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Peterson Toscano: In this episode of Quakers Today we ask

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What does birdwatching have to do with Quakers?

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Miche McCall: And what can birds teach us about inequality,

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justice and liberation? Peterson Toscano: Rebecca Heider, a white birder in

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Philadelphia shares with us a Quaker Guide to Birdwatching.

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She's been learning lessons while birding.

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Miche McCall: Tykee James, a Black birder from Philadelphia,

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shares the pleasures and perils of birding while Black. One

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racist incident in a city park led to a creative national

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response. Peterson Toscano: And we have recommendations for you. I'm

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Peterson Toscano Miche McCall: and I'm Miche McCall. This is Season 3,

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Episode 2 of the Quakers, Today podcast, a project of Friends

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Publishing Corporation. This season of Quakers, Today is

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sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee.

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Peterson Toscano: I recently sat down with Rebecca Hyder to talk

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about birds. The April 2024 issue of Friends Journal

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includes Rebecca's article, a Quaker Guide to Birdwatching,

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which offers eight lessons for friends and seekers. She agreed

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to tell us about her experiences with birding and the concept of

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a spark bird. I confess to Rebecca though, that when I

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imagined people birdwatching, I often envision a spry elderly

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white couple out in the woods with binoculars.

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Rebecca Heider: Well, I think I shared that stereotype with you.

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And then as I got more involved, I was kind of blown away by how

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many different kinds of birders there are. There's really no one

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way to describe them in terms of their age or race or rural or

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urban. A lot of serious birding happens within cities.

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Philadelphia turns out to be a great place to do birding, even

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though it's a big urban area.

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A spark bird is the species of bird or the bird encounter that

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sparks someone's interest in birding. Everyone I've talked to

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can pinpoint a bird or a birding experience that really lit their

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passion. A lot of beautiful stories come out of those spark

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bird moments. I'm more interested in nature and birding

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is one way into that. And I do like to learn the names and

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learn about the birds because I'm interested. But if I go with

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a group of birders, I'm often the one who's crawling under

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some bush looking for a bug that's interesting, rather than

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looking at the birds. I was often surrounded by people who

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weren't paying attention the way I was paying attention to the

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birds. Sometimes that was fine. They were going about their day.

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But sometimes it was distressing to the birds, like they're

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walking their dog scaring the birds away. I feel like I'm a

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guest in the birds space. I want to treat their space and their

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quiet with respect. The transformative moment in my relationship with birds came in

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August at an Audubon event. Sitting in a large circle. We

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spoke out of the silence about the bird that first sparked our

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interest in birding. It was a powerful experience of sharing

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our deep emotional connections with nature and with each other,

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and it had the spirit of a Quaker Meeting for Worship. My

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own spark bird was a Northern Flicker. I saw this bird with

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its beautifully patterned plumage in my yard and I had no

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idea what it was. Breathless with excitement, I ran from room

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to room peering out my windows to get a better view. That night

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I eagerly reported the encounter to my family. In the following

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days, I reflected on the inmense and unlooked for joy that bird

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brought me the Northern Flicker had likely been visiting my yard

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regularly. But I hadn't been paying attention before. It was

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an important lesson to realize the joy I felt that day had been

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available to me all the time. All I had to do was look for it.

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I was so moved by that experience of hearing other

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people's spark bird moments. I would love for everyone to have

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a chance to share those kinds of moments and hear from other

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people in their community about any of these moments that really

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inspire passion and us because we don't have enough of those

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conversations. Peterson Toscano: That was Rebecca Heider. She wrote the

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article a Quaker Guide to bBirdwatching: Eight Lessons for

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Friends and Seekers. It appears in the April 2024 issue of

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Friends Journal. You can also read it at Friendsjournal.org

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The excellent sound design, the incredible sound design. The

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wonderful sound design was produced by Miche McCall. Miche,

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really excellent work. Thank you.

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Miche McCall: You are too kind Peterson. I really felt

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connected to Rebecca's version of birding. She got excited

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about the Goldfinch, instead of that rare bird that people were

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looking for, and she gets on the ground and looks for bugs

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instead of the birds in the trees, even if she is with other

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people. I love that she talks about how simple creatures are

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just as special and miraculous as the ones that are rarer.

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Peterson, you spoke to someone else about birds and lessons

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from bird watching. Peterson Toscano: Yeah, Tykee James, like Rebecca Heider,

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Tykee grew up in Philadelphia and he became interested in

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urban birding as a teen one summer working for a city park.

