Birding backpacks fly off shelves at Regina library
Pandemic spurred renewed interest in birding, says conservation group
Jordan Rustad brings a pair of binoculars to her eyes and scouts the branches of trees in Regina's Victoria Park for birds.
"Let's see what we can find," she says. "There's a chickadee!"
Rustad's birding gear — the binoculars and a couple of bird guides — is neatly packed in a backpack she loaned out from the Regina Public Library (RPL).
Ten of the birding backpack kits are available in the city. They can be accessed at all city library branches through a partnership with RPL and Birds Canada, a national organization dedicated to bird conservation.
Geoffrey Allen, RPL's director of collections, said Birds Canada offers the kits at libraries across the country — including Saskatoon Public Library branches.
"They helped select the best products that they though would work for our community," said Allen. "They're quite popular. They're out all the time, year-round."
Rustad, who is the chair of Bird Friendly Regina, said the kits are ideal for beginner birders.
"A lot of the times we see birders with expensive binoculars and it makes it seem unaccessible," Rustad said.
"The binoculars in the kit are really nice, and so it's a really great opportunity for people to start getting familiar with binoculars and to get their hands on some easy-to-access birding materials."
She said birding isn't just an activity for warmer weather, as some bird species stay in Canada over the winter.
Birding popularity takes flight
Olivia Carvalho, Birds Canada's community engagement specialist, said the pandemic helped increase birding's popularity.
"You can do it for 10 minutes on a lunch break. You can do it with your family on the weekend. You don't have to travel to experience birding," said Carvalho.
"It just kind of became a really accessible hobby for people."
She said surveys included in the kits have shown that a lot of children and families are using them.
"I'd say there's definitely a younger population engaging with birding," Carvalho said.
She said another large group using the kits are people 20 to 40 years old who are looking for weekend activities.
Carvalho said birding isn't just a recreational hobby. Activities like bird counts, which are popular among birding groups, can help scientists better understand bird population behaviours and how to conserve their habitats.
"We know that birds are facing a global decline," Carvalho said.
She pointed to a report published by Birds Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada in October 2024 that shows major decreases in grassland and shorebird populations since 1970.
Rustad said she hopes the kits will inspire the next generation of birders to think more about birds and enjoy the outdoors.
"These birding backpacks are another way for people to connect with nature and start connecting with our parks and our birds," she said.
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