The Westerly Land Trust is proud to partner with Birdability, a national nonprofit dedicated to making birding accessible, inclusive, and welcoming for people with disabilities and other health concerns. Please read on for more information about their 6th Annual Birdability Week.

Birdability Week 2025 Celebrates Accessible and Inclusive Birding in Rhode Island & Nationwide

October 20–26, 2025 | Theme: You Belong Here

In addition to a full schedule of virtual events open to participants nationwide, for the first time Birdability in Rhode Island has partnered with Rhode Island Audubon, Ocean State Bird Club, South Kingstown Land Trust, and Westerly Land Trust in to offer accessible local programs across the state. Registration for all events is now open; details can be found below.

This year’s event theme, “You Belong Here,” affirms that birding is for everybody and every body. Birdability Week highlights the joy, sense of belonging, and community ties that result from ensuring all people can share in the beauty of birds and the outdoors.

A Growing Movement for Access and Belonging

Birdability Week was created to uplift disabled birders, spark conversations about accessibility, and encourage action. It has become a cornerstone of Birdability’s mission to ensure that everyone can access the mental health benefits, community, and joy that birding provides.

“Birdability Week is more than a celebration — it’s a movement,” said Cat Fribley, Executive Director of Birdability. “Our lineup was shaped by the leadership of Birdability Captains, volunteer leaders who know firsthand the barriers and opportunities in outdoor spaces. Together, we are proving that birding truly is for every body and every mind.”

Event Schedules

Rhode Island

• Monday, October 20 9am & 11am Weeden Farm, Matunuck – South Kingstown Land Trust Gator (the John Deere kind, not the reptile) tour: Join small group riding birding tours of the property – Registration
• Monday, October 20 3:30-4:30pm Merino Park, Providence – Audubon Society of Rhode Island – Accessible Bird Walk, Registration
• Monday, October 20 7-8:30pm Virtual event available nationwide hosted by a RI Captain Jayme Boucher, This is Your Brain on Birds: A Conversation About Pain with Dr. Rachel Zoffness: Explore how our a pain scientist, clinician, and international author’s insights can help people with chronic pain live fuller, more connected lives on and off the birding trail (note: This event will NOT be recorded, so make sure to join us live!) – Registration
• Tuesday, October 21 7:30-9:30am Beavertail State Park, Jamestown – Ocean State Bird Club Little Bird Sit: Stationary birding in a beautiful, peaceful place – Registration
• Tuesday, October 21 1:30-4:30pm Bristol Nature Center – Audubon Society of Rhode Island – Sensory Friendly Hours an opportunity for people with sensory processing sensitivities to discover the Nature Center in a quiet environment – Registration
• Tuesday, October 21 7-8:30pm Virtual event available nationwide but presented in Rhode Island Car Birding in Rhode Island and Beyond: Take your car birding to the next level as we review how to get started, discuss tools, and how to find product car birding spots. – Registration
• Wednesday, October 22 9-11am Colt State Park, Bristol – Audubon Society of Rhode Island – Accessible Bird Walk, Registration
• Wednesday, October 22 9am-noon Hale House, Matunuck – South Kingstown Land Trust, Little Bird Sit: Stationary birding in a beautiful, peaceful place – Registration
• Thursday, October 23 20 9am & 11am Weeden Farm, South Kingstown Land Trust
  Gator tour: Small group riding birding tours of the property – Registration
• Friday, October 24 7:30-9am Roaring Brook Accessible Trail, Exeter – Ocean State Bird Club – Accessible Bird Walk, Registration
• Friday, October 24 9-10am Bristol Nature Center, Bristol – Audubon Society of Rhode Island – Little Bird Sit, Registration
• Saturday, October 25 7:30-9am Calf Pasture Bike Path, Quonset -Ocean State Bird Club – Accessible Bird Walk Registration
• Saturday, October 25 2-4pm Avondale Farm – Westerly Land Trust Forest Bathing & BIrding: Group sit guided by a certified Forest Bathing leader – Registration

