This is Bird Note.

Haley Scott leads Birdwalks with a feminist bird club in New York City.

And she tries to make her walks comfortable for newcomers and experienced birders alike.

You know, everyone's knowledge of birds is different.

So like, if someone doesn't know like a very common species,

sometimes people can be like judgmental.

So I try not to be just mental.

And I'm also continuously learning new birds as I go along as well.

I try to be as open to like newcomers.

And we're all in this process together where we're learning the birds together.

And if we don't know, we can figure it out together.

Like, there are resources for us to figure it out during the walk, you know.

Sometimes I go on a walk that I'm leading in a park that I'm very familiar with,

but then I'll get a life or bird, the bird that I've never seen before.

Like when she saw her first salt marsh sparrow, Haley was so excited to share it with the group.

She values the inclusive approach of the feminist bird club

and make sure that participants, especially people from historically excluded backgrounds,

feel welcome on her walks.

When I started bird watching, I was bird watching in a place that is predominantly white

and there were times where I felt uncomfortable being in a space where like

I'm the only person of color in this group that's going to look at birds.

So yeah, I welcome everyone from all backgrounds.

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