Does that title sounds a bit cloying and curious as a topic for birding? It got you, right? And it’s apt.
2026 is my year of speaking about women’s distinct contributions to the world of birding, and sharing the sweet potential of Bird Friendly certified coffee, chocolate and Audubon-supported maple syrup as retail drivers of bird conservation. Watch for me out in the festival circuit talking about these topics this year!
Meanwhile, Happy 2026. Can I say that while the world is burning?
“Some things are on fire AND those of us not currently set ablaze still have to go to work,” says Lex Roman, a writer I follow, in a recent newsletter. It’s true. I’m still going to work producing light-hearted birding content while world events make many of us shudder in horror.
In my niche of the birding world, I have to believe the content I share is valuable to people and uplifts a community of bird enthusiasts towards curiosity, discovery, and action in ways that are attainable as individuals, and shared in company. With the end goal of expanding meaningful bird conservation ethic through community effort. And not just as a vague idea, but usable advice presented in an entertaining, “we can do this” format.
Embedded in stories speaking to the individual birder, like How to go from watching birds to drawing them , How to add birding to your van life and What to wear birding are calls to action to not just bird, but represent out in the world, demonstrating to and with others that we are alive and well and giving a damn about bird conservation while observing, counting, drawing, photographing, listening, drinking coffee, eating chocolate, and whatever else. As individuals part of a larger group. We need each other and the birds need us needing each other.
Women Birders exploratory tour hosted by Nature Colombia, Santa Marta, Colombia, December 2019. Bottom row L to R: Wendy McGlynn, Bryony Angell, Juliana Torres Nieto, Diana Balcázar. Top row, L to R: Luisa Conto, Ruth Miller, Eliana Ardila Kramer, Angela Gomez.
Toward that end, add hanging out with your gal pals and eating chocolate. Yes, celebrating sorority in the birding world and eating Bird Friendly chocolate are two things you can do that might abate the heavy weight of the news cycle and propel you and a conservation trajectory upward. Really.
Want to know more? This year I’m speaking at several birding festivals on the topics, “Birding for Her: A Decade of Perspective Writing About Women in the World Birding Scene,” and “How Sweet it is: Your love for coffee, chocolate and maple syrup can support wild bird conservation.” Come hear me if you’re in Western Washington this month (January) at the La Conner Birding Festival or in June at the Puget Sound Bird Festival (more details coming about this festival).
If you are making your way to Ohio in May for the Biggest Week in American Birding, I will be speaking there, too. Come listen and learn, ask me challenging questions, and stick around to gab! You can find the details for these events on my events page.
May your 2026 proceed in community with birds and people, and see you out there!