 Virtual Events

Birdability Week 2025 offers a robust lineup of virtual programs, accessible from anywhere and available to beginners and enthusiasts alike:

• • • Monday, October 20 through Sunday October 26 (Each morning at 10 a.m. ET)
      Virtual Birding: the Birdability community will gather on Instagram Live every morning during Birdability Week for virtual birding, beginning with Tammah Watts, author and host of Mindful Monday Meditations with the Birds.
    • Tuesday, October 21, 3:00pm ET
      Accessibility in Conservation Panel: Hear from Birdability Captains from our Birdability Captains Conservation Corps who work as park rangers, Nature Center educators, Audubon Center managers, and other conservation professionals committed to advancing access and inclusion.. – Registration
    • Wednesday, October 22, 7:00pm ET
      Birding and Belonging: A Panel About Accessible Birding While Using a Wheelchair: Join Birdability’s Founder and Captains from across the country for a conversation about what makes birding truly accessible for them as wheelchair users. – Registration
    • Thursday, October 23, 2:00pm ET
      Social Safety Workshop by Field Inclusive: Everyone deserves a safe and inclusive fieldwork environment, and this workshop aims to raise awareness of these risks and to provide strategies to make natural resource fields supportive, safe, and inclusive environments for all field professionals. (note: this workshop is limited to the first 50 participants who register and will NOT be recorded.) – Registration 
    • Thursday, October 23, 7:00pm ET
      Bird-a-Thons and Belonging: Stories from the Blind Birder Community: Discover how a shared love of birds can unite people across borders and experiences. The Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon brings together blind and low-vision birders for a celebration of birds, connection, joy, and community. – Registration
    • Friday, October 24, 7:00pm ET
      Accessible Nature Journaling Workshop: A fun and welcoming nature journaling session that is open to everyone, whether you’re indoors or outside… no art or journaling experience needed – Registration
    • Saturday & Sunday, October 25–26 follow @Birdability social accounts for details
      Bird(ability) Your Way! Weekend: a nationwide invitation to bird, however it works best for you -whether it’s a “big sit,” car birding, listening for backyard birds, alone, or with a group at an accessible outing. We will share photos and sightings from these events to help build community and awareness of the incredible diversity of birders. Tag us on social media @birdability or send your observations to cat@birdability.org to be included in our round-up of Bird(ability) Your Way community!
    • Saturday, October 25, 4:00pm ET
      You Belong Here: Joy, Belonging & Community Through Birding with Dexter Patterson: Celebrate the joy of birding and the power of belonging through stories, laughter, and a deep love for birds – Registration
    • Sunday, October 26, 4:00pm ET
      Birdability Week Celebration + Photo/Video Contest Winners Announced: We’ll highlight the joy and creativity of our community by announcing the winners of the Offbeat Photo & Video Contest, sharing their submissions, and honoring the many ways disabled birders and allies are making birding more inclusive. – Registration

Registration for all virtual events is free and open now at www.birdability.org/birdability-week.

The Birdability Week Map is available to help those interested identify opportunities to bird in their community.

Sponsors and Partners

Birdability Week 2025 is made possible through the generous support of more than 20 organizations, businesses, and individuals, whose sponsorship sustains both this celebration and Birdability’s year-round work advancing accessibility and belonging in birding.

About Birdability

Birdability is a nonprofit working to share the joys of birding with people who have disabilities, chronic illness, and other health concerns, while creating a culture of inclusion, equity, and access in the birding community and beyond. With a network of more than 130 volunteer Birdability Captains, the crowdsourced Birdability Map (developed with National Audubon Society’s GIS team), and year-round outreach and education programs, Birdability connects thousands of people to birds, to nature, and to each other.

Learn more at www.birdability.org.

For media inquiries, to request interviews, or to learn about Rhode Island’s Birdability Week events, please contact Barbara Seith, Rhode Island Birdability Captain at barbaraseith@gmail.com