We’re excited to announce the winner of this year’s Alan Duncan Bird Conservation Award, Sydney Burstein!
The Alan Duncan award is given annually to honor contributions to local bird conservation through the arts and sciences, celebrating individuals, groups or organizations that are leading the way in bird conservation within the Greater Vancouver region.
Sydney (or Syd!) is the founder behind Vancouver Queer Birders (VQB) and a lifelong fan of noticing things. For her, birding is a way to situate yourself in the world. It’s an opportunity notice the ebb and flow of the world around you, and feel yourself become a part of it.
Vancouver Queer Birders has been an opportunity to share this feeling with the 2SLGBTQ+ community; to provide small, monthly moments of community, joy, and awe can be so important in a world that can feel so heavy, especially for queer folks. Syd and her partner Ashley have worked to make VQB a welcoming space for diverse people to come together, share knowledge, and celebrate the beauty and diversity of birds.
Sydney received several compelling nominations from the birding community, focused on her dedication to inclusivity, and community connections. Through Vancouver Queer Birders, Sydney has organized monthly bird walks since 2023, and has partnered with organizations such as Nature Trust BC, the Georgia Strait Alliance, and Special Bird Service. Many of Vancouver Queer Birders walks bring together as many as 50 people, filling an empty niche in Vancouver’s social scene, and facilitating enduring friendships through birding.
Sydney’s dedication to community building in birding is exemplary of the values behind the Alan Duncan Award.
On behalf of the Vancouver Bird Celebration Advisory Committee, and Stanley Park Ecology Society, we would like to invite you all to join us in congratulating Sydney for her exemplary achievements in Bird Conservation.
