Black Birders Week 2022: Soaring to Greater Heights

Black Birders Week is back, and we’re collaborating again with the BlackAFinSTEM Collective to support and showcase Black birders, nature-lovers, and conservationists around the world.

This year’s program runs from Sunday, May 29 through Saturday, June 4, 2022, and includes events, educational activities, and opportunities to connect across different platforms and places. The theme is “Soaring to Greater Heights,” and the aim, according to BlackAFinSTEM, is to “celebrate and highlight birding as a lifelong learning journey that is enjoyed by Black cultures across the diaspora.”

With this expanded field in mind, we worked with BlackAFinSTEM and North Carolina-based illustrator Dominique Ramsey on a special collection featuring the Black Heron, a bird native to sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. Black Herons forage in shallow wetlands and have a unique hunting style: they create an umbrella-like canopy with their wings, luring in small fish that are attracted to shade.

The collection is for anyone who wants to show their support and appreciation of the diversity of Black cultures. It includes two T-shirts, a tote, a sticker set, a hat and a visor.

Check out the schedule of daily themes below, and stay tuned for #BlackBirdersWeek updates by following BlackAFinSTEM on Twitter and Instagram (@BlackAFinSTEM), or by visiting their website: www.blackafinstem.com.