Staying Fit
Christian Cooper, 60, was bird-watching in Central Park in 2020 when a woman called the police and accused him of harassment. The interaction prompted a national dialogue about false accusations made against Black people in our country. An avid birder, Cooper has now been tapped to host the National Geographic series Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper and has a new book, Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World. He shares with AARP his prized travel possession, desired superpower and why he thinks birding is perfect for all ages.
Why do you think people tend to become more enamored with birds as they age?
No matter what your situation, as you age, you can bird. In fact, one of my closest friends in birding is a guy named Claude Bloch. His family fled the Nazis as they occupied France. He just turned 94. You may have some diminished capacity, but you can still get out there and see the birds. Or the birds can come to you through backyard bird feeding. You can watch them from your window. Even if you lose your eyesight, you can still be a birder. In Puerto Rico, we met a birder who was blind … [but] his skills have been specifically repurposed by the people managing a forest. … They bring this blind birder in, and he uses his ability to identify birds by sound.
Cooper hosts the National Geographic series “Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper.”
National Geographic for Disney
Do you have a favorite bird?
My favorite bird, certainly my favorite warbler, is the blackburnian warbler. Now, warblers are very small, very active. I like to think of them as butterflies with personality. They come in an incredible variety of patterns and they sing a variety of songs. … His voice slides impossibly high. It’s just, it’s an incredible bird. I can’t get enough of it.
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You’ve traveled quite a bit and observed birds in a variety of settings. Have you had any birding accidents?
Yes, when I was in college. I was in Cambridge, Massachusetts birding in Mount Auburn Cemetery, which is a very famous spot for birding. People always think it sounds odd to bird in a cemetery, but they’re actually frequently good birding spots because they’ve got so much beautiful green space. I was on top of this mausoleum set into a hill, trying to get a good angle on a bird I was trying to see, and I’m, like, edging over to the side just a little further to get a better view, and all of a sudden I put my foot out to the right a little further and there’s nothing left underneath it, and I go hurtling down about six to eight feet onto the ground. All these other birders came running over and shouting “[so and so] is a doctor.” I’m like, “I’m fine, I’m fine. The only thing bruised is my self-esteem.”
