The 21st Century Birder

Current portrayal of birders according to society and the media

Raise your hand if when you hear the word 'birder' you generally picture someone who has glasses and silvering hair, sports a bucket hat, a heavily pocketed vest and cargo pants, with a set of binoculars in one hand and a field guide in the other (slowly raises hand). You may even be this birder, and that's okay... there's nothing wrong with a classic! But society and the media tend to portray any type of 'naturalist' this way - along with a mundane lifestyle - creating a stigma around birding that deems it as boring, and dare I say it.. for old people.

The 'boring birder' stereotype has been forced on the general public for so long that even I envision that particular character when I hear the word, and I could not be more the opposite. For context, let me share a bit about myself. I am a birder. I'm in my late 20's, I have a vast collection of tattoos, I don't subscribe to natural hair colours, I listen to punk rock, and I certainly don't own a bucket hat. A common remark when I tell someone that I enjoy birdwatching is something along the lines of, “What are you, 70?”, followed by snide laughter. In reality, most birders I have met over the years do not fit this dated stereotype we’ve become so familiar with.

Thanks to the world wide web, we are no longer limited to employing our local naturalist groups or conservation areas to meet others interested in birding. Social networks such as Facebook and Instagram, allow people to connect not only with their friends and families, but with people from virtually anywhere in the world, and from all walks of life. There are dozens of groups on social media dedicated to millennial birders, birders who blog, birders with tattoos, LGBTQ+ birders, and punk birders, just to name a few. Groups such as these are working toward changing how society views birding, and are helping to open doors to those who were possibly uninterested because birdwatching has always seemed like such a stuffy hobby.

The 21st Century Birder

Why is it so important to change how birders and birding are perceived? Now more than ever, we need people to care about nature. Our lives, and every life on this planet depend on it. Extending the reaches of the birding community can help create awareness of ever-growing risks Earth's bird species face, such as habitat loss and climate change. In turn, by broadening the birding horizons, we aid in welcoming the new generations of environmentalists, educators, and politicians that we so desperately need. So how should the 21st century birder be characterized? A birder can look like anyone, and anyone can look like a birder. A birder is someone with an endlessly curious mind, and an unabashed passion for birds...

...and maybe binoculars and a field guide. :)

Happy Trails!

- Shayna Hartley