Birding is having a moment, and it isn’t the moment you’d picture. It’s college clubs and families driving four and a half hours to a bird walk. It’s people looking up from their phones and finding something worth looking at.

This episode was recorded live at the Maryland Outdoor Recreation Summit in Ocean City, in front of a room full of people who work in parks, tourism, and outdoor business. Wayne Klockner, executive director of the American Birding Association, walked us through who’s driving the boom, what it means for the places we visit, and how simple it is to start.

A note from Missy: Until a week before this conversation, I had never been birding. Not once.

It felt strange to walk on stage and interview the head of the American Birding Association about something I’d never done, so I asked him to take me first. We met at Assateague. When we got out of the car, he said, “Okay, now let’s look around,” and I genuinely didn’t know what I was supposed to be looking at. Two hours later I was the one pointing. (I was also, a few times, pointing at pine cones.)

That’s why I wanted this episode to be for everyone, not just the room. If you’ve ever thought birding was for experts, or for someone older, or for someone with better gear, this one’s for you. You need a pair of binoculars and somewhere to stand.

E89 - Website

Episode Guest

Wayne Klockner – Executive Director, American Birding Association

Wayne has been birding since he was 11, back when, in his words, he had no peers and no mentors. He spent 38 years with The Nature Conservancy before joining the ABA as executive director in 2023, drawn by the idea of turning birders into a bigger constituency for conservation. He lives in Ocean City, Maryland, birds with the Tri-County Bird Club, and still loves leading beginner walks because he gets to see common birds new through other people’s eyes.

What we cover

  • How we went from studying dead birds to counting live ones: Frank Chapman and the first Christmas Bird Count in 1900
  • What actually counts as birding (more than you’d think)
  • Why birders can seem intimidating, and why that’s on the experts, not the beginners
  • Missy’s first morning of birding at Assateague
  • Why younger people are flocking to it, and why it’s a social hobby now
  • Young birder camps, mentors, and Community Weekends in cities
  • What birding does for us, and what birds do for everyone else
  • How parks, tourism groups, and retailers can meet the demand
  • How to start: binoculars, a free app, a field guide, and a local bird club
  • Birding in every season
  • Making your yard (or balcony) bird friendly
  • Speed round: Washington Crossing State Park, the Sierra Nevada bucket list, M&Ms over apples, a bobcat on Skyline Drive, and why he loves birds at the most basic level

Show Notes & Links

Transcript

How to Start Birding

Missy: So let’s talk about how to go birding.

Wayne: Yeah.

Missy: I am one week into it, so I’m a newbie. I’m sure some people here are now thinking, “Oh, I might want to do this whole birding thing.” So when it comes to birding, what’s the best way to get into it, and what do I need?

Wayne: Find other birders first, because that’s a way to really rapidly climb the learning curve. But regardless of climbing learning curves, make sure just to enjoy it. And the best way to enjoy it is to get outside, and get a pair of binoculars, because it really helps to see the birds a little more closely. You can worry about spotting scopes and fancy cameras later, but just a basic pair of binoculars, 8×40 or 7×35, is perfect. And get outside. Birds are everywhere. It won’t take long to find one. It didn’t take you long, Missy, to find any.

Missy: I found some pine cones too. Yeah. It’s easy to mistake a pine cone and a bird.

Wayne: I’ve looked at millions of pine cones myself. But armed with those binoculars, and again, there are free apps like Merlin, get a basic field guide. The Sibley Guide to Birds is a great one that I’ve used for years. There are some new field guides out there by National Geographic, and there’s one coming out next year from Princeton University Press. And then find other people who bird. Connect with a local bird club.

Here in Maryland, we’ve got the Maryland Ornithological Society. It has chapters all across the state. I’m a member of the Tri-County Bird Club based in Salisbury. There’s a full range of field trips held throughout the year, open to anybody interested in birds, and at no cost, by the way. MOS does hope you’ll pay dues and support their efforts to bring birding to people, but they’re very generous with their time and expertise, as one example.

Birding Every Season

Missy: Is there a season for birding?

Wayne: Yeah, 12 months of the year. In the spring migration, say April through May, a lot of songbirds are northbound, and you get to see things pass through that you wouldn’t see other times of the year. Fall migration is even more extended. It begins in late July and runs into early December, when birds are headed back the other direction.

