BBC’s new Code of Ethics and Conduct
If you are involved with the Brookline Bird Club, we know that you have a great love for and appreciation of birds and nature. The BBC is committed to providing programs in which all participants have a safe and welcoming space to explore their own personal connection to birds and nature.
In keeping with this commitment, the BBC board thought it was time to take a fresh look at our Code of Ethics and Conduct and Trip Leader Guidelines. The resulting updates emphasize the importance of respect for birds, the environment, and for each other.
The board has also formed a Committee on Community and Culture that will assist the club in working toward its mission of building a more diverse, more welcoming community and a culture of inclusion and respect. To learn more about our work or to get involved, please contact the committee at community@brooklinebirdclub.org.
Across Massachusetts and the country, the birding community is moving forward with a new focus on programming that is more accessible to all who want to enjoy nature and policy that promotes safety and inclusion. The BBC is excited to be part of that movement!
We recommend following resources to learn more and get involved. If you have meaningful resources you would like us to add to this list, please let us know!
Resources on safer bird watching:
Safety Tips For Better Birding
The Murmuration, a crowd-sourced document of eBird hotspots in Massachusetts, including information on safety concerns.
Further reading on inclusivity in birding and nature:
It’s Time to Build a Truly Inclusive Outdoors, Corina Newsome (Audubon Magazine, Summer 2020)
Birds are Here for Everyone: How Black Birders are Finding Community, Aliya Uteuova, (The Guardian, June 2021)
Murmuration is the Movement: Panelists discuss diversity in birding, Jon Stinchcomb (Port Clinton News Herald, May 2021)
Birding While Black, J. Drew Lanham (Literary Hub, September 2016)
How to be a Welcoming and Inclusive Birder, (Ray Brown’s Talkin’ Birds)
Creating Safe Spaces: Promoting more-inclusive experiences for all (National Wildlife Federation, August 2021)
Organizations to check out and consider supporting:
BBC Extreme Pelagic August 27-28, 2022 – Trip Report
Date - 6:00 AM 8/27/22 (Saturday) to 5:00 PM 8/28/22 (Sunday) Weather - Variable. Saturday started out cloudy as we headed out over the Nantucket shoals to sunny as we hit the shelf edge. Winds [...]
Piping Plover Donation
We are pleased to announce a BBC conservation donation of $250 to support the Piping Plover Ambassadors, a group of volunteers who, since 2017, have been dedicated to protecting the Piping Plovers nesting at [...]
Update from Hog Island Scholarship Recipients
Our 2022 Bill Drummond Young Birder Scholarship recipients, Jocelyn Pyne and Johnny Owens, report that they had wonderful experiences in June in the Coastal Maine Bird Study for Teens program [...]
Buy a Duck Stamp to Support National Wildlife Refuges
As birders, we treasure our birding visits to national wildlife refuges locally and nationally. Of the 32 refuges in New England, 11 are in Massachusetts, including Parker River, Monomoy, Great Meadows, Oxbow, and Assabet [...]
New BBC premium
The BBC's new premium: a handy lens wipe that attaches to your binocular strap. $5 plus shipping. Contact the BBC Membership Coordinator for details.
The Brookline Bird Club has launched our own Instagram account!
Instagram, a popular social media application, allows users and viewers to share photos and short messages with viewers. We welcome members to join in by submitting your photos! Our account is monitored by Board [...]
BBC Extreme Pelagic August 27-28, 2022 – Trip Report
Date - 6:00 AM 8/27/22 (Saturday) to 5:00 PM 8/28/22 (Sunday) Weather - Variable. Saturday started out cloudy as we headed out over the Nantucket shoals to sunny as we hit the shelf edge. Winds [...]
Piping Plover Donation
We are pleased to announce a BBC conservation donation of $250 to support the Piping Plover Ambassadors, a group of volunteers who, since 2017, have been dedicated to protecting the Piping Plovers nesting at [...]
Update from Hog Island Scholarship Recipients
Our 2022 Bill Drummond Young Birder Scholarship recipients, Jocelyn Pyne and Johnny Owens, report that they had wonderful experiences in June in the Coastal Maine Bird Study for Teens program [...]
