Birdability Week 2025! Occasions and a Enjoyable Birding Volunteer Alternative

Maine Audubon is dedicated to serving to everybody get outdoors to get pleasure from wildlife, but it surely’s simpler for some than others. Those with disabilities, well being issues, or different accessibility points could have a a lot more durable time. A lack of expertise concerning the relative accessibility of various out of doors websites is a part of the issue.

We’re working this October to vary that, and we’re on the lookout for volunteers to assist. Maine Audubon is likely one of the sponsors of Birdability Week 2025, an annual celebration of birders with disabilities and different well being issues organized by the nationwide Birdability group. The group “works to ensure the birding community and the outdoors are welcoming, inclusive, safe and accessible for everybody,” specializing in “people with mobility challenges, blindness or low vision, chronic illness, intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental illness, and those who are neurodivergent, deaf or hard of hearing or who have other health concerns.”

Birdability Week runs between October 20 and 26, and Birdability is internet hosting virtual events all through. Maine Audubon is internet hosting in-person occasions of our personal, together with:

• Accessible Birding – Back Cove in Portland on Wednesday, October 22 at 8 am (join right here);
• Accessible Birding – Scarborough Marsh on Saturday, October 25 at 10 am (join right here).

Additionally, Maine Audubon is working in October to help the Birdability Map. The crowdsourced map particulars accessibility data on birding websites across the nation, offering essential information for birders across the nation as they plan birding journeys.

There aren’t at the moment many spots in Maine on the map, and we need to do one thing about it. Maine Audubon employees are taking the afternoon of October 22 to go to birding websites in better Portland and better Bangor to assemble accessibility data and add it to the map. We are additionally encouraging our Chapters and birders throughout Maine to take part by visiting native birding websites any time and submitting accessibility data to the map.

Birdability offers a thorough checklist of items to consider at each birding site. There’s a number of data to consider, although, and to assist, Maine Audubon is offering two Birdability trainings to anybody who needs to study extra about Birdability earlier than gathering data. Register for one of many half-hour trainings right here (you solely must do one):

• Birdability Training Option 1 – Tuesday October 14 – 4:30 pm (Register)
• Birdability Training Option 2 – Thursday October 16 – midday (Register)

We hope you possibly can be part of us to make Maine a neater place to hen!