_{^{A large group of birders gathers in Central Park for a "Let's Go Birding Together" outing during Pride Month. Photo: NYC Bird Alliance}}

Andrew Reiter, NYC Bird Alliance Bird Guide | June 2, 2025

June is a wonderful time for birding in NYC. Before the City’s heat and humidity peaks, June invites birders to the woods and waterfronts as spring migrants finish their journeys north and summer residents begin raising their young. And for many birders, June also marks the start of Pride, the month-long celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. 

As New Yorkers observe Pride with marches, parties, and parades, NYC Bird Alliance has something to add to the celebration. Let’s Go Birding Together, a program created by Jason St. Sauver, senior education manager at Nebraska’s Spring Creek Prairie Audubon, was launched a decade ago to help create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people within the birding community. 

To many, the outdoors provide a place of solace and safety, where folks can be themselves without judgement. But historically, certain groups have been excluded from the outdoors. Let’s Go Birding Together (an acrostic of “LGBT”) helps address this need for welcoming  spaces for all birders—in this case with a specific focus on those in the queer community. 

“Maybe you don't feel comfortable to be your true self on a bird walk or out in a conservation meeting,” says St. Sauver, but Let’s Go Birding Together helps “to extend that hand; that invitation of ‘we see you’.”

Starting in Spring Creek Prairie in 2016 with one outing of 12 attendees, the Let’s Go Birding Together program has taken flight as Audubon chapters—as well as National Audubon Society—have adopted the program with great success, engaging thousands of people across the country. In recent years, NYC Bird Alliance’s Let’s Go Birding Together outings in Central Park have consistently welcomed 50-100 people, inspiring more LGBT outings throughout the year and with key partners, like NYC Queer Birders and Feminist Bird Club.

"Some of the best birding experiences are built on partnerships,” says Martha Harbison, communications director at National Audubon Society and co-organizer of Feminist Bird Club NYC. “Each partner brings its strengths, passion, and knowledge to the collective whole, building bridges between communities. The collaboration between NYC Bird Alliance, Feminist Bird Club NYC, and NYC Queer Birders for Let's Go Birding Together is a perfect example of three communities coming together to celebrate our shared passion and humanity."

Many champions of the Let’s Go Birding Together movement identify as allies rather than members of the LGBTQ+ community, and that’s intentional, St. Sauver says. “We've always made it very clear: this is for everyone. Just know it will be a safe space specifically for people in the LGBTQ+ community.” 

“The enthusiasm for these outings speaks to a real need in our community," says Tasha Naula, NYC Bird Alliance’s public programs manager. “These outings create moments where people can be fully present with the birds and fully themselves—deepening everyone's connection to nature in ways that benefit both people and birds.” 

Recognizing the utmost importance of creating welcoming spaces for all birders in our current political climate, NYC Bird Alliance remains committed to connecting all New Yorkers with nature—a critical part of the organization’s mission. With its broad reach, Let’s Go Birding Together invites birders of all experience levels into the field. Not only does this initiative provide a safe (and fun) space to bird, but there is also great conservation benefit in welcoming as many people to the hobby as possible. 

“When we create safe spaces for individuals to gather, we're not just watching birds—we're changing perceptions about who belongs in birding and conservation,” says Naula. “That representation matters for recruiting the next generation of bird advocates. With the threats facing birds being so huge, we need everyone working together to create solutions to protect birds.”