novel outings away from crowds and rich in history. I like books like David’s for the prompt to explore other city-specific books when I visit some place new.
Another regional voice to know is Georgia Silvera Seamans, who produces the Your Bird Story podcast (with Loyan Beausoleil) about the relationship between people and birds in cities. Her residential base is the definitively urban island of Manhatten, also known as New York City. One especially memorable episode is this one with Zoey Liangzhang about birding in both NYC and Beijing! Talk about double dose of urban birding, from two younger generation birders (Gen X and Millennial, respectively). Listen to it for the story arc of how younger urban adults are discovering birding and its special place in their urban existence. Zoey applies what she learns as a beginner birder from her time living in NYC to her eventual return to Beijing, where she develops a new urban birding community.
What about bird watching from your urban abode? Read my piece, Backyard Birding from a City Apartment: Can it be done? for ideas about if and how your living space might be appropriate (or not) for bird feeders and other bird attractants.
Live Events are more meaningful than ever: be with your people
Last month I saw my friend, author Lyanda Haupt, key note at the Wings over Water birding festival in Blaine, WA. She was slated to talk about nature philosophy, the topic of her most recent book Rooted (now in paperback), but the audience wanted to hear about her 7-year relationship with a rescued European Starling, Carmen (who inspired Lyanda’s book Mozart’s Starling). Funny how intent can be one thing and the audience mood can take things elsewhere—in this case Lyanda’s delightful and funny descriptions of co-habiting with a bonded-to-her and mimicry-prone wild bird. Read her book to learn how she came to be mother to a starling.
Also delightful was seeing two vendor friends at the festival: Natural history artist Laurel Mundy (and check out this profile she and I did a few years ago) and Bird friendly coffee seller Avery of Big Year Coffee (who now sells Bird-friendly chocolate, too!). Below is a picture of Avery’s booth at the festival.
Big Year Coffee booth at the Wings over Water Birding festival in Blaine, WA March, 2025.
I’m determined to see and support friends who are at these various events; to attend and participate in person.
To that end, I invite you to join me and birder friends at the Spring Cape May Birding Festival, in Cape May, New Jersey this May 16, 17 and 18, where I will present in not one but TWO presentations!
The first talk is “How Sweet It Is: Your love for coffee, chocolate and maple syrup can support bird conservation,” on Friday afternoon at 3:30pm, May 16, 2025, WITH FREE SAMPLES of these virtuous comestibles! (For an intro on this topic of eco-certification to benefit wild bird conservation, read my recent story about Bird-friendly chocolate at BDW, formerly Bird Watcher’s Digest).
For the second presentation, I’m joined by my sisters in birding Orietta Estrada, Georgia Silvera Seamans, and Indigo Goodson-Fields for a round table on the topic “Bird Like a Mother: How caregivers navigate a birding practice in today’s birding culture,” Saturday at 12pm, May 17, 2025. We’ll discuss birding practice within (and sometimes constrained by) the existing North American birding scene, and our ideas for how to expand and elevate our opportunities and contributions.
Join us for these presentations! They both take place in the Crystal Room of the Cape May Grand Hotel. You are welome to attend our talks for FREE (if you want to take advantage of the full festival offerings and purchase a pass, you can register here). We four ladies will be at the festival all three days and would love to see you!
So there you have it, some ideas for reading, listening and being in community IRL (in real life) for this spring. Happy birding and happy spring.