‘Birds are here for everyone’: how Black birdwatchers are finding a community

In a 2011 study by the Fish and Wildlife Service, 93% of birders surveyed were white while just 4% were Black

This is my form of therapy," says Mariana Winnik, a third-grade teacher and avid birdwatcher from Brooklyn. Wearing a T-shirt with illustrations of birds and wielding a pair of binoculars and a trusty bird identification app, Winnik makes her way through north Central Park, on a mid-morning Saturday walk led by Christian Cooper.

Cooper says he doesn't usually lead bird walks because of the responsibility that comes with it. I feel awful if we go out and we don't see a lot of good birds," he says.