This is Bird Note. I'm Marcus Rosten, a naturalist and birder in Buffalo, New York, where I love watching American herringles.

One of my favorite places to find them is Freedom Park, a migration crossroads for birds and people. This was once a final stop on the

Underground Railroad, where freedom seekers cross the Niagara River to safety. Gulls take refuge

at the park year-round. Hearing gulls may seem unremarkable, especially in winter when young birds all look the same and modeled shades of brown and black.

But I feel my brown skin crawl when people call them rats with wings.

It makes me think about who gets labeled a nuisance and who gets praised, whose features are

admired and whose are disparaged.

When we dismiss these birds as rats with wings, we miss something important.

Though American herringalls may seem common now, their populations are actually in steep decline.

Watching the gulls at Freedom Park, I see a lesson in resilience, and a reminder that there's beauty in shades of brown and black.

This is Black Birders Week.

To learn more, follow the hashtag Black Birders Week on social media and visit

birdnote.org.

I'm Marcus Rosten.