Buy a Duck Stamp to Support National Wildlife Refuges
As birders, we treasure our birding visits to national wildlife refuges locally and nationally. Of the 32 refuges in New England, 11 are in Massachusetts, including Parker River, Monomoy, Great Meadows, Oxbow, and Assabet [...]
New BBC premium
The BBC's new premium: a handy lens wipe that attaches to your binocular strap. $5 plus shipping. Contact the BBC Membership Coordinator for details.
The Brookline Bird Club has launched our own Instagram account!
Instagram, a popular social media application, allows users and viewers to share photos and short messages with viewers. We welcome members to join in by submitting your photos! Our account is monitored by Board [...]
BBC Extreme Pelagic August 27-28, 2022 – Trip Report
Date - 6:00 AM 8/27/22 (Saturday) to 5:00 PM 8/28/22 (Sunday) Weather - Variable. Saturday started out cloudy as we headed out over the Nantucket shoals to sunny as we hit the shelf edge. Winds [...]
Piping Plover Donation
We are pleased to announce a BBC conservation donation of $250 to support the Piping Plover Ambassadors, a group of volunteers who, since 2017, have been dedicated to protecting the Piping Plovers nesting at [...]
Update from Hog Island Scholarship Recipients
Our 2022 Bill Drummond Young Birder Scholarship recipients, Jocelyn Pyne and Johnny Owens, report that they had wonderful experiences in June in the Coastal Maine Bird Study for Teens program [...]
Buy a Duck Stamp to Support National Wildlife Refuges
As birders, we treasure our birding visits to national wildlife refuges locally and nationally. Of the 32 refuges in New England, 11 are in Massachusetts, including Parker River, Monomoy, Great Meadows, Oxbow, and Assabet [...]
New BBC premium
The BBC's new premium: a handy lens wipe that attaches to your binocular strap. $5 plus shipping. Contact the BBC Membership Coordinator for details.
The Brookline Bird Club has launched our own Instagram account!
Instagram, a popular social media application, allows users and viewers to share photos and short messages with viewers. We welcome members to join in by submitting your photos! Our account is monitored by Board [...]
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Upcoming Field Trips
Squantum – Quincy (CANCELED, MOVED TO AUGUST 2 & AUGUST 17)
Quincy - Squantum - Moswetuset Hummock Quincy, MA, United StatesThis trip was listed by mistake. Due to the tides, the best dates are August 2 and August 17. Please see those listings.
Belle Isle Marsh Marine Ecology Park, Winthrop
Winthrop - Belle Isle March and Marine Ecology Park Banks Street, Winthrop, MA, United StatesJoin the Brookline Bird Club in collaboration with Boston Nature Center to look for birds in a unique urban habitat that often draws numerous uncommon and rare birds. Target species include bobolinks, dunlin, egrets, falcons, hawks, herons, ibis, oystercatchers, plovers, ravens, sandpipers, sparrows, swallows & swifts, terns, warblers, vultures, and yellowlegs. Birders of all levels [...]
Shorebirds & More at Parker River NWR
Parker River NWR - Lot #1 Refuge Rd., Newbury, MA, MA, United StatesWe will be looking for Shorebirds and other Refuge specialties. We will drive and walk to various places on the Refuge. Note that an entrance fee or pass is required. Restroom available.
Squantum – Quincy
Quincy - Squantum - Moswetuset Hummock Quincy, MA, United StatesWe'll check the marshes and the mudflats in Squantum for shorebirds, starting at Moswetuset Hummock and visiting other spots nearby. At high tide (~6:15 am), we'll try checking the high tide roosts for shorebirds as well. Be prepared for the possibility of biting insects. Cosponsored with South Shore Bird Club.
An Oasis for Birds at Belle Isle Marsh
East Boston - Belle Isle Parking Lot 1399 Bennington Street, Boston, MA, United StatesJoin DCR park staff for a relaxed, one-mile bird walk through flat, easy terrain at this Massachusetts State Reservation and birding hot spot. At Belle Isle and at additional nearby locations— We’ll search for large groups of herons and egrets, and shorebird rarities. Participants are responsible for their own transportation between locations (by car or [...]