An LGBTQ Birdwalk at Nisqually
By Sally Nole, BHAS Volunteer
June is Pride Month. To celebrate, on Friday, June 2, BHAS, PFLAG, and Nisqually WDFW sponsored an evening LGBT-guided bird walk for 55 attendees. This evening, LGBT meant “Let’s Go Birding Together.”
- The weather was perfect.
- The group was diverse.
- The wardrobes ranged from flamboyant to drab.
- There were children, and there were gray-haired birders.
- Birders’ experience levels were from first-time birders to years of experience.
- Ethnicity was all over the map.
- The Nisqually WDFW guides introduced us to the Refuge and explained that many organizations, including the Nisqually Tribe, are involved with protecting and preserving this delta.
- We all played a birdcall game that made us laugh a lot.
And then we broke up into five groups and headed out to find the birds. Binoculars were available for anyone without them. Our group leader was Bonnie Wood from BHAS, and we made our way to the woodland boardwalks. Quickly we learned that we had some expert birders in our group. These two women had keen eyesight and great hearing skills. It became a game between those two and us BHAS birders. We used the Merlin Sound ID to help us when we couldn’t agree. Everyone was engaged and did not give up until they saw the bird or had seen a photo of the bird on the Audubon or Merlin Apps.
We did not have time to continue toward McAllister Creek to find waterfowl before we were scheduled to get back to the Education Center for cookies, water, wrap-up, and goodbyes. I heard nothing but laughter and pleasant chatter from everyone; there were smiles and parting words of “Hope to see ya again soon!” We had a truly good time on a beautiful evening.
I plan to attend next year! I hope you’ll join me.
Birds we saw or heard:
American Robin, Brown Creeper, Black-headed Grosbeak, Song Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Spotted Towhee, Bewick’s Wren, Yellow Warbler, Swainson’s Thrush, Warbling Vireo, Canada Goose, Barn and Tree Swallow, Bald Eagle, American Crow, Starling, Anna’s Hummingbird, Cedar Waxwing, American Coot, Mallard (21 species).
Photo credit: Members of our group, by Sally Nole.
