Why we have a safety question in the new Birdability Site Review
A note: This post has been written by a white, cisgender, heterosexual woman, and all the privilege that these identities inherently include. I do not want to co-opt anyone’s experiences — especially those of Black birders — but to amplify and uplift their stories, in an effort to help raise awareness of safety concerns that some birders must consider while trying to go birding. I hope this does not come across as whitesplaining — the intended audience is other white/cisgender/heterosexual birders who may not be aware of these issues their fellow birders deal with daily.
Everybody has the right to feel safe in nature. But, like the physical accessibility of a birding location, there are many factors that can affect any one person’s feeling of safety and personal security when they’re outside. For more resources, check out our Safety while Birding webpage.
The physical environment can create safety risks. Many of the questions on the Birdability Site Review ask about these factors, such as rocks, roots and uneven ground — all of which can create a trip hazard for someone with a mobility challenge. Weather conditions, such as heat, cold, lightening (especially on exposed rocky areas), and flash floods can impact your safety. Wildlife can have an effect: if you don’t know what to do when approached by a bear, or you didn’t hear that rattlesnake, you might find yourself in trouble! Objects left behind in the environment can create a health/safety risk too: no one wants to step on a used syringe, and broken glass can puncture a wheelchair tire, stranding the user on the trail.
The social and cultural environment can create safety concerns. Many people, especially those from historically marginalized communities, can feel unsafe by the actions of others. Other people using the outdoors may act or make comments that are sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or ableist. (Even if meant “as a joke”, they can still make someone feel unsafe as part of that group. It’s the impact, and not the intent, that we’re talking about in this conversation.) Other people may make inappropriate comments, stare, sneer, harass or intimidate. It doesn’t have to involve physical or sexual assault for someone to feel unsafe, and therefore, unwelcome at a particular location or in a birding group. (This applies to online social environments too, like Facebook groups.)
Sometimes, it’s the inaction of the “good” people that make someone feel unsafe, or the fear that the victim won’t be believed if they do report the incident to the outing leader, bird club or nonprofit. No matter who you think is listening, if you consider yourself one of the “good” people, make sure you stand up and call out inappropriate behavior in any setting you’re in. “Sorry, but we don’t tolerate that kind of behavior around here,” is a firm, tone-setting way to be an ally, and hopefully help the recipient of the behavior feel slightly more comfortable knowing you’re there to support them… and you didn’t just turn away as if nothing happened. (For more resources on bystander intervention, check our Safety while Birding webpage.)
Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and more (LGBTQIA+) folks, women and people with disabilities can be especially aware of, and sensitive to, the social environment (for good reason!). People with intersecting identities (someone who is Black and gay, for example), may have even more factors to take into account.
During the second #BlackBirdersWeek last week (organized by Black AF in STEM), Thursday’s social media prompt was #SafeInNature. Search that hashtag on Twitter and Instagram to hear from Black birders the actions they take every time they go birding to ensure they come home that night. This is serious, and just because you might feel safe in any given situation, it doesn’t mean someone else will too. The amazing presentation and panel discussion about being #SafeInNature from #BlackBirdersWeek and broadcast on the National Audubon’s Facebook page, is highly recommended viewing. (Resources they refer to, and more about safety and birding, can be found on our Safety in Birding webpage.)
Sometimes ‘mundane’ things can make someone feel unsafe. Many folks with mobility challenges may feel unsafe with a dog off leash. As Birdability founder and manual wheelchair user Virginia Rose says, “Dogs and wheelchairs don’t mix!” Being afraid of being jumped on or even tipped over in your wheelchair is not an experience most people wish to repeat. Other folks may experience anxiety with dogs running around off leash, no matter how many times the dog’s owner says, “Oh you’re alright! My dog doesn’t bite!”
Graffiti, hate symbols and the Confederate flag can make people feel unwelcome — and so, unsafe — in an area. As a white, cisgender, straight woman who grew up in Australia, a Confederate flag does not mean the same thing to me as it does to many BIPOC birders... although it does, in fact, make me feel unsafe in that area. Again, it doesn’t matter if this doesn’t matter to you. The fact is, it matters to many of your fellow birders, and may be the difference between them wanting to come with you on a bird outing, or opting out. (They may not feel comfortable telling you why they declined either, especially if they think you’ll reply with something like, “Oh, that’s not a hate symbol! Come on, you’ll be fine!”)
Two white, straight, able-bodied birders hiked to the literal border between the United States and Mexico. One person felt unsafe by the presence of Border Patrol at the trailhead; the other felt fine. Photo taken by Freya McGregor, at Coronado National Monument, Arizona.
It’s also worth being aware that something that may help you to feel safe may do the opposite to someone else. The presence of police, military or Border Patrol personnel at a birding location may create a sense of security for some, but may make others feel like they're being targeted. With the history of police brutality on Black bodies, it’s easy to understand why a strong police presence at a location may discourage Black people from putting themselves at risk by being there.
I am married to a solider in the US Army, but it wasn’t long ago that the sight of uniformed military personnel made me feel incredibly uneasy. My Dad (an older, white, straight, cisgender, able-bodied male), visiting from Australia and birding with me right on the US/Mexican border in Southeast Arizona was visibly shaken when two Border Patrol officers with bulletproof vests and a huge rifle appeared at a trailhead. With all of his inherent privilege, he looked at me with fear in his eyes, suddenly second guessing if we should have been there (even though we were doing nothing wrong). How do you think this scenario might have felt to someone who’s family had been deported by Border Patrol officers, or who’s house had been searched?
The important thing to remember is that everybody has different life experiences. Just because you feel safe doesn’t mean someone else will too. Your opinion does not matter if someone tells you they feel uncomfortable. Respect them enough to believe them, and don’t try to explain away or justify whatever it was that made them feel unsafe. Do whatever you can (while maintaining your own safety) to help remove or protect them from that situation.
The new, extended Birdability Site Review includes a question on potential safety concerns. This question and the list of options was compiled through a series of discussions with BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and disabled birders to be in line with the other questions in the Birdability Site Review — asking contributors to report on what they observe, and not requiring someone to make any judgment calls. Asking broadly if someone noticed any safety concerns will likely not capture most of this information; as discussed, something a Black birder may consider a potential safety concern may not be noticed by a white birder completing a Site Review. As a result, like our other questions, we have listed possible options and ask people to inform us if they were or weren't present. Providing this information, like the other accessibility information, allows your fellow birders to make informed decisions about whether or not they would like to visit a particular birding location.
Birdability will continue to work to help increase safety in the birding community and the outdoors, especially for birders with disabilities and other health concerns. Because of intersectionality, this includes BIPOC birders with disabilities and other health concerns, and LGBTQIA+ birders with disabilities and other health concerns. Adding a question to our Birdability Site Review addressing potential safety concerns of a birding location is one way we hope our work will help more people feel #SafeInNature. Because birding, and the outdoors, is for everybody and every body.
We are incredibly grateful to Aisha White, who’s courage in sharing her story of being raped while birding by a prominent birder she trusted in February 2021 prompted us to add a safety question to our new Site Review. Many thanks to the leadership team of the Anti-racist Collective of Avid Birders in Massachusetts, who generously offered suggestions for how we might do this, and to the Black birders — especially during #BlackBirdersWeek — who have shared their experiences and their strategies for staying #SafeInNature. We look forward to a day when safety concerns will no longer create an accessibility challenge for anybody.
