Birder & writer María Elena Montero inspired by D.C. environment & Afro-Latina heritage
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María Elena Montero credits her interest in birdwatching to her Dominican father, who used to tell her the names of birds in his native Spanish.
“He didn’t particularly care for the birds,” says Montero, “but it sparked a great interest and curiosity that never left me.”
A self-described “hippie from Takoma Park” who grew up in the lush suburb right outside D.C., Montero says she became interested in protecting her local environment during the pandemic. She took her first birding class with the DC Bird Alliance in 2019 and became a board member and Vice President for Programming in 2024. The all-volunteer organization is dedicated to cultivating a “bird-friendly community” in D.C. It is committed to conservation projects and education, holding public events like bird walks and advocating for birds and people alike.
“Go to the local park and just open your ears. Open your eyes. Open your heart, and you’ll be a birder,” says Montero.
Montero eagerly advocates for a sense of environmental well-being that goes both ways. She is the Director of Finance at Experience Prince George’s, a Maryland destination marketing organization, as well as a yoga instructor, and she enjoys combining her teaching with her conservationist interests. She holds yoga classes outside to integrate birding into each of her sessions.
Her passion for birds and their beauty is also evident in the photography featured on her website Meechie Mail, which is another creative outlet of Montero’s. Using her family nickname “Meechie,” Montero started her website after a friend collected several letters Montero had written her. The friend urged her to post them online in one place. Montero is a prolific essayist and celebrates her Afro-Latina background in many creative writing pieces she has published there and elsewhere.
Montero says her bilingualism and heritage have driven her overall desire to make conservation a more equitable space in D.C. Formerly called the DC Audubon Society, the DC Bird Alliance board decided to remove the John Audubon name in Jan. 2023 due to the founder’s history as an enslaver.
“We didn’t feel like honoring him by having his name in our chapter’s name,” says Montero.
Hola Cultura recently spoke with Montero about her experience as a creative writer and a DC Bird Alliance board member.
How did you become interested in the environment and conservation in the D.C. area?
Like a lot of people during the pandemic, I spent a lot of time outside. I already loved being outdoors, so I began to broaden my knowledge and perspective about the spaces that I enjoy and want to continue enjoying. [It] made me more conscious of some of the issues my area’s urban spaces face, along with issues outside those spaces. That made me more active in preserving those spaces and exposing information and those spaces to others while we still have them.
And you’re from the D.C. area, right?
Yeah, so I’ve been spoiled with trees and birds being around me all the time. I tell people that I’m a hippie from Takoma Park. I was raised in a wonderful area for anyone who likes to be outdoors: a lot of trees, a lot of parks and [an area] central to many other spaces that I constantly escape to.
What do you do as a board member of the DC Bird Alliance?
I am in charge of all the bird walks. I organize outings, get the bird guides together — there are some aspects of education around that — and prepare our members, prospective members or anyone who wants to participate in birding. We’ll do a couple of workshops on birding 101 one day, and then the next day, we go out and put all of that in practice on our bird walks. I’m very honored that I am able to contribute to the chapter in this way. We’ve been doing so many good things, planning fun outings. I encourage people to go to the website and check it out.
Speaking of birds, I saw you had a page dedicated to bird photos on your Meechie Mail website. What makes birds so special for you?
I’m a total amateur at photography. I had been birding for so long when I finally bought a camera. I don’t even know where that camera is right now. I’m more interested in my binoculars and list, but [photography] was fun.
I am completely fascinated by birds. I think they’re magnificent, mysterious and wonderful. I love to watch them. I garner life lessons from them and their natural instinct to survive. I can’t pinpoint why I love birds so much.
I tell people, you have to go outside to see a bird. Soak up the healing power of nature and being outside. I hope that sharing my passion and love for birds and the outdoors translates to opportunities for others to find ways to enjoy the outdoors in ways they hadn’t considered.
Out of curiosity, do you have a favorite bird?
I tell people my favorite bird is the one that I’ll see next. I don’t have a favorite. When I travel outside the area, I get super excited to see birds I don’t regularly get to see. The bird that I learned to use my binoculars on was a scarlet tanager, so that bird has a special place in my heart. It’s a skill and an art to learn to use your binoculars properly. But I can’t say it’s my favorite, even though it’s a gorgeous bird.
You’re also a yoga instructor and have events incorporating yoga and birding together. How did you come up with the idea for that event?
I’m so glad [the organization] let me do it. For me, wellness is very holistic. Wellness is not just about having healthy blood pressure or cholesterol — it’s about the mind, body and spirit. A big part of wellness is being outdoors, and birding and yoga are a big part of my own wellness.
We did the birding workshops as an extension of wellness. We always incorporate a little bit of yoga [to help] those places on the body that might get the most wear and tear when we’re out birding. For me, they’re my neck and shoulders since I’m always looking up, but [it’s beneficial for] other parts of the body as well, depending on how much you walk. I tend to take long walks when I’m birding because I don’t pay attention to how long I’ve been walking.
In my regular yoga classes, I always highlight different birds. I give fun facts about the bird of the day while [the students] hold planks. I tell them it builds character. I have this big book with some pictures. There’s a picture on one side of the page and, on the other side, there are fun facts and some information about the bird. I also get scientific information from a great website allaboutbirds.org. I hope I have at least influenced one person to spend more time outside.
How can people start birding if they haven’t birded before and are looking to get into it?
Just to go outside. I guarantee that you’ll see at least one bird. Just go to your backyard or local park, or join a birding group. There are so many groups now in the world today. Go online to find a local birding group, and walk with them. I’m sure they do bird walks because that’s what birders do.
There are several free apps you can download that will help with identification so you can start learning [the birds] for yourself. I learned birding by ear. I would learn the song and then look for the bird. Once you hear the bird singing, your brain will not let you forget that’s how that bird sounds.
So just start small. Go to the local park, and just open your ears. Open your eyes. Open your heart, and you’ll be a birder. I tell people we’re all birders because you’ve [already] seen or heard at least one bird.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
– Story by Crista Fiala
– Copy edited by Michelle Benitez
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