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:
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US Fish & Wildlife Service Major Staff Cuts
According to the National Wildlife Refuge Association, “The intentional dismantling of science and conservation is happening now. Hundreds of dedicated U. S. Fish and Wildlife Services employees—many of them biologists—have been fired, gutting an [...]
2024 Annual Report
The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 283 species for 2024, with 274 species in Massachusetts (four more than 2023), and nine additional species reported from New Hampshire and Maine. This total was based upon 262 [...]
April 25 Annual Members Meeting – All Welcome
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Avian influenza is an increasing public health concern and is spreading across Massachusetts. In the past few days we have heard reports of waterfowl die offs in Cambridge, Amherst, Plymouth and Brockton. If you see [...]
eBird Tip – How to use eBird When Traveling
Thanks to Bob Ross for the following article, which started out as a MassBird listserv post: The eBird Alerts are an indispensable tool when traveling to a new city or region to go birding. I [...]
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Young Adult Birding series specifically for birders in their 20's and 30's! Our first meeting will be held at Millennium Park on Sunday, March 2nd at 8:00 AM. We will walk about 2 miles around [...]
US Fish & Wildlife Service Major Staff Cuts
According to the National Wildlife Refuge Association, “The intentional dismantling of science and conservation is happening now. Hundreds of dedicated U. S. Fish and Wildlife Services employees—many of them biologists—have been fired, gutting an [...]
2024 Annual Report
The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 283 species for 2024, with 274 species in Massachusetts (four more than 2023), and nine additional species reported from New Hampshire and Maine. This total was based upon 262 [...]
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April 25 Annual Members Meeting - All Welcome Please join us on April 25 for our Annual Members Meeting. The evening begins with a social hour at 6:30. The program starts at 7:00 with the [...]
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Avian influenza is an increasing public health concern and is spreading across Massachusetts. In the past few days we have heard reports of waterfowl die offs in Cambridge, Amherst, Plymouth and Brockton. If you see [...]
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Thanks to Bob Ross for the following article, which started out as a MassBird listserv post: The eBird Alerts are an indispensable tool when traveling to a new city or region to go birding. I [...]
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Upcoming Field Trips
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Mount Holyoke to the Quabbin
Hadley - Skinner State Park 99 Old Mountain Rd, Hadley, MA, United StatesJoin us for a series of short hikes as we search for Cerulean Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher, and Alder Flycatcher. Time will also be taken to enjoy the flora and fauna along the way.
Gore Place, Waltham
Watertown - Gore Place 52 Gore Street, Waltham, MA, United StatesWe will walk around the farm fields and gardens at the Gore Place then venture across Waltham Street to adjacent conservation land. Free for BBC and Gore Place members. Preregistration required at https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=228497
Belle Isle Marsh and Vicinity
East Boston - Belle Isle Parking Lot 1399 Bennington Street, Boston, MA, United StatesLed by DCR staff. We will search on foot up to one mile on flat, easy terrain, for migrating or resident songbirds, raptors, shorebirds, and marsh birds at this birding hotspot and state park. This is a traveling program by car or bike. Prepare for ticks and mosquitoes. Ages: Adults and kids 8 years+ with [...]
Mass. Audubon Boston Nature Center
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