We are so excited for our first-ever monthly Spanish/English Bilingual Birder Hangout, this Tuesday, June 22, from 9-10 PM EST!

This hangout is an opportunity for intermediate to advanced English/Spanish speakers to join in conversation to discuss birds, birding, and more. We'll be lightly guiding the conversation with prompts and information, along with a short presentation brought to us by our partners in Colombia. We hope to see you there! Link to join the hangout below.

Provided there is interest, we'll be having these on the fourth Tuesday of each month going forward. Also, for our first Bilingual Hangout, we'll have the Zoom link open to all birders who want to attend, not just Co-op members.
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Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92860385554?pwd=eFlxb3pGc0Njc05xdUZXKzE2dFNmQT09

Meeting ID: 928 6038 5554
Passcode: 808793

Dial by your location
        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
Meeting ID: 928 6038 5554
Passcode: 808793
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aczuNFu7o0
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Note: We are excited to launch this series, and we have high hopes for it! We are going to be learning a lot along the way on the best way to have a bilingual session. If you have ideas or would like to help out, send us an email! 

Hi, all! Hope you're June is off to a fantastic start 🦩 Here some news for ya:

Good news: It's the second annual #BlackBirdersWeek! Follow on socials and Audubon for updates and to get involved.

More good news: The Co-op is going to the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival! We'll have a booth at the festival and a social on Thursday, August 12th, as well as many good times, birds to see, and a beer a two. If you are interested in attending the festival, comment and let us know! The more the merrier!

And the bad news: No Birder Hangout tonight. We're figuring out the best way to use Hangouts going forward, as virtual happenings are becoming a bit worn out, so we'll keep you posted there.

Have a good one! - Mollee



 

We are always adding activities - both virtual, hybrid, and occasionally in person - to the Co-op's schedule. Join us!

I'm the Co-Chair of the fund and I'd happy to answer any questions you might have about the scholarship, how to support, or anything bird related (of course).

Please share widely: https://mailchi.mp/amplifythefuture.org/stem-scholarships-available

The Birding Co-op's mission is to promote inclusivity in the global birding community by, among other things, advocating for social justice. Our organization focuses on positive interactions to support our membership and uplift the birding community as a whole. However, we cannot ignore the serious wrongdoings that happen every day to birders and humans all over the planet—most often to women and members of the BIPOC and LGBQT+ communities.

The Birding Co-op supports Aisha White and her brave decision to come forward with allegations of rape against Jason Ward. We will continue to fight for equality, to promote that nature is something that all should be able to enjoy, and will never tolerate any form of abuse, harassment, or conduct that does not align with our values. 

We will also continue to strive to make the Co-op a safe space for birders to share their stories and feel welcome to be here. 

We will continue our regular activities starting tomorrow, Thursday, February 18th, with our 9 AM ET Birder Hangout. There will be no member presentations this week. We are working on providing more structured support in the coming days and weeks in light of the feelings of shock and betrayal that many of our members have expressed. As always, we believe in open discussion and providing a platform for our members to virtually gather and share their thoughts and ideas with one another. If you would like to suggest ways our organization can do this, please don't hesitate to let us know.

I want to share the fascinating research and upcoming live webinar by the Co-op's own Alena Kacal !

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First, here is a newly translated lecture on Israeli birders by Alen on Birdlife Israel's site: 

https://www.birds.org.il/en/article/alena-kacal-behind-the-binoculars-january-2021

Alen, this data reveals so much. Incredible.

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Second, here is information on a live webinar that is this Sunday by Alen and others at Jerusalem Bird Observatory: 

A special webinar to mark Tu B'Shvat - the Jewish Calendar's Birthday of the Trees.

Sunday, January 31, 2021
8:00 – 9:30 EST // 15:00 – 16:30 Israel time

Alena Kacal , Amir Balaban and the staff at the Nili and David Jerusalem Bird Observatory, together with birders from Birdlife Israel, will be broadcasting live from the field and will be answering your questions about Israel's birds. Hopefully we'll also be treated to the almonds in blossom too.

This webinar is in partnership with Temple Emanu-El and proudly part of the Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest. Rabbi Amy Ehrlich, Temple Emanu-El, New York will give an opening greeting.

Join the webinar: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ivoo4XhhQhK3cWTMzciDfw

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Note: Cover image for this post from Birdlife Israel. 

Why is this the first I’ve seen of this?  Looks like a fun winter project when the weather won’t cooperate.  

We have a lot going on this week—something for all birders!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) at 8:00 PM ET, we’re starting our weekly Birder Hangout with a presentation by Diego Quesada of Caracara Costa Rica, an organization that promotes Neotropical bird conservation through art. Hangout details here. 

Wednesday at 8:00 PM ET, our monthly Birder Cafe is focusing on what Co-op travel should look like in 2021, and we’ll have several bird guides share their thoughts as we work together to plan the Co-op’s events. Hannah Buschert is heading this up—check out here posts here and here. 

And Thursday at 9:00 AM ET (note the time change!), we’ll recap the Cafe in our second weekly Birder Hangout. Hangout details here. 

If you haven't already, join the Co-op to experience this week’s virtual events!

This is a space to share updates for yourself or other Co-op members! Share what projects you're working on, organizations you are a part of, or any news that you'd like to share with the Co-op.