Inclusive Birdwatching Events Foster Community in Chicago

Zelle Tenorio recounts the moment they embraced birdwatching. Three years ago, during a walk arranged by Chicago BIPOC Birders and Out in Nature, an LGBTQ+ outdoor group, they observed a Caspian tern catching a fish. “I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” said Tenorio, who uses they/them pronouns. Since that day, Tenorio has become a frequent birder and volunteer, sporting a tattoo of a tern with a fish to mark their first birdwatching walk.

Chicago BIPOC Birders have organized bird walks and sits, where participants observe from a single spot, across city parks since 2021. On a recent Sunday morning, they hosted a Pride Sit for LGBTQ+ birders and their families at South Shore’s Rainbow Beach Park. Participants spread picnic blankets on the beach, receiving binoculars and bird guides. Shortly after, a starling was spotted in the sky. “That’s a sandpiper call,” someone noted.

Organizer Maddie Fernandez explains BIPOC Birders arose from a desire for connection post-pandemic and to challenge stereotypes of birdwatching as an activity for “older white people.” “There was a need to create a new affinity space in Chicago’s birding community,” Fernandez said. She joined the organization in 2022 as a community engagement and programs manager at the environmental nonprofit Urban Rivers, starting to organize walks a couple of years later.

The group, welcoming both seasoned naturalists and newcomers, encourages diverse participation. Joice Kim, a student and bird lover, spontaneously attended her first event after following the group on Instagram. “I wanted to be in community with people,” she said. Rachel Flores, a member for several years, has seen nighthawks, kingfishers, herons, and bald eagles during group walks. “That’s what I like about going out. I see more than when I’m on my own,” they remarked.

Joseline Salmeron found the bird sit a more relaxed way to celebrate Pride. “Pride often involves a party vibe, but it doesn’t have to be that,” she said. Salmeron biked to join from Woodlawn and valued the group’s South Side park events, noting a lack of visible outdoor communities there.

During the sit, Fernandez spoke about birds expressing gender and sexuality. “Many animals can change sexes and are intersex. Birds form same-sex parenting attachments,” Fernandez said, considering this validating for queer individuals. “You see yourself reflected,” she added, “which can be healing.” According to the National Wildlife Federation, 130 bird species have recorded same-sex partnerships. Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo also hosts a same-sex penguin couple.

“I love that birds are such queer animals. They don’t care about gender,” Flores commented. “They’re just living their lives.”