Save the Date for the first ever Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon, a groundbreaking national event celebrating birders who are blind or have low vision. Designed by a group of blind birders and set to take place on Sunday, May 18, 2025, this 24-hour birding marathon is all about connecting with nature and community, enjoying birds, and fostering inclusivity in the birding community.

We are thrilled to announce that the Accessible Birding Internship (formerly the Birdability Internship) developed by Birdability, in partnership with Environment for the Americas' (EFTA)  and the National Park Service (NPS), has been honored as a 2025 Project of the Year by The Corps Network.

This groundbreaking initiative is dedicated to creating inclusive outdoor experiences for individuals with disabilities while fostering professional development in conservation.

My daughter Kathleen never looked or acted like the birders she encountered each spring during the songbird migration. From April to June, southern Ontario abounded with bird enthusiasts, most of them able-bodied. They would stand with necks craned upward and binoculars at the ready, scanning the tree tops for a glimpse of the songsters they knew were overhead. Nearby, Kathleen would sit in her wheelchair with her shoulders hunched and head bowed, seemingly oblivious to the activity happening around her. The able-bodied would flock together and chatter about what they had heard, what they had been lucky enough to see. Kathleen was silent and made do with the company of only her dad Chris and me.

People of all abilities can and should participate in birding. My mission is to enhance and enrich experiences in order to create a more inclusive New York City birding public. 
As a NYC Bird Alliance guide, I use my training and experience as a school counselor to make my tours accessible to all. Being familiar with notoriously tight school budgets, I’ve learned that small enhancements can make a big difference to learning and success for students. I try to do the same for my birding tours in New York City’s parks, tailoring my tours using various tactics and mechanisms to create more inclusive experiences. The results have been the ability to welcome a more diverse population, as well as cultivate a heightened sense of community and connection to our parks among participants.

Birding doesn’t always require traveling to faraway places. The joy of observing birds can begin right outside your window, in your yard, or on your balcony. During Birdability Week 2024, we were thrilled to host the (Accessible) Joys of Backyard Birding Workshop, featuring virtual yard tours and stories from Birdability Captains Heather Weber Langvardt, Eric Clow, and Mark Roser. These incredible leaders shared their tips, experiences, and passion for making birding accessible and deeply fulfilling, no matter where you are.

For over a century, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), or Winter Bird Count, has brought together birders and families as community scientists to count birds and contribute to one of the largest and longest-running citizen science projects in the world. Whether in the bitter cold of northern states or the mild climates of southern regions, thousands of volunteers annually gather to document bird populations and provide invaluable data that shape conservation efforts.

But for too long, these events have often overlooked a critical element: accessibility and inclusion.

We are excited to kick off 2025 by celebrating the transformative power of creativity, community, and connection with nature—just as Amy Tan beautifully illustrates in her book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles. Inspired by her journey back to art through nature journaling lessons with John Muir Laws, our January and February events invite you to explore your own creative spark while deepening your connection to birds.

Birding, the practice of observing or enjoying birds in their natural habitats, offers more than just an opportunity to connect with nature—it provides significant mental and cognitive health benefits. At Birdability, we are dedicated to making birding accessible to everyone, ensuring that people of all abilities and health concerns can experience these benefits firsthand.

Birdability is excited to announce the launch of the Birdability Captains Conservation Corps (BC3), a new initiative aimed at professionals working in conservation, park management, nature preserves, arboretums, land trusts, and other public lands, as well as bird and other wildlife organizations. This program is designed to create a community of practice dedicated to enhancing accessible and inclusive birding opportunities and infrastructure.

For nearly a decade, I had a dream job: traveling around the country championing toys and games alongside players, designers, and artists from around the world. Full of energy, and burning the candle at both ends, it wasn’t until I experienced a catastrophic shift in my health that I was forced to abandon my life as I knew it and began to question who I was beyond my career, and ultimately, beyond the illness that upended my life. 

Four years later, I live with dysautonomia, a dysfunction of my autonomic nervous system that developed after contracting COVID-19 on a business trip in the early pandemic. 

Birds offer lessons in interdependence, presence, and evolution if only we listen. They show us that we, too, are part of these ecosystems—connected, resilient, and worthy of care. The work of Birdability and disability justice is grounded in this understanding: that liberation requires that we care for one another, that we shape a future where everyone, regardless of physical or mental ability, has a place to rest, to heal, and to thrive. Birding offers that space for me and many others.

