What is the official name of the club, and what is your primary mission?
The official name of the club is the Los Angeles Birding Club, or LABC, for short.
LA Birding Club is a club for birders, by birders. We are open to all ages, experience levels, and backgrounds as we explore the natural world of birds in Los Angeles together.
Curiosity, collaboration, and community are the glue that hold the club together as members visit the many green spaces of Los Angeles County and beyond. Walk locations have stretched from the riparian LA River in Frogtown to the transitional desert area of Big Morongo Canyon Preserve in San Bernardino County, each offering its own rhythm, landscape, and birdlife.
Los Angeles is one of the birdiest counties in the United States, sitting along the Pacific Flyway, an ancient migratory path traveled by hundreds of bird species. Through the club, members learn to become stewards of this fluid ecological system, deepening their understanding of how birds and humans have coexisted in the past, how we intersect today, and what the future may hold.
How many members do you have, and what is the typical “vibe” of a meeting?
While the club has no official running roster of members, a walk will have on average 30-40 people a walk with about half being returning bird watchers. The general vibe of a walk/meeting is relaxed, educational, and collaborative and walks last about two hours.
What specific branches of science do you focus on (e.g., Biology, Robotics, Environmental Science)?
The club primarily focuses on Bird Watching, with local ecology like plants, mammals, and geology worked in when applicable. There is also a focus on the local history of the location chosen for the walk, and the human impact on the natural world of Los Angeles.
What is the most ambitious project the club has tackled this year?
This year has been a bit quiet for the club, but in 2025, we co led an amazing walk with local naturalist and La Brea Tar Pits employee, Becca Prater, that was a walk back into time. We walked around the tar pits in the morning, looking at birds and talking about plants that would have existed during the last ice age of California. Then we were able to get about 40 people into the museum for FREE, and Becca led us through a curated set of avian fossils, showing everyone the ancestors of the birds we see today. That was ambitious because of paying for a ticket being a barrier to entry, but we were able to get everyone in.
What has been the club’s proudest moment in the last 12 months?
The proudest moment recently was an attendee who stated he was 64 years old and had never been bird watching before. He said that it was a new perspective for him and that he’s excited to get out more to look at birds. We love it when folks are vulnerable enough to let us know that this is a brand new experience for them!
How does the club contribute to the local or the border community?
As of now, the club serves as a resource hub on Instagram, as we share not only upcoming events but also local fundraisers, local activism by folks who live in neighborhoods directly affected by environmental/systemic racism, and broader initiatives, as club leader Eva is part of the Naturalists for Palestine.
What are the long-term goals for the club?
Long term goals would be Swag and more direct community action. Ideally, we would love to be a resource for all natural events in the Los Angeles area. We want to work with the National Day Labor’s Organizing Network, (NDLON), by running fundraisers for those impacted by ICE, as well as Border Angels in San Diego County, helping facilitate humanitarian aid as water/food drops for people who are crossing the border.
And who doesn’t love a cheeky tote/hat/stickers!
Anything else you would like to say to ecolyst.org readers?
Get OUT there birders. Never feel like you have to go birding any specific way, as birds can be a full sensory experience. And if you see a pile of bird poop on the ground, look up! You may see a bird roosting above you. Just keep your mouth closed. 😉
