BirdStory
Birds tell the story of our planet
Birds are a major indicator of planetary health—critical sensors of environmental change. When they are affected, humans are affected too; our fate is entangled with theirs. Yet three billion birds have disappeared since 1970 but policy lags behind. BirdStory believes the change needed is possible through bird stories.
Why BirdStory
“Public failure to understand the causes and consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss is, in fact, a failure of education and a result of our increasing disconnection from even our familiar, local landscapes.”
Birds make change visible in places people recognize.
By filming these natural cyphers, BirdStory offers a tangible and practical way to notice and decode the anthropogenic problems in our lived landscapes. By documenting the lives of birds, it makes invisible systems—ecological, economic, and political—visible. Through film, vignettes, and impact campaigns, BirdStory prompts a societal shift in values and builds public pressure for meaningful policy changes.
BirdStory complements BBW’s mission by strengthening the bridge between systems diagnosis and systems change, translating a macro pursuit into a moral imperative for the individual. Together, BBW and BirdStory force-multiply to move the economy from exploitation to stewardship, from extinction to regeneration, all the while raising awareness of the need for a more eco-centric stewardship of our economy and financial architecture.
The Media
As a nonprofit, BirdStory creates innovative media integrated with cutting-edge science—while remaining cost-effective—to raise awareness and inspire action to conserve birds. These are distributed through vast grassroots networks and designed to reach multiple audiences across various platforms. The stories told are designed to promote understanding of our key anthropogenic challenges and ignite discussions all the way to the classroom.
The Film — Birds in America
In Birds of America, Matt Aeberhard asks us to look at the hard truth, presented with grace and beauty; he provokes us to reflect on what we are destroying, on what is irrevocably lost, and what we can salvage and restore through practical communal and individual actions.
The Series – Stories to Save Us
8 birds. 8 landscapes. 8 stories. This is a series that illuminates the impact of climate change and habitat loss across America. The series is used to develop curricula in secondary and post-secondary classrooms through the BirdEd program.
Stories to Save Us: Saltmarsh Sparrow Trailer
The Saltmarsh Sparrow is a canary in the coal mine of climate change: the steady rise in sea-water level is drowning young chicks and pushing the species towards extinction. To show how sea level rise threatens the survival of the Saltmarsh Sparrow – and our salt marshes, Matt Aeberhard and his crew carefully film a nesting bird in the face of an incoming tide. Watch the full episode.
BirdShorts
A series of 3-5 minute shorts created by and with artists, writers, scientists, and musicians that illuminate unheralded stories of birds and landscapes.
“The result is something so beautifully filmed and told with such devastating emotional depth that you hardly notice you’re getting a science lesson. You don’t just walk away and forget it.”
About BirdStory
BirdStory is a 501(c) (3) non-profit that combines film-making, scientific research, and grassroots distribution to bring awareness to America’s conservation crises. Founded by Emmy-nominated cinematographer, Matt Aeberhard, and award-winning novelist, Melanie Finn, BirdStory works in partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to create innovative media that raises awareness and inspires action to sustain and preserve bird life.
Reach • Teach • Engage
Matt Aeberhard – co-founder
Melanie Finn – co-founder
Andy Johnson – partner
Harri Bailey – producer & director
Mike Downey – executive producer
Visit BirdStory to learn more
