Orange County Audubon Society donates ‘Birding Backpacks’ to libraries

Over the past few years, the number of kids and families enjoying birdwatching is increasing as they learn to identify and keep track of the birds they see. But not every curious kid has easy access to bird guides and binoculars.

Over the summer, Orange County Audubon Society (OCAS) purchased six backpacks from the National Audubon Society and filled them with birding equipment to make available for check-out from area libraries. This effort is inspired by kids’ special fascination with birds, the surge in birding during and after the pandemic shutdown, and similar efforts of other local Audubon societies.

Birding Backpacks are now available in Orange County to patrons of the Montgomery Free Library, Newburgh Free Library, and Port Jervis Free Library and in the Mamakating Library and Mamakating Environmental Education Center near the Bashakill Wildlife Area. Each backpack includes tools for looking at and identifying birds: one pair of binoculars, one magnifying glass, Sibley’s Birds of the East guidebook, Backyard Birds of Eastern North America guidebook, and two children’s books.

To launch the Birding Backpacks initiative, OCAS began hosting a series “Birding for Kids” programs at each library introducing basic bird identification for children. Details and links for registration can be found at orangecountyaudubonsociety.org/events.

For more information, visit orangecountyaudubonsociety.org.