This is not a bird note.

Finding the right birding group can be tricky for anyone.

But finding a birding group in a community where their primary language is not your own

can be near impossible. Chicago has very large immigrant communities from Mexico and Venezuela and South and Central America and so we want those folks to come out and go birding with us.

Daniela Herrera is a co-founder of the Chicago Biopoc Burders, a burden group created as a safe space for black, indigenous, and people of color.

And she says, although many Spanish-speaking immigrants

come with a strong knowledge and appreciation for birds,

they're often left with little to no-burden community

because of the language barrier.

And so I organize bilingual Spanish and English

bird walks throughout the city and these events are not for folks to

practice Spanish. The goal is really to get more Spanish speaking folks out into

nature. When doing these outings with immigrants, it can be really special to

encounter familiar migratory birds and make their new city feel a lot more like home.

There's this connection that's re-made between people who are seeing this bird here and the last time they saw it was in their home country.

Learn more about community-centered birding on the new season of Bring Birds Back.

Available now in your favorite podcast app or at birdnote.org.

I'm Deja Perkins.