Introduction

When I registered for the course Birding Communities, I thought I was in way over my head. I could count on two hands the birds I could identify, and I had never even heard of the phrase “birding community”. Now, as the spring semester draws to a close and I reflect back on my time with this course, I realize I have undergone a gradual, yet powerful, transformation: learning, understanding, appreciating, and searching for birds has grounded me in historical natural sites throughout Providence, Rhode Island. Birding enables anyone—regardless of age, experience, ability, or location—to feel tied to a place. Anyone can bird.

“Birding Communities” is an environmental studies course taught by Professor Nancy Jacobs. Her fantastic vision for the course is the leading reason why it has influenced me to such an extent. Class discussions circulate around what types of people bird, why we as humans like to bird, and how we can use birds as vessels to understand the natural world and our own humanity. This semester, the engaged scholar course had some students traveling to birding sites across the state and assessing their accessibility, while other students ran after-school programs for Providence elementary and middle school students. Occasionally, we would also go on birding trips to parks around East Providence as a class. Birding Communities put me in touch with such a unique yet overlooked part of our natural world.

While it feels like birds can be found in almost every tree or shrub on campus, they are in trouble. Habitat loss remains the leading cause of their startling decline. More than 290 million acres of grasslands have been converted to agriculture in North America—equivalent to the size of 130 Yellowstone National Parks. Additionally, nearly 25 million acres of land are deforested globally every year, an area the size of Portugal. As the human population grows and natural spaces succumb to the pressures of urban development, we are not only condemning the avian population, but we are losing the history tied to the natural landscapes they reside in. My experiences birding in East Providence parks have compelled me to uncover the history of such sites. Admittedly, urban parks are in no way “untouched nature.” Nevertheless, they are places that bring nature to the forefront and certainly play a role in celebrating its beauty. Protecting birds and conserving natural historical sites work in conjunction with each other; when we save bird habitats, we simultaneously conserve and rediscover our history tied to the land.

History of India Point Park

Situated at the southern tip of Fox Point, India Point Park is a narrow eighteen-acre, coastal stretch of multi-functional greenery. The land once belonged to the Narragansett Tribe. Myth states that the first contact between Native Americans and European explorers occurred at India Point’s eastern Peninsula. In 1680 the peninsula was developed into the first port of Providence (newly established under the Rhode Island charter); India Point earned its name from John Brown’s tea and spice trade with the East Indies. As America expanded during the 19th century, the point evolved into a central railroad hub. In the midst of the Great Depression in the 1930s, India Point diminished into a scrapyard as rail commerce declined and boats became the dominant shipping method (rendering the railyard essentially useless). Furthermore, in 1938, a violent hurricane decimated the coastline; the area became even more obsolete when the I-95 highway network was extended into the area in 1966. The site was deemed “hazardous” to Providence residents, and they were barred from entry. Frustrated by the site’s demise, a passionate gardener, self-taught landscape architect, and wife of Brown University’s 12th chancellor, Mary Elizabeth Sharpe, led the charge to revitalize India Point. Forming a coalition of philanthropists and donors, Sharpe petitioned Providence to open up the point for green spaces, public amenities, and direct access to the Providence and Seekonk Rivers. Today, India Point Park hosts concerts, fireworks, festivals, soccer games, biking groups, and more for over 75,000 annual visitors. The space is home to 15 different species of trees and countless terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Over the past forty years, the park has experienced a tremendous recovery thanks to the commitment and efforts of people who truly care about the land.

A list of birds found at India Point Park: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L8596244