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Tykee James: This job was connecting me to my community,

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it was connecting me to nature, it was connecting me to the

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history of injustice as to why in my travels of watching birds

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in the city of Philadelphia, I see that some parks have park

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benches, street lights and trash cans, more accessible, more

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maintained. And then other parks don't have those three elements,

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those fundamental building blocks of what makes a safe and

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welcoming Park. It's easy to see those things and ask yourself

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why. When you ask yourself, why and you look into the history of

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decisions that were made that made some people some zip-codes

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sacred, and some people and some other zip-codes sacrificial, it

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becomes very clear that the determining factor is race and

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poverty, where environmental blight, environmental hazards,

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and environmental burden are disproportionately placed. And I

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was able to see that just through birdwatching. There's a

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lot of ways that people can come to this. For me, it was just my

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job as a birder, and as someone who is trying to connect people

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to the park. Peterson Toscano: Tykee has gone on to co-found Amplify for the

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Future, a group that promotes equality in education,

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conservation careers, and outdoor enjoyment. He currently

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lives in Washington DC, where he is the president of the DC

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chapter of the Audubon Society. Tykee was also one of the

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original organizers of black birders week in 2020. Black

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birders created the event in response to a racist incident in

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Central Park. Tykee James: The national conversation, when it was about

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the Black experience, it was particularly around the passing

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of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Ahmaud

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Arbery, who was jogging in Georgia, before he was taken

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from us. Sometimes, I think that he could have been watching

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birds, right? Within that timeline, Christian Cooper was

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doing his thing in Central Park, birding, this is a story that

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you can look up as well encourage folks to see it. And

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having a viral experience of racial harassment during that

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time, particularly in the lens of the Birding community, you

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know, there was a group chat where we were like, well, let's

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think about what this means. Let's think about what it would

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mean to rise to the moment, because we did not pick our

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moment. Like, right? Like this is not at all anything that we

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planned very far ahead of time it was in the group chat that I

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tagged out #BlackBirdersWeek? And it seemed like a good pitch.

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From then on, so many folks had a hand and help building this

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and I mean, it was something nice to wake up to if people

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were just like, you know, Bird Twitter was just being Bird

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Twitter. It was something nice and new to wake up to and it was

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put together in a matter of hours before it started

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basically. It was like riding a bike as we were building it, and

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the bike was going downhill. It was just very, very engaging and

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it had such an impact globally, in a way that I don't think

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anyone really expected. I mean, we were gonna have fun with it, the organizers of Black

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Birders Week, we knew that if we were just the audience, we were

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going to be just fine. Being an audience to so many people in a

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way that inspired them really means a lot. When the Black

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experience has been part of the national conversation, what we

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see is trauma so much. The Black experience goes beyond trauma.

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The black experience encompasses joy, pride, resilience,

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strength, and style. Black Birders Week was all about that.

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It's nice that I can have a space, create a space, and build

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a space with people where we can be our authentic selves. Knowing

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that we live in a country that is majority white and whiteness

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has had a head start in defining so many things. So it's nice

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that my Blackness and my Bird-ness can create some joy.

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Peterson Toscano: The 2024 Black Birders Week will take place May

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26th to June 1st. The theme this year is Wings of Justice:

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Soaring for Change. It's hosted by black AF in STEM, get more

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info at BlackAFinstem.com Miche McCall: And learn more about Tykee James at his work at

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the Washington DC chapter at the Audubon Society. One of their

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current efforts is to rename the society. John James Audubon

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enslaved Africans. Chapters in Seattle and Portland have led

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the movement to change the name. Learn about this and more by

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visiting Tykee's Linktree page, just do a search for Tykee James

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and you'll find that Tykee is spelled T-K-Y-E-E.

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Peterson Toscano: The conversation I had with Tykee

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James comes from Citizens Climate Radio Podcast. You can

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hear the full conversation by visiting CCLusa.org/radio. Look

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for episode 59. That website again is CCLusa.org/radio.

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Miche McCall: Every month Friends Journal publishes reviews of books that appeal to Quakers and those curious about

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Quakers. These appear both in the print edition and online.

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Peterson, which one of the books reviewed sparked your interest?

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Peterson Toscano: Anytime I see anything about Isaac Penington,

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my interest is sparked. So I'm excited about Ruth Todd's new

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book exploring Isaac Penington, 17th-Century Quaker Mystic,

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Teacher, and Activist. If you don't know who Isaac Penington

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was, he was a key figure in early Quakerism. He really

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helped the movement grow amid the political chaos of the 1600s

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in England. This was the time when they executed King Charles

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I. Chaos. And his writings, they're just really spirit led.

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I love that he and his wife collaborated and she contributes

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a lot too, to his work. Both their contributions are

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significant. In Ruth Todd's book, she is exploring

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Peningtons teachings but also uses metaphors from nature to

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illustrate some of his spiritual insights. She offers readers

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these experiential exercises to deeply understand the concepts.

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And I think this is going to be like one of those like, daily

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devotional kind of books that I might get into. What about you,

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Miche? Miche McCall: I was looking through the reviews and this

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book Altar to an Erupting Sun by Chuck Collins, stood out to me,

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I haven't spent a whole lot of time thinking that fiction could

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help me in my spiritual practice or my religious life. But Ruah

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Swennerfelt's review of that book really made me rethink

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that. Rae, the main character does something really drastic in

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the very first page of the book. She kills an oil company exec

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along with herself. Peterson Toscano: Aye. Wow.

