Nicole Neigel

When I was invited to be a part of Birdability’s Team Nuthatch at the World Series of Birding, so much of this seemed impossible. How was I going to drive one of the most difficult routes in the country, from Connecticut, around the sprawl of New York City, to southern New Jersey? How could I spend a weekend with a team made up of five people I’d never met in person? How would I deal with the uncertainty of birding at a new place during a large event I was unfamiliar with? But I said yes, anyway.

Being autistic has shaped my birding identity and experience much differently than the way most others experience birding. Being an autistic birder can be both a blessing and a curse. For example, I struggle to go birding in busy places, observe noisy birds, travel far from home, and go birding in a group with other birders. However, being autistic gives me certain strengths as well.