Long Island City waterfront. Via Getty Images
June 12, 2025 By Czarinna Andres
This Pride Month, the birds are out.
In honor of Pride Month, the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy (HPPC) is hosting a unique event that combines nature, education and inclusivity in Long Island City’s beloved waterfront park.
On Wednesday, June 25, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., HPPC will present a Queer Birding Talk and Walk, starting outside the Queens Landing Boathouse and Environmental Center at Hunter’s Point South Park. The event kicks off with a discussion led by HPPC Executive Director Jessica Sechrist, who will highlight how queerness manifests in the bird world. Attendees will learn how various bird species exhibit behaviors and traits that challenge human assumptions about gender and sexuality.
“Many birds express queer gender and sexuality expression in various ways—let’s talk about it,” HPPC noted in its event announcement. The talk will be followed by a guided birding walk through the park, concluding at the Oval, located at Borden Avenue and Center Boulevard.
Via HPPC
Queer birding walks have gained popularity nationwide as a way to blend ecological learning with LGBTQ+ inclusion. Studies have shown that same-sex pairings, cooperative breeding behaviors, and non-binary characteristics are observed in more than 1,500 animal species, including birds like penguins, swans, and gulls.
Additionally, on Monday, June 30, from 6 to 6:45 p.m., the Conservancy invites the public to a Nature Sound Bath, offering a calming group meditation experience. Participants will meet again at the boathouse and walk to a quiet area of the park to tune into the natural symphony of the East River waterfront—listening to birds, rustling trees, and the flow of water. The session ends with a group reflection to discuss observations and personal insights.
Both events are free and open to the public with registration required. They reflect HPPC’s mission to foster community connection and well-being through environmental programming and open green space access.
The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing parkland in Long Island City. Through stewardship, beautification projects, and public programming, the group has played a pivotal role in transforming the formerly industrial shoreline into one of New York City’s premier waterfront parks.
For more information or to register for the events, visit hunterspointparks.org.
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