Birds and Coffee chats bring together bird lovers in revamped format

Register for a free Birds and Coffee chat here.

The W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary has long held Birds and Coffee events. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were known as Birds and Coffee Walks. Local birders would meet at the Sanctuary for a morning trail walk, look for birds of the season, and afterward enjoy a cup of bird-friendly coffee together.

From walk to online chat

Then, in response to new restrictions on gathering, Birds and Coffee was one of the first Sanctuary events to pivot to an online format. In May 2020, the Sanctuary presented a three-part, weekly online meetup under the Birds and Coffee moniker that began the practice of focusing on groups of birds by type, or behavior, or physical characteristic.

In the summer of 2020, Birds and Coffee Chats settled into a monthly occurrence, continuing the format of sharing bird sightings, and studying photo, video and recordings of small groups of birds by month.

A growing community

Since then—from kitchen tables or sofas with a cup of hot coffee or tea—people from all over Michigan and beyond have returned each month, forming a growing community of bird lovers.

Birds and Coffee Chat hosts Lisa Duke and Misty Klotz, say that around 50 people on average join the chats, with the most highly attended chat drawing some 200 participants. Birders have joined from as far away as California and Maine.

“I love the virtual birding at the beginning of each session,” says Klotz. “It’s fun to hear about what birds people are seeing in Michigan and along the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways from month to month.”

Register for an upcoming chat! They’re free to attend, and are held at 10 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each month on Zoom.

Chat topics

Attendees have the chance to suggest future topics of conversation. Past topics include:

• Brightly hued birds
• Woodpeckers
• Migrating warblers
• Owls
• Birds and mindfulness
• Birds often seen at feeders

About the chat, from participants

• Really enjoy the bird and coffee chats! I am a fairly new birder and they are very informative.
• Thank you so much for an excellent program. It was my first time to join and truly felt like we were enjoying a cup of coffee together.
• As a recently retired elementary teacher I am enjoying being a “learner”.  I was thrilled with the comprehensive info shared with a personal touch.
• I live about 4 hours southeast of the sanctuary near Cleveland Ohio. I love your programming.

Join us! Register for Birds and Coffee chat meeting details.