Birdability Proves Birdwatching is for Everyone
When you think of a birdwatching you are probably picturing an older person (or a flock of people) wearing cargo pants and a clunky pair of binoculars. You may have seen people like this clustered at a national park or on a boat somewhere, arguing over a version of a bible written by a guy named Sibley. Yes, those people are birders and they are great. But I am here to let you know that in 2025, not only is birding cool, but everybody is doing it.
I grew up along the Wasatch front feeding scrub jays in my grandparents’ backyard in the Sugarhouse neighborhood of Salt Lake City. Later, when we moved to Montana, my dad would take us on a weekly drive through the local wildlife refuge and we would marvel at the ospreys and sandhill cranes. I didn’t know then that this little hobby of looking at and listening for birds would take over my life. We didn’t realize that it could be accessible to almost anyone, just to feed your local birds or watch them from a vehicle.
Later, in Utah for graduate school, I needed a break after being stuck at a computer for hours a day. I made friends with some students in a different department who were studying birds, and suddenly I was out every weekend with binoculars. I met a birding wizard named Merlin, who could help me identify and learn about new birds around me.
Soon I figured out that living in Utah, I was pretty lucky. We have so many amazing birds that live in the state year-round, and birds that migrate through the state. Many are drawn to the waters (and food) within the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. Most of the birding you can do from a car (like riding around Antelope Island and Farmington Bay), several places are easily accessed by public transit along the Wasatch front, and many trails are flat and paved (Jordan River Trail).
On visits home to Montana, I would take my sister out birding with me. Mariah, my sister, has multiple disabilities that need to be considered so she can enjoy birding as much as I do. The wildlife refuge near us has a wide, flat, paved trail that she can easily walk on without falling. There are several benches along the trail where she can sit for a break, when I am spending too much time “talking to a bird” or wandering off into the woods. We also like to drive the scenic loop to listen and look for birds around the marsh. I can show Mariah great pictures of all the birds up close on her iPad with the Merlin app, and play their calls when we get home (so we don’t confuse them out in the wild).
Being able to get places on wheels with maintained roads in a rugged landscape, opens up a world of birds. Many places in Utah would be very inaccessible without some of the roads (and trails) that are maintained for people to explore our public lands. On roads like this, I have seen some amazing birds without getting out of the car (in fact it is better to stay put so you don’t scare them off).
My partner, Carl, and I have driven all over the state, in all types of weather, while we spend hours with binoculars stuck to our faces looking at birds. We’ve watched a sage grouse lek in northern Utah. We drove around the whole of the Great Salt Lake to see shore birds. I can’t count how many dusty desert roads we’ve driven on, but I can probably tell you how many birds we saw on those trips (it’s in eBird).
On days we don’t want to go out, or can’t, having a bird feeder hanging is a great way to experience the birds around us. We’ve enjoyed hummingbirds, jays, woodpeckers, and songbirds at our feeders. It’s also been exciting to see other people set up feeders, like my grandparents, my sister, and view the livestreams of feeders in national parks and other remote locations.
Birding has been great for my mental health over the years; it is an activity I can (and will) do anywhere and anytime. It is also an activity that can be shared with everybody, in a way that works for them. This is one of the reasons I was thrilled to join the board of a group called Birdability this year. Birdability is a non-profit organization that is working to get more people into birding so they can experience all the enjoyment too. Equally important, Birdability is working in multiple ways to improve the experience of birding and make birding more accessible for people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and mental health conditions.
Now is a great time to start learning more about Birdability, since we have our annual Birdability Week - October 20th-26th – you can go to virtual events online with amazing guests, join us on social media for daily events and contests, and attend or create accessible birding events near you!
Editor's note: Photos and text by Alex Schiwal, Ph.D, a researcher at IDRPP. The Institute for Disability is sponsoring Birdability Week this year.