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Outdoors with the Urban Bird Collective
On a quest to capture birds, on camera
© Monica Bryand
Monica Bryand, co-founder of the Urban Bird Collective, takes us along to capture an image of Sandhill Cranes. Audubon Minnesota asked her to capture some of the 166 climate-threatened and endangered birds in Minnesota. They were hoping for 50 to 75 on the list. But after her first season, she had more than 110 and is now trying to get all 166. Sandhill Cranes are on that list, partly due to the loss of habitat.
BirdNote ®
Outdoors with the Urban Bird Collective
Written by Sasha Aslanian and Monica Bryand
This is BirdNote.
[Sandhill Cranes throughout]
I’m here at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge in central Minnesota, watching the Sandhill Cranes leave their roosting spot this morning, as they prepare for their migration south.
The thing I love about the Sandhill Cranes is just their prehistoric nature. I think of their legs, like landing gear that’s being lowered and coming in, and the first time I got a photograph of that and I ... I just I couldn’t believe it.
I started doing photography about nine years ago, just to capture what I was seeing and share it with my friends and let them know that they could go out there and see these birds. One of the things that I heard from a lot of folks, when I would show them my photos and tell them about the places I would go, especially from Black, indigenous and people of color, they didn't always feel safe out in nature. And so one of the things that I did was to help start the Urban Bird Collective, which is to really take BIPOC folks and the LGBT community, and they're the leaders, and they help us to create safe spaces so that everybody can go outside and get the benefits of nature and birding.
I was very fortunate that Audubon Minnesota asked me if I wanted to do a special project, and that was to capture all 166 climate-threatened and endangered birds in Minnesota. They said if I got between 50 and 75, they would be really happy. When I was finished, I had over 110 and I'm currently on my personal quest to get all 166 and the Sandhill Cranes are on that list, partly due to the loss of habitat.
For BirdNote, I’m Monica Bryand.
Oh, we picked a good day!
[Sandhill Cranes fade]
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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Production Manager: Allison Wilson
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
Sandhill Cranes recorded by Sasha Aslanian
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2021 BirdNote January 2021 Narrator: Monica Bryand
ID# urbanbirdcollective-01-2021-01-05 urbanbirdcollective-01
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