Birdability Week 2024 brought together birders of all abilities to capture the joy, quirks, and unexpected moments that make birding such an incredible experience. This year, we launched our first Offbeat Photography Contest, and we were blown away by the creativity and enthusiasm displayed in each entry! From playful pelicans to resilient shorebirds, every photo told a story, and we’re excited to celebrate our Best in Show winner, finalists, and honorable mentions!!

As we mark Invisible Disability Awareness Week during Birdability Week 2024, it’s crucial to acknowledge and celebrate the many birders with disabilities that may not be immediately visible. Invisible disabilities—like chronic pain, mental health conditions, neurodivergence, sensory sensitivities, and autoimmune disorders—can vary dramatically from person to person. They may also change for each individual from year to year, day to day, or even minute to minute.

At Birdability, we know how essential it is to create inclusive spaces that honor these dynamic needs. 

Birdability Week is all about celebrating accessible birding and the diversity of birders in our community. It’s also a time to highlight the work we’re doing year-round to ensure that birding is for everybody and every body. We’re thrilled to spotlight a new initiative that brings birding to people who might not have easy access to nature: the Birdability Outreach Program (BOP). This project aims to bring the joy of birds and the well-being benefits of nature to individuals with disabilities living sort or long-term in rehabilitation hospitals, mental health facilities, and other congregate living spaces.

World Migratory Bird Day, October 12, 2024, is a fitting time to delve into the next chapter of Gary Herritz's Migration series. Gary's birding journey isn't just about the incredible species he encounters; it’s a story of adaptation and resilience and birding while disabled. When his apartment complex adopted a "3x rent" income policy, making housing unaffordable on SSDI, Gary made a bold choice—he hit the road, stepping well outside his comfort zone and turning his vehicle into a mobile home for birding adventures. His latest stop? Tubac, Arizona, where the skies come alive with raptors at the HawkWatch International site.

Birding for the Mind 

"With constant reminders about all the turmoil going on in the world and the fact that my body often betrays me, I find that birding refocuses my mind and takes me to another place—a better place," writes Ann Marie Geiger. In those moments, anxiety and physical pain dissipate, like storm clouds breaking up after a downpour. It’s a subtle but profound shift—tense muscles begin to loosen, and suddenly, she’s breathing again, even though she hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath.

We are thrilled to introduce Kalina Eskew (they/them), one of Birdability's dedicated Captains, who is making significant strides in promoting disability justice within the birding community. Kalina is currently pursuing their Ph.D. at Texas A&M University in the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology and their research focuses on bird behavior and how birds respond to anthropogenic sensory pollution, such as light and noise from vehicles.

Kalina's journey into birding and disability advocacy is deeply intertwined.

Diane Allison, a dedicated Birdability Captain in Pennsylvania, has transformed birding into an inclusive activity for all. Inspired by her friend's experience with multiple sclerosis, Diane adapted birding methods to include car birding and accessible vans, among other methods, ensuring everyone can enjoy the experience. Partnering with the Pennsylvania Center for Adaptive Sports, Diane leads adaptive birding outings and innovative events, making a profound impact on her community and promoting the joy of birding for people with disabilities.

We are so excited about the Birdability Internship Program, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at enhancing the accessibility and inclusivity of national parks for birding enthusiasts of all abilities. Birdability, in collaboration with Environment for the Americas, has created this internship with the National Park Service to foster a more inclusive and accessible environment in our natural spaces.

In celebration of the final day of National Fair Housing Month, celebrated every April, we're sharing the story of a Birdability Captain and community member, who was forced to navigate the challenges of restrictive housing policies while living with disabilities. Facing the daunting "Income must be greater than 3x rent" rule, Gary Herritz embarked on a remarkable adventure, choosing to embrace nature and birding as home instead.

The scarcity of affordable housing across the nation has cast a wide net of hardship, yet its impacts are far from uniform. Those with disabilities face a uniquely daunting challenge in securing housing. Shelterforce shares that “renters with disabilities are often unable to meet the kinds of admission criteria that landlords establish for their properties”, forcing them to make difficult decisions and sometimes leaving them with few housing options. For Birdability Captain, Gary Herritz, it meant choosing a different form of migration.