By Crystal Cauley –
Black Birding Week is an annual event that celebrates Black and Brown bodies in spaces that recognize Black birders, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts and helps them advocate for environmental conservation and protection of birds.
As a Henderson County native sitting in my own back yard, I read an online story by Bruce Holliday titled He Promised Me Blue Birds. The story detailed the love a husband, Fred Thompson, extends to his wife Andrea by taking on the upkeep and repair of the wooden Bluebird boxes throughout the Bluebird Trail at The Park at Flat Rock. The 66-acre public oasis offers thousands of visitors the opportunity to exercise, meditate, and bird watch.
This project increased the Eastern Bluebird population and brought many visitors to the park to watch the bluebirds and their progress. After reading the article in Flat Rock Now about how these two love birds shared time together on such a lovely project, I approached Hendersonville’s Environmental Sustainability Board with a proposal to place birdhouses in Sullivan Park, located in the heart of Green Meadows Community.
The board enjoyed my presentation—I had my Cedar Wood Birdhouse in hand—detailing the benefits of bird watching, including mental health for people of all ages. Studies have shown that bird watching improves cardiovascular health, too. With so many African Americans suffering from high blood pressure and heart attacks, encouraging people of color to go outside more has become a part of this mission.
Though I had a sense of mission for this bird sanctuary, I lacked education about birdhouses. Then one day God sent me to Wild Birds Unlimited in Hendersonville to ask questions. I met with Lutrelle O’Cain, who owns this business with her…
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