This is Bird Note.

Urban ornithologist and children's author Murray Burgess has always been interested in wildlife.

But studying birds was not part of her plan until a fortuitous scheduling conflict in college.

I was forced to take an ornithology class. It was the only thing that

fit in my schedule and I needed one of those ologies to fill out my credit hours. Which is how

Murray found herself on a class field trip to Dauphin Island, a beach town on the Gulf Coast of Alabama

that's a famous stopover site for migratory birds. Murray was walking through the city, but...

It was a really hot, a really difficult day, and I was just like, oh, my goodness, I'm done.

And I sat down against a tree, and I was the first person to see the painted bunting across the street.

And I was like, oh, my goodness, it's so colorful. Look at that.

The painted bunting across the street. And I was like, oh my goodness, it's so colorful. Look at that. The painted bunting was a dazzling male with blue, red, yellow, and green feathers. And perhaps

more amazing than his plumage was everything this sparrow-sized bird had to overcome just to land in front of Murray.

Such a long migration trip, had to have all of the fuel and the energy to get across the

Gulf Coast, had to avoid all the predators, and it was also avoiding the cars on the road as

we were right there.

That encounter helped Murray realize that she can experience the joy of birds from anywhere.

I'm very much a local backyard birder, even if I see some of the same species over and over again.

It really gives me this sense of like place and belonging to kind of get familiar

with my bird community.

Now, Murray studies how urban environments impact birds, advocates for safety and inclusivity

in the outdoors, and writes children's books that inspire families to enjoy birds together.

Her advice for folks interested in birding?

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