DARE TO BIRD

I was honoured to be asked by Peter Pyle to be a member of the American Birding Association's (ABA) Checklist Committee (CLC). They published this news at the end of November HERE . I am the first Black person and the first member from BC and less than a handful from Canada and one of the few women who have been selected. It means a lot to me to be selected. I do wish my father lived to see this and my upcoming March cover story for the ABA's Birding magazine. The CLC purpose is: Maintaining and updating the ABA Checklist Reviewing and revising the ABA Codes that cover ease of observation Voting on whether to add a species to the ABA Checklist You can read about the ABA-CLC and see my profile there now that David Sibley and Andrew Kratter have rotated off at the end of Dec/24 and Mark Lockwood from TX and I joined in Jan/25. You can also learn more about what we do  HERE

I was a guest on “The Bird Joy Podcast” you can listen to the episode in full HERE  or wherever podcasts are played. We discussed a wide range of topics from how birding helps with grief to the joy it brings and also mentoring young birders. It was a really fun podcast to do with two very wonderful hosts Dexter Patterson and Jason Hall. Dexter and Jason are also Black birders who have started this successful podcast.

I’m very honoured to see my book has been reviewed by Sheridan Alford in the American Birding Association’s December 2024 issue! The print issue is not mailed out yet in Canada but I’ve attached a PDF of the Review taken with permission from the magazine. I’m touched by her kind words and review of my book. If you are a ABA member you can read the full online issue of the magazine HERE and see the review there in full. It is also posted online HERE and  HERE  as well. December Issue of American Birding Association’s Birding Magazine 

I was touched by the words written about me and my book in the current issue of Alberta Views Magazine  distributed inside the Calgary Herald newspaper. Thanks to Jenna Butler author of Revery: A Year of Bees . You can check it out below:

I wanted to thank BC Nature and Birds Canada for sponsoring the boat trip the young birders and I did this past weekend on the adult Ladner CBC with White Rock Sea Tours. Despite us all getting completely soaked, the youth were really troopers. It was sunny but way too rough out there we did see one Humpback out there. Thanks to all the hardy youth who came out and made the day special. We finished the day with hot chocolate at the local cafe where the barista almost had a heart attack when I ordered 12 large hot chocolates with 12 sodden children and a huge lineup behind me!  I want to thank you kiddos for making the day bright even when you were all shivering. It’s you kids that really help me to get through this very difficult time of the year as we approach the anniversary of my mother’s death on Christmas Eve and a second Christmas without my dad and a third without my mother. It’s you, the youth who really have helped me to get out the door showing you birds and getting to kn...

I was honoured to see that the Associated Press has featured and recommended my book under the Coffee Table Books section in their 2024 Holiday Gift Guide! You can check it out at the link  HERE Thanks from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has read my book and an extra special thanks to those who have bought my book as a gift for friends and family this holiday season. It really means the world to me and I’m truly honoured you wanted to share it with others and have them read it! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rocky Mountain Books (@rm_books)

I was a guest on the Local Nature Lab’s podcast called “Bird Story” you can listen to the episode “Melissa Hafting Gives Back To The Birds”  HERE . It was a real honour to talk with Georgia and I really enjoyed our conversation.

I am leading a trip to Point Pelee this May 12-18/2024 with Avocet Tours!  The trip is confirmed and we have already enough people to go but there are still a few spots available for anyone who wants to join us! You can read more about the tour and register HERE Also I’m co-leading the Newfoundland Tour in July with Chris Charlesworth you can also book that confirmed tour HERE

7/8 Young Birders at the Christmas Bird Count For Youth - Photo: Melissa Hafting We had a great CBC 4 Youth at Reifel on the weekend. It was pouring rain in the beginning so we had a few cancellations but 8 hardy youth still turned up and then the sun came out midday which was lovely. You can read our full trip report HERE at the BC Young Birders website. Next weekend I will see all who registered for the Boundary Bay boat trip for the Delta Christmas Adult Bird Count (sponsored by Birds Canada and BC Nature). Unfortunately, like I often do I forget to take the group photo until the end and we missed one birder Markus from the photo who had to leave early for volleyball.

I will be leading a bird walk and moderating at the Decolonizing Ornithology Symposium being held at Maplewood Flats in North Van on Nov 30th from 9am until 4pm. It is being put on by the Wild Bird Trust and speakers will be Steve Hampton (Indigenous expert birder and  member of the American Ornithological Society’s Committee for English Bird Names) and Jordan Rutter (co-founder of the Birds Names for Birds movement to replace eponymous bird names). Also Tykee James a Black birder who works hard to make birding more inclusive. He wears many hats in his activism work and he is also the founder of the Freedom Birders project . There will also be local Indigenous birders and naturalists as well who  will be speaking. It is so important to have so many Indigenous voices talking about these issues and hearing how they have been affected. It is a blessing to be having the Indigenous knowledge perspective and learning about ways in which we can work together to make everyone feel wel...