DARE TO BIRD

I was honoured to receive a letter from The House of Commons from a Member of Parliament Tako van Popta informing me that I have been awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal from the Government of Canada. This medal will be given out later this year. I am so touched and moved by this. I cried when I opened the letter. This will really be a special moment for me and I’m so humbled by it. I wish my mother and father were alive to see me get this medal. It is bittersweet and it is moments like this that I really feel their loss, even more deeply. Grief never ends because when you lose someone you love so much, they will continue to miss out on all the milestones as I move forward in life. I really miss sharing these big events in my life with my parents. I read a recent article that is entitled "Grieving During Milestones:   Since I Lost A Parent, The Happiest Moments In Life Have Become The Hardest To Cope With" and it is true.   I hope they will be watching from above ...

Female Purple Martin in Richmond - Photo: Melissa Hafting Female Purple Martin on post at Garry Point Park - Photos: Melissa Hafting We cleaned out the Purple Martin nest boxes on Jan 11th this year at my city of Richmond nest box project at Garry Point Park and were very happy to see we have had the most successful year yet! 15 nests were used and we found only one dead bird and one unhatched egg and all the other young had fledged successfully! This is over double the boxes used since last year! This means we had up to 82 young fledge from the colony this year in the second year of the project!  I will be recommending to the city to expand the nest boxes into further boat-only accessible sites along the channel, where the general public can also enjoy viewing these brilliant birds. Purple Martins used to nest in natural cavities which are sadly now in short supply and like Tree Swallows, are almost fully dependent on human-made nest boxes. The Tree Swallow nest box project, with ...

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