The Bird School Project birding on the water in Elkhorn Slough. (Bird School Project/Contributed)
When Jessica Correa began her environmental profession in Santa Cruz, she felt remoted. “It can feel intimidating being around people who know so much, especially when you feel like you don’t know enough to be a part of the community,” Correa says. “It took me time to realize that it’s OK not to know, and that I bring my own experience and knowledge, too.”
In some circles Correa would discover herself the only particular person of coloration, furthering her emotions of separation. “These experiences inform how I direct environmental programs today. I know how important it is to feel included, to feel a sense of belonging, and to be confident in my curiosity.” Correa is the Student and Community Programs Manager at The Bird School Project, a Santa Cruz-based nonprofit that delivers applications all through the Central Coast utilizing “outdoor experiential learning to inspire and equip students and teachers to love, study, and steward their local environment.” This studying is completed by way of the lens of, sure you guessed it, birding.
This 12 months is Bird School Project’s second go at organizing the acclaimed Monterey Bay Festival of Birds (previously the ‘Monterey Bay Birding Festival’) which invitations chicken nerds and newcomers alike to bask within the glory of our winged, bipedal brethren for 3 full days of action-packed nature studying and immersion with workshops and displays occurring in Monterey and Santa Cruz Oct. 13-15.
Correa mentioned she believes the competition, and birding typically, is a gateway for rising human connection to nature. “I relate to people who don’t get ‘birding’ on the first try,” says Correa. “I certainly didn’t, and it can feel frustrating. Birds don’t just stand and pose for you, they fly away,” Correa laughs. “But the more that you do it, the more often you try – it really doesn’t matter if you’re good or bad at it – you just start to notice that they’re everywhere. Observing birds can open the door to intentional observation of life all around us every single day, a skill that deepens our sense of place and community, and understanding that community includes nonhuman life.”
When working with college students Correa usually shares, “You have to learn patience. If you stay in the same area, eventually the birds will come to you.” Correa jokes that the primary lightbulb second with college students begins with a big chicken sighting. “Students often have a hard time focusing on a small bird with their binoculars and think that birding is not an activity for them. Then inevitably a turkey vulture or a hawk comes to save the day, soaring circles in the sky. They can focus on the bird’s features and hone in, and it just clicks. They’re hooked.”
Monterey Bay Festival of Bird’s theme this 12 months is “a joyful celebration of the life and death of birds.” Correa hopes the competition appeals to individuals who don’t see themselves as birders. “Because it takes place in October, the festival not only coincides with fall bird migration, but also with the festivities of fall season. I associate this time of year as the spooky season. We have celebrations like Halloween and Día de los Muertos, we are transitioning from summer into winter and death is at the forefront of this changing season. We want the festival to be culturally relevant where people relate with the theme and activities and with one another, too. We are gathering around birds as our subject, but there are many different avenues to connect.”
Correa shares that the theme was pushed by the competition’s advisers which incorporates a mixture of sustainability leaders and activists all through the central coast.
“We’re providing a space for people to learn about the perils the earth is facing today and how that affects birds. We want people to learn how to notice bird behaviors, appreciate their beauty, ask lots of questions, and really get to know and care for our birds. There are workshops for nature immersion as well as presentations about bird conservation,” says Correa.
“We’re very excited for our keynote speaker Shawn Hayes. He’s a grasp falconer, a conservationist, a recreation hawker, and a brilliant proficient storyteller. We’re additionally wanting ahead to a collaboration with Dark-Sky Santa Cruz who will current about mild air pollution and making life higher for birds and different residing issues by bringing the lights down. We’ll be taught the story of an osprey named Courage from Harkins Slough in Watsonville and discover the lives of birds within the city interface.
Natalia Ocampo-Pañuela will current her work with UCSC pupil interns which might be monitoring window collisions and monitoring information on collisions associated to chicken populations and the implications of that work each domestically and at scale. Zeka Glucks, is the director of UCSC’s Raptor and Predatory Bird Research Group will speak about lead poisoning, condor mortality, biomagnification of poisons within the meals internet, and her expertise rehabbing birds and chicken habitat.”
“Issues like habitat loss, pollution from insecticides, avian flu, human disturbance, and climate change can feel really overwhelming. Climate and ecological grief, also termed eco-anxiety, is linked to thinking about how much the environment is changing now and in the future. I Ignoring those feelings is not going to really help anyone. And hoping that it might get better without doing anything tangible is not going to help, either. That is part of this festival, taking pause to experience those feelings without being stuck in them. Moving from fear and hopelessness to organizing. There are so many different ways to organize with your community and take action. We can support organizations that protect birds, volunteer, and take individual steps like turning off the lights in front of our homes at night or putting decals on windows to prevent bird collisions, keeping cats indoors, restoring bird habitat, and advocating for change with policy makers. We each have a part.”
To register for the competition, go to birdschoolproject.org/festival. If cost is a barrier, Correa encourages readers to e-mail her at [email protected]. Festival volunteers get a reduction on the occasion in addition to a t-shirt. If you might be unable to attend the competition, Bird School Project hosts programming 12 months spherical together with family-friendly and bilingual chicken walks. Visit www.birdschoolproject.org and comply with @birdschoolproject on Instagram for updates.
Rachel Kippen is an ocean educator and sustainability advocate in Santa Cruz County and may be reached at [email protected].
