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:

Birdability

Outdoor Afro

Black Kids Adventures 

The Feminist Bird Club

Black & Latinx Birders’ Fund

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 275 species for 2023, based upon 200 trips reported from Massachusetts, and those from out of state.  We recorded 267 species in Massachusetts, three more than 2022, with 8 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 276 species for 2022, based upon 204 reported trips. Of those, 264 species were recorded in Massachusetts, with 12 additional species reported from the out-of-state trips to New Hampshire [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Brookline Bird Club 2021 Statistical and Year-End Report By David Scott, Club Statistician The Brookline Bird Club recorded 270 species for 2021, based upon 206 reported trips. Two-hundred and sixty-five species were recorded in Massachusetts, [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 275 species for 2023, based upon 200 trips reported from Massachusetts, and those from out of state.  We recorded 267 species in Massachusetts, three more than 2022, with 8 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 276 species for 2022, based upon 204 reported trips. Of those, 264 species were recorded in Massachusetts, with 12 additional species reported from the out-of-state trips to New Hampshire [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Brookline Bird Club 2021 Statistical and Year-End Report By David Scott, Club Statistician The Brookline Bird Club recorded 270 species for 2021, based upon 206 reported trips. Two-hundred and sixty-five species were recorded in Massachusetts, [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 275 species for 2023, based upon 200 trips reported from Massachusetts, and those from out of state.  We recorded 267 species in Massachusetts, three more than 2022, with 8 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 276 species for 2022, based upon 204 reported trips. Of those, 264 species were recorded in Massachusetts, with 12 additional species reported from the out-of-state trips to New Hampshire [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Brookline Bird Club 2021 Statistical and Year-End Report By David Scott, Club Statistician The Brookline Bird Club recorded 270 species for 2021, based upon 206 reported trips. Two-hundred and sixty-five species were recorded in Massachusetts, [...]

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Upcoming Field Trips

  • Midweek Hunt for Alcids and Seabirds

    Join us for a mid-week hunt for alcids and other wintering seabirds. Be prepared for cold and windy weather. If bad weather is predicted, contact the leader by 6:00 pm the previous evening.

  • Millennium Park

    Join us to look for birds in a unique urban habitat that often draws numerous uncommon and rare birds. Birders of all levels will enjoy this trip. The trails are flat and easy to walk. We may offer optional 30-60 minute trip extensions to adjacent locations such as West Roxbury High School Marsh and/or Brook [...]

  • Sconticut Neck and West Island, Fairhaven

    Fairhaven - Sconticut Neck and West Island 209 Huttleston Ave,, Fairhaven, MA, United States

    We will make several stops on the neck and then onto West Island to search for winter ducks, loons, grebes and shorebirds.

  • Belle Isle Marsh and Vicinity

    East Boston - Belle Isle Parking Lot 1399 Bennington Street, Boston, MA, United States

    Led by DCR staff. We will search on foot up to one mile, on flat, easy terrain for snowy owls and other raptors, native sparrows, finches, waterfowl, and other birds. This is a traveling program by car or bike. Prepare for ticks. Ages: Adults and kids 8 years+ with adult chaperone. Binoculars recommended. ADA/Reasonable Accommodations [...]

  • Race Point Beach

    Provincetown - Race Point Beach

    Let’s start the year with some awesome birds! We will bird from the beach close to the parking lot. We may walk the beach depending on participants interest. Several species of alcids are possible as well as gannets, Iceland and Glaucous Gulls and three loon species. Dress for cold windy weather. We may try other [...]

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