From Curious Beginners to Seasoned Spotters, East Lansing Birders Club Soars in Popularity

Every month, bird enthusiasts flock to the East Lansing Public Library for Birders Club, a gathering for those of all knowledge levels to learn and share information about birds.

In May of 2023, the club was created by the library’s STEAM educator, Eric Berling. Since then, the club has collected members from every corner of East Lansing. 

“It has become one of our most popular and very successful intergenerational programs,” Berling said. “Lately, we see nearly 40 people each meeting. It’s really grown, which is fantastic.”

Before meetings, Berling compiles bird photographs taken by club members and facts about each species into a slideshow to be shared with the group. Sometimes the meetings will also feature a guest speaker, an identification activity or headline search for birds in the area. 

“We try to create a community to bring all these different birders together to share their curiosity for birds, to develop and to hone their interest,” Berling said.  

Club member Mary Mitchell has enjoyed being a part of this community.

“I love hanging out with people who love birds,” Mitchell said. “They are so kind and generous with their knowledge and they love getting new birders started. [Birders] enjoy sharing both their birding successes as well as the ones that got away.”

Though Berling did not consider himself a birder at the time of the club’s founding, the group’s passion has convinced him to take on the hobby.

“I wasn’t really someone who could lead a successful birding group,” Berling said. “[But] almost begrudgingly, I started the club. It turns out that now, two years later, I am an absolutely avid birder. The love for it spread to myself as well.”

Berling appreciates how accessible birding is, as it doesn’t require any supplies or major time commitments. 

“Regardless of the resources that you have at your disposal, or the ability you have to travel or not, there’s ways to engage with birds,” Berling said. “You can get into it wherever you’re at and you can bird from anywhere.”

While equipment isn’t required, Berling says he recommends a pair of binoculars. For those who don’t have supplies at home, the library has four beginner birding kits available for checkout with a library card. These kits include a pair of binoculars, Michigan field guides and a bird call, which were donated by local business Wild Birds Unlimited. 

“They’ve been incredibly popular items,” Berling said. “[Patrons] can have them for three weeks, do some birding, and then bring them back and someone else can [have] that pair.” 

There are many locations in the Greater Lansing area that produce plentiful sightings, according to Berling. 

“There are a ton of great places to go that are semi-local, like the Fenner Nature Center, Albert A. White Memorial Park, Lake Park or the Tollgate Wetlands, to bird,” Berling said. 

Berling also runs a “100 Bird Challenge” at the library, which invites people to observe and track 100 different types of birds within a year. If one does so, they receive a commemorative laser-cut coin. 

“I stole this idea from our librarian who had done a ‘100 Years, 100 Books’ program [after] the library turned 100,” Berling said. “I thought, ‘could people in our area see 100 different birds in one year?’ I wasn’t too sure if that would be attainable, but we’ve had a lot of patrons achieve that.”

Due to the available resources and widespread enthusiasm, the club has only seen growth. The excitement for birding in the area can also be seen in the book selection for the upcoming “One Grand Read” event with Christian Cooper’s Better Living through Birding in the spotlight. 

“Birding itself has grown in popularity in the last five or so years,” Berling said. “The reason the club is so successful is because of the amazing community we have and the people that come out.”

For those curious about birding, the club’s next meeting will be held on Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. at the East Lansing Public Library.

“Our club is intended for every interest level of birding,” Berling said. “[This includes] people who are absolute beginners and just very curious where to start, all the way to experts who have been birding their entire lives and can identify 400 different songs and calls.”