A group from Philadelphia’s queer community are optimizing bird watching opportunities at places like the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, Cobbs Creek, and Tyler Arboretum, writes Sabrina Iglesias and Erin Reynolds for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Philadelphia Queer Birders, started in 2021, has grown in popularity, sometimes hosting up to 60 walkers.

The Wildlife Refuge has become a favorite spot.

“It’s probably one of our most birded areas in Philadelphia,” said Elise Greenberg, a founding member of PQB.. “All year round there’s a whole lot of different birds to see, whether it’s ducks in the winter, songbirds in the spring.”

The John Heinz refuge is the country’s first urban wildlife refuge and its woods, wetlands and the creek host birds ranging from snowy egrets to marsh wrens, along with musk turtles and tricolor bats.

Everyone is welcome to join the PQB, whether you’re an expert birder or new with binoculars.

It’s one of the few intergenerational queer spaces around, serving as a place to find role models in the community, said member Dani Gonzalez.

“It was really special for me to attend an outing with a queer family,” Gonzalez wrote in an Instagram comment.

Read more about Philadelphia Queer Birders in The Philadelphia Inquirer.