Birder and Ph.D. candidate in avian research Olivia Sanderfoot poses near the Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle, while swallows swoop in the background. Credit: KUOW photo / Clare McGrane Birding 101: You donât need fancy binoculars to be a bird nerd Jul 08, 2021 Lots of folks turned to the outdoors during the pandemic â starting container gardens, enjoying the parks, or getting to know the local wildlife. That got the team behind KUOWâs podcast Seattle Now interested in birding â you know, the hobby. âI think that birding has this reputation for being a hobby that's largely inaccessible and only for older white men,â Olivia Sanderfoot said. âAnd that's just simply not true.â