As Birdability® Captain, Mark organizes and leads accessible outings, sharing his extensive bird knowledge with beginners and experts alike. He advises our Outreach & Education and EDIB+ Committees on how to incorporate accessibility and inclusivity into all of our programming.

I began birding seriously about six years ago when I started using a power wheelchair because of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. For me, birding was actually a way to transition from my previously active-in-the-outdoors life to disability. Birding was also a new intellectual challenge for me after I retired. I enjoy solitary birding, but also joining groups on guided walks. The biggest challenge for me is knowing what I will encounter on the trail. Good descriptions are really helpful. Sand, deep mud, thick gravel (on “groomed” paths), and steep side-slopes are problematic. Another challenge when birding in groups is feeling comfortable in letting others know when and what type of help or accommodations you do, and don’t, need.

Birding is fascinating and can be as challenging or relaxing as you want it to be. Being outdoors is calming and healing. I value the opportunity to introduce others to those joys. I became a local Birdability® Captain to organize outings for others with mobility challenges and other disabilities and to exchange ideas with Birdability Captains across the country doing similar work.

Use the Birdability® Location Explorer to find accessible birding locations near you. If there is an outing you’d like us to host or an accommodation you need for one of our programs, contact Mark: palle001@umn.edu

Land of Lakes Bird Alliance, P.O. BOX 3801, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55403, USA

contact@llbirdalliance.org