Local birding experts Jason Hall and Mary Ellen Heisey are hoping to introduce this fun and leisure activity to a much wider community, writes Melissa Jacobs for Main Line Today.

Hall likes to focus on Valley Forge National Historical Park and Fairmount Park, among others when birding.

“There are a couple of hundred bird species that come through our area every year,” says.

Heisey, who is a volunteer at King of Prussia’s Valley Forge Park Alliance, has been leading bird walks in the park for the past eight years. Her walks last for up to three hours and they attract mostly the older or retired crowd.

There is also little racial diversity, which Hall, who is Black, is hoping for change. One of the initiatives that have emerged recently is Black Birders Week.

“The goal is for Black people to feel included in all outdoor spaces and to encourage people of color to get involved with birding and other activities,” says Hall. “And I want all groups—women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, people with uncertain legal status—to feel safe and welcome in the outdoors.”

Read more about birding experts in Main Line Today.