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Miche McCall: As the effect of this ripples throughout her

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community, the reader has to contend with our own idea of

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what violence might be justified. I'm excited to read

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this book and think about how Quakers pacifism versus peace

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and, and what it means to make a better world. That book again,

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is Altar to an Erupting Sun, by Chuck Collins.

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Peterson Toscano: Wow. It's such a important timely conversation

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to have as we're trying to think about how to move forward. So

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I'm thinking about other recommendations that don't

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appear in Friends Journal, I am not a game person, but I'm

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trying to become one. So I'm excited about a cooperative

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board game called Daybreak. It's about pursuing climate change

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solutions together and there's no like one winner or loser. You

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have to work together. That's what I'm told a cooperative game

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does it make sense? And in the game, it shows us a future where we can invent

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amazing tech and strong communities that protect the

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Earth. This game was made by Matt Leacock, who also created

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the famous game Pandemic. The Daybreak game box is packed with

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eco friendly pieces, and it has hundreds of unique drawings by

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artists from all over the globe. So I'm gonna get this game for

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sure. You can learn more about it at DaybreakGame.org.

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Miche McCall: Yeah, I love cooperative games. I am one of

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those people who doesn't really care if I win or lose, as long

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as everyone's having fun, which, maybe is not everyone's cup of

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tea when they're playing games. But I also think a cooperative

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game makes the most sense with a topic like this.

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Yeah. For my recommendation, Peterson I was thinking all month about

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what I wanted to recommend to you. It hit me as I was falling

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asleep the other night. The thing I was doing right there

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was the thing I wanted to recommend. I listened to

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Headspace, the app, to fall asleep. I keep subscribing

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because there are these three Star Wars themed Sleepcasts, and

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my favorite one is describing the avian species that live on

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the islands of Ahch-To. It describes the Porgs. and also

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the Lenai, which are birds that wear clothes. The Sleepcast is

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describing this beautiful Star Wars planet in a lulling tone

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that I often don't even get past the first two minutes. Honestly,

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these sleepcasts have changed my life. I've never fallen asleep

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faster, and the app is called Headspace.

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Peterson Toscano: I'll check this out and for you listening, we're not being paid for making these recommendations. These are

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just things that we like. Miche McCall: Absolutely.

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Peterson Toscano: Well, Miche thank you so much for being part

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of the show and helping to shape it and just joining in the fun

15:50

and the important conversations that we're having. And thank you

15:55

for joining us for this episode of Quakers Today. If you like

15:59

what you heard, and you listen on Apple podcasts, please do us

16:03

a favor, rate and review our show.

16:05

Miche McCall: And thank you so much for everyone who's been

16:09

sharing Quakers Today with their friends and all of your many

16:13

followers on social media. Peterson Toscano: Quakers, Today is written and produced by me

16:18

Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall: by me, Miche McCall. Music and sound effects

16:23

on today's show comes from Epidemic Sound, and the Macaulay

16:27

library. Season Three of Quakers, Today is sponsored by

16:31

American Friends Service Committee. Peterson Toscano: Do you want to challenge unjust systems and

16:36

promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service

16:39

Committee or AFSC works with communities worldwide to drive

16:44

social change. Their website features meaningful steps you

16:48

can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison

16:51

program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and

16:56

their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of

17:00

AFSC's global community of changemakers visit AFSC.org.

17:07

That's AFSC.org. Miche McCall: Visit Quakers today.org To see our show notes

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and a full transcript of this episode. And if you stick around

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after closing, you'll hear listeners responses to our

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question - What recommendation do you have for us and why?

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Thank you, friend. Peterson Toscano: We look forward to spending more time

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with you soon. In a moment, you will hear listeners voicemails about

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recommendations they have for us. But first we have a new

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question for you. Here it is: When you walk into a new space.

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What do you see, hear, or experience that makes you feel

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welcome? And what might be present that leads you to

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conclude you may not be welcome?

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Miche McCall: The space you're thinking of might be a place of

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worship, but it also might be someone's home or a library. It

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might be a whole town, or a business, or a school. When you

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walk into a new space, what do you see, hear, or experience

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that makes you feel welcome? And what might be present that leads

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you to conclude that you might not be welcome?

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Peterson Toscano: Leave a voicemail with your name and the

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town where you live. The number to call is 317-Quakers. That's

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317-782-5377. 317-Quakers. +1 if you're calling from outside the

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USA. Miche McCall: If you feel shy about leaving a voicemail, you

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can also send us an email! [email protected] We

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have these contact details in our show notes over at

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Quakerstoday.org. Peterson Toscano: Now we hear your answers to the question,

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what recommendation do you have for us, and why?