This is Bird Note.

Haley Scott lives in the Bronx, where she helps other people experience the joy of New York's wildlife as a birdwalk leader.

But she maintains a connection with another community of birds outside the city.

On my dad's side, I'm Uncichug.

We're a nation from Long Island,

and we're still located in Mastic, New York,

on Pasphalek Reservation.

I've been going there my whole life.

Some of the birds that I've seen there,

there are song sparrows that are living in my grandmother's backyard.

I see them every summer.

Along the creek, there are also tree swallows that come up in the summer.

And there have also been bald eagles the past two summers that have been like soaring around.

And like the eagle is significant because it's a protector.

Leading birdwalks in New York City with a feminist bird club, Haley emphasizes the importance

of recognizing the original inhabitants of the land, the Lenape.

I want to like teach people about the importance of protecting the land,

not only the ecological benefits, but also the sacred spiritual connection to the land.

And a lot of Lenape people were displaced, so I feel like it's very important

to protect land that was sacred to them and is sacred to them.

You can learn more about the indigenous peoples with ancestral ties to the land where you live in an interactive map.

Find a link on our website, birdnote.org. I'm Connor Geeran.

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