About

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I live in the city and spend a lot of time urban birding close to home. Having been car-less for several years, a lot of my birding is done by feet, bike, train or bus. Seattle is a becoming a great city for that. Check out my Urban and Accessible Birding page to find public transport and accessible birding options in Seattle!

My business name Shebirds, reflects my commitment to supporting women bird and nature guides. It's a way of stating that we women guides are out there! I seek out female guides to hire during my travels and I've been fortunate to bird in the U.S, Iceland, Greece, Amsterdam, Mexico, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo, Ecuador and Galapagos Islands. Several of these trips were with female guides. 

As a passion project I've create a world wide resource list of female bird guides and naturalists. You can access this FREE list by creating an account. If you're a female bird guide or know any, feel free to contact me so I can add you/them to the list! 

The tools I've acquired as a Certified Interpretive Guide greatly benefit the monthly bird walks I lead for Birds Connect Seattle as well as bird and nature outings I've led for Seward Park Audubon, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Mountaineers and Seattle Outdoor Adventurers, the largest outdoor adventure meetup in the U.S with 24,000 members, based here in Seattle.

In 2018 I was happily involved in the first ever “Seattle Bird Week”. The week long bird themed festival provided free urban bird events in parks all over the city, bird drawing classes, music, stories and more.

Volunteering as an Seattle Urban Nature Guide for Seattle Parks Department and a Finding Urban Nature volunteer for Birds Connect Seattle has given me experience leading programs, introducing kids school groups to nature. Connecting children with nature is key for child development, creating connected adults who will value the conservation of species and our planet. 

Birds are endlessly fascinating and there is never a shortage of new things to learn about them. An avid learner, I continually increase my bird brain by taking classes and attending lectures, learning all I can. My birding practice is a mindful centered approach which focuses on spending quality time observing bird behavior, songs and calls and the habitats they frequent. Learning by observation enables us to better provide for and protect them. 

"Birdscaping" my small urban condominium community garden into a designated Certified Wildlife Habitat with native plants by creating spaces for birds and other pollinators to shelter, nest, as well as find food and water all in a pesticide free environment is an ongoing labor of love. It's so important as our cities grow and change to live in harmony with nature and do all we can to protect and provide for our urban wildlife. 

With knowledge, compassion and assistance from us I believe nature and humans can coexist together in a healthy ecosystem. 

Come join me on a Birdy adventure in the great outdoors. There is so much to learn, love and appreciate about our natural world!

Happy Birding, Roniq Bartanen (she/her)