The summer is breeding time. Birds are more vocal then. They’re singing and staking out territories, and a little bit easier to find. And in winter, birding can be a bit more of an acquired taste, but there aren’t as many leaves on the trees, so the birds can be easier to find. It’s easier to lure them to your feeders. So yes, 12 months of the year.

Bringing Birds Home, Even in the City

Missy: I love it. And what can we do in our businesses and at home to make it more attractive for birds to come visit?

Wayne: There is a tremendous amount of information online now about bird-friendly landscaping. There are very simple things that we can do to make our living spaces more attractive to birds.

And by the way, that doesn’t just apply to people who have a traditional home and a lot. There’s a well-known New York City birder you may have heard of. His name is Christian Cooper. He wrote a great book about his experience birding. He lives in Manhattan, and he’s privileged to have an outdoor open space on whatever floor his apartment is on. He’s planted it all with native plants, and he gets birds stopping by his patio.

So even in a city setting, you can attract birds by thinking about the kinds of plants you can provide them, to provide cover, to provide food, et cetera. There’s a lot we all could do with our living spaces to enhance them for birds.

What We Can All Do Today

Missy: And who here now is a little bit more interested in birding? Oh, I like this. Okay.

Wayne: Who didn’t raise their hands?

Missy: Okay. What can we all do to embrace birding today?

Wayne: Well, I mentioned joining a local bird club. That’s a great way to get started if you’re new. If you’re not new, it’s a great way to connect with other birders in your home patch. And it’s a great way to support the efforts of these statewide or local birding organizations, which often have a conservation component.

You should become a member of the ABA. It’s pretty cheap. You get two great magazines, one a bit more technical, one absolutely approachable for birders of any stripe. And there are a lot of other resources on our website. I mentioned the live events, and live-streaming events, too. I would start there.

And then be advocates for birds and birding when you visit the places you’re birding, including parks. Make sure the people managing those sites know how important they are for birds and for birding. I think that’s really important, just to build a constituency for managing places in a sensitive way for bird life.

Speed Round

Missy: So we end every episode with a speed round of questions. Answer with what first comes to mind.

Wayne: Can I use more than one word?

Missy: Yes. What is your earliest park memory?

Wayne: Washington Crossing State Park in New Jersey.

Missy: What made you love the parks?

Wayne: Just being outside. I was an outdoor kid from an early age.

Missy: What is your favorite thing about birding?

Wayne: I can’t answer that. I love it all. I mean, I think it’s because birds can fly, at the most basic level.

Missy: Oh, I love that. What park have you yet to visit, but it’s on your bucket list, and why?

Wayne: I really want to go to the Sierra Nevada in California. So Kings Canyon, Yosemite. I’ve never been to those parks, and I’d really like to see them. And there are some birds there that I haven’t seen yet.

Missy: What are three must-haves that you pack for any park visit?

Wayne: Water bottle, good shoes, and binoculars.

Missy: What is your favorite campfire activity?

Wayne: Stargazing.

Missy: Tent, camper, or cabin?

Wayne: It used to be tent, and it’s more cabin now.

Missy: Are you hiking with or without trekking poles?

Wayne: With. Well, it depends on the terrain. If it’s flat, like around here, no, I don’t use hiking poles. But if I’m up in Shenandoah National Park, or the White Mountains near where my kids live, I’m using those poles.

Missy: What’s your favorite trail snack?

Wayne: It should be apples, but it’s M&Ms.

Missy: What is your best animal sighting?

Wayne: Oh gosh, that’s really hard. The bobcat I saw on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park when I was a college kid.

Missy: What is your favorite sound in the park?

Wayne: Owls.

Missy: What’s the greatest gift that the parks give to us?

Wayne: The chance to be outdoors. Yeah, it’s priceless.

Missy: Wayne, thank you so much for teaching us, in the room and on the podcast, about birding: what we can get from it, how simple it is to do, and how welcoming an environment it can be for us.

Thank you to the Maryland Outdoor Recreation Summit for hosting this conversation. We love you all, and thanks for giving us birding opportunities here. And thanks to everybody in the room for being part of the episode. That’s it for today’s episode. Until next time, we’ll see you in the parks.

Music for The Parks Podcast is performed and produced by Porter Hardy. Follow us @TheParksPodcast or visit TheParksPodcast.com.