History of Swan Point Cemetery

Established in 1846, Swan Point Cemetery was and is “a place for both the dead and the living”. Swan Point Cemetery’s design pioneered the 19th century "rural cemetery" movement, where cemeteries become public parks and places for contemplation and visitation. It was also intended to be a resort where the living could indulge in their appreciation of nature for its sheer beauty. Expanding beyond its initial 60 acre plot, Swan Point grew to 200 acres by the 1900s. It became so popular that remains from other cemeteries were relocated to rest there. Swan Point Cemetery is the final resting place for prominent politicians, religious leaders, artists and civil rights activists such as Elizabeth Buffum Chace and H.P. Lovecraft. As there were few roads extending from downtown Providence to Swan Point in the 1800s, trolleys and buses were established on new roads to the cemetery. The cemetery symbolized hope and perseverance during uncertain times. During the Great Depression, in order to supply unemployed men with jobs, the cemetery increased its hiring quota and worked alongside the Providence Emergency Unemployment Committee. The extra workers aided in sub soiling, grading, and development work. During the 1940s, the cemetery felt the effect of World War II when employees enlisted or were drafted into military service. Grass cutting was completed by high school boys and women tended to gardening around the grave sites. The cemetery loaned trucks and donated several tons of old iron scrap metal towards the war effort. Swan Point’s maintenance and reputation became a point of pride for Providence, as it still remains today.

A list of birds found at Swan Point Cemetery: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L124352

History of Blackstone Park

As is the case with all three listed parks, the land where Blackston Park is currently located once belonged to the indigenous Narragansett Tribe. The natives would travel along their “Wampanoag Trail” through what is now Blackstone Park and across the Seekonk river, a very similar path to the present-day Angell Street. In 1866, the land was donated by two prominent figures in Providence, Jenkins and William P. Vaughn. As was the case with Swan Point Cemetery, which was far removed from the city of Providence at the time, only a few houses were built around the park and it remained relatively untouched until the early 1900s. Due to its ostracization from the city, the park was neglected; people removed sand from the river banks for construction, and when the City of Providence planted pine trees to stop such behavior, people dug those up and planted them in their yards. In 1908, the city constructed bridle paths for horseback riding throughout the park, increasing the respect given to it by locals. Also similar to Swan Point, during the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration created jobs for park cleaning, road paving, and wall and stair construction throughout the now 45 acre park. The park boasts many different types of trees, water fowl, and terrestrial organisms across its hilly landscape, ponds, and coastal inlets.

A list of birds found at Blackstone Park: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L804728

Why We Need More Birders

Birding encourages us to embrace our physical landscapes. As college students, rarely are we fully present in our environments, especially with the prevalence of technology and the demands of schoolwork. To truly see and appreciate birds, one has to engage the senses, disable technology, and understand their surroundings. Birding does not require you to know all the scientific nomenclatures of birds. Passively admiring birds in their habitats is just as much birding as Steve Martin’s competitive birding film The Big Year. In urban settings, greenspaces and parks provide some of the best places to bird. Returning to these natural landscapes left me wanting to better understand their histories. That is the power of birding: it allows you to be fully in the moment while sparking your curiosity about the very land you are standing on.

One may be thinking, why should we protect birds? What can they actually do for us?  Birds control pests by eating 400 to 500 million tons of insects annually, an incredibly valuable ecosystem service for agriculture. Like bees, birds are also pollinators. Around 5 percent of the plants we use for food are pollinated by birds. When birds disappear, the effects on plants can be drastic: 31 species of Hawaiian bellflowers went extinct along with the birds that pollinated them. Similarly, birds spread seeds around regions, continents, and the entire globe. Even scavenger birds who feed on dead remains provide ecosystem services. A single vulture provides an estimated waste disposal service value of $11,600. Following the collapse of Asia’s vultures, India’s feral dog population surged by 5.5 million, spreading rabies and leading to an estimated 47,300 human deaths. Birds are instrumental parts of the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems we often take for granted; the landscapes we reside in are shaped and influenced by its bird populations.

Birds have existed for around 60 million years, while humans have been around for only 2 million. Yet, our current methodology of growth as a species crushes bird populations as a byproduct. Humans are causing habitat loss that has dwindled bird populations in America by 30 percent already. When we cut down trees and pour our concrete, we are not only robbing numerous species of their homes, but we are erasing the history of that geographic place.

That is why we need more birders. We need advocates for our avian companions and their historical residences. Seeing and acknowledging the birds brings an instantaneous feeling of respect towards them and their homes, which are the very same parks and greenspaces we frequent but remain largely oblivious to their complicated histories. Bird conservation does not only benefit the avian creatures; when we bird, we are allowed to be our most authentic, present, and natural selves. Protecting historic sites will not only allow us to better understand bird populations; it can also aid us in better understanding our own.