This campaign is being organized by the Feminist Bird Club, and the fundraiser beneficiary is Birders of Palestine, which supports birdwatchers in Palestine as they try to survive genocide and ethnic cleansing. All funds raised will be used to purchase photography from Mandy and Lara Sirdah, two twin birders from Gaza.
What is happening to birds and birders in Palestine?
Palestine lies within one of the world’s busiest bird migration routes. Each spring and fall, countless birds travel over the region, making Palestine a crucial resting place for hundreds of migratory birds flying between Africa’s wintering areas and breeding grounds in Europe and Asia. Prior to Israeli occupation, Gaza was home to one of the Eastern Mediterranean’s most significant wetlands, rich in birds and biodiversity. However, the ecosystem began to decline when Israel diverted water upstream and constructed dams, reducing water flow into Gaza.
For years, Israeli military actions in Gaza have severely affected people, wildlife, and the environment. The ongoing genocide since October 2023 has been especially devastating. Bombings and ground offensives have led to widespread destruction of natural habitats, ecosystems, and neighborhoods, with the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reporting over 65,000 Palestinians killed, though some sources estimate even higher numbers.
The people of Gaza urgently require food, medicine, and aid, alongside the greater need for liberation from occupation, settler colonialism, and oppression. Since October 2023, Palestinian birdwatchers have lost family members, homes, and means of living.
In Gaza, birders Lara and Mandy Sirdah have continued observing and photographing birds throughout the violence. After being forced from their northern Gaza home in November 2023 due to Israeli orders to evacuate, they have kept sharing images of birds spotted while displaced. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Palestinians also persist in bird-watching, despite the harsh restrictions and growing settler violence under ongoing Israeli occupation.
The information above was compiled from the Birders of Palestine project and articles written by Marta Vidal of the Birders of Palestine project.
About the Organizers
Feminist Bird Club
The Feminist Bird Club is a network of birding communities across the world, united by our mission to celebrate the people who love birds. We strive to make birding safe, accessible, affirming and joyful for everyone, especially for those demographics who haven’t historically had equitable access to the outdoors. Equally crucial is our mission to channel our passion for the environment towards creating sustainable change on this planet. We approach this through fundraising, mutual aid, grassroots conservation efforts and community action, and have raised over $170,000 for social justice causes since our inception in 2016.
Birders of Palestine
Birders of Palestine is an independent project selling prints and postcards fundraising to support Palestinian birdwatchers. Your support will help birders and their families as they try to survive genocide and ethnic cleansing, and encourage their love for birding.
