#Hike4Birds, Walking to Listen
#Hike4Birds
Whether you
have been following along for the past year of preparations and planning or
have recently heard about our trek, you likely know that the purpose of Come Walk With Us is to:
(1)
Get
youth outdoors, engaged in nature, and
experiencing wilderness through birding and nature watching!
(2) Inspire people to become inquisitive, curious, discover, ask questions, and to explore the world around them.
(3) Get more individuals to focus their online time towards becoming Citizen Scientists by reporting what they see outside their window, in their local park, along a trailway, or when they are out bird watching.
Now with all of that said, you might be thinking ‘wow, an expert on birding, birds, and all things bird is coming to my community! This is what I have been waiting for, my life is now complete!’ But before you get too excited I will let you in on a secret...yes I worked at Bird Studies Canada, yes I know (in general) what birds look like, and yes in a pinch I can identify, name and talk about maybe 150 or 250 birds.... but beyond all of that I am by no means an expert on all birds across the nation. Which means that in Canada with approximately 685 different species of birds spread across a vast nation of varying geographies, landscapes, ecozones, and climatic regions most birds are pretty much beyond what I know.
So what does that mean for this
hike? Well, what it means is that I am
coming across the nation to see lots of new things, spot new birds, build my
life list, meet with regional experts, and local residents who have seen and
who know the birds in their regions. It
means that while we are undertaking a #Hike4Birds we are Walking to Listen, and
Walking to Learn from YOU.
Walking to Learn, Walking to Listen
So hopefully, it should be clear by
now, that we are not the experts in your region and we don’t intent to pretend
to be...YOU are! Even those who watch
birds casually on their walk to school or work, or have set up a feeder in
their own backyard know more about their own region and their birds than we
ever would. Sure we might have a nifty
pair of binoculars and a camera, but – in my opinion – what really matters is on the ground experience, local knowledge, and
regional input. This is in fact why
Citizen Science programs are so great and lead to wonderful discoveries! YOU
are the experts, so while we are hiking to get youth and individuals outdoors
and engaged with nature through birding, we are also Walking to Listen to
YOU. We want to know what birds and what
wildlife are in YOUR area. We want to hear what YOU love about nature, what
interests YOU, and what cool places there are in YOUR region. We want to hear from YOU, and learn from YOU.
In politics, economics, and yes even
the sciences far too much comes from the centre without much regional
input. So on this hike while we hope to
raise awareness and let people know about some of the important issues about
Birds in Canada, the type of research which is going on, and the importance of
protecting Canada’s Grasslands and Boreal Forest we primarily want to highlight
the local. This means that mostly we
are going to point out the great work people in your own communities are doing
to protect birds (yes there is awesome science going on across the entire
country!) and nearby bird habitats!
Beyond all that, we want to connect with YOU to hear about what is great
about the outdoors in YOUR area, what cool birds YOU have seen, and why nature
is important to YOU. What is YOUR best
memory of the outdoors or on the trail? What
do YOU think would help wildlife and how do YOU think Important Bird Areas and
regions likes the Boreal Forest can best be sustainably protected?
This is our country and as my
favourite TV show says “we are all in it together” so since you have listened
to us, we want to hear from YOU! Citizen
Science begins in YOUR backyard, YOUR parks, and YOUR school playgrounds!
This hike might be national in scope
but it is local in focus. For Citizen
Science and sustainable Conservation programs to be successful, they must match
local needs, address regional interests, and be supported by the individuals on
the ground. All of this only happens
when people listen to one another.
So as I said, while we are
#Hiking4Birds, we are Walking to Listen to YOU.
See you on the trail...and keep an
eye on your feeders and trees, I’m curious to know what you see!
See you on the trail!
Remember to follow our entire adventure here : www.comewalkwithus.online
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