British Birds editor: 'Some birders display attitudes that should by now have been relegated to history books'

                                             

Stephen Menzie - rap for outdated attitudes

THE  editor of British Birds magazine has hit out at  those birders -  a minority - who think the hobby should remain the domain of  "middle-aged white blokes".

The comments by Stephen Menzie will strike a chord with the many enthusiasts who do not fall into this category and, to a greater or lesser extent, may have sometimes felt ostracised.

In an evidently heart-felt message readers, he writes: "June was Pride month.

 

"Pride means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. 

"For me, Pride is a celebration of inclusion - not just for members of the LGBTQ+ community but also for people of colour, people of every gender and people from all backgrounds. 

"Inclusion is not, of course, a quality that should be restricted to the month of June; nor should it only be on display at Pride events. 

"Birding, at its core, ought to be one of the most inclusive hobbies around - a love of watching birds is not something that needs to be defined by any physical characteristics of the individual. 

"The number of women and people of colour involved in birding is growing - but the fact remains that the archetypal birder in Britain is still a middle-aged white bloke. 

"That, in itself, is not a barrier to the hobby becoming diverse but, unfortunately, even in 2023, a minority of the majority - in line, sadly, with a similar minority in society at large - continue to display an attitude that should by now have been relegated to the history books. 

"Perhaps, starting this Pride month, we can all make an extra effort to extend a smile rather than a suspicious eye to those we meet in the field who don’t fit the typical mould of a birder, and to welcome and to celebrate the increasing diversity in our hobby."