♪ ♪ - Dexter Patterson: Red-winged blackbird there.

That's a male.

I always tell people birding is not about the birds.

♪ ♪ - Dexter Patterson is a self-described 'bird nerd.'

- I just love it.

It's changed my life.

I've seen how it's changing other people's lives.

- For Dexter, birding opened a new window on life.

He discovered nature can be healing.

- There's a great blue heron in a tree.

Before I found birding, I actually was struggling with mental health issues, depression, anxiety.

I was, like, 45 pounds heavier than I am now.

You know, they say, the early bird gets the worm.

I'm getting up early, and I'm out, and I'm exploring all these places.

And I just started feeling good.

So I was like, this is awesome.

If it could do this for me, maybe it can help somebody else.

- Dexter and his former college advisor, Jeff Galligan, are the co-founders of the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin.

- I think it's important because representation matters.

- BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

- I'm like, "Jeff, just look around, man.

"Like, there's nobody like us leading any of the stuff that we love."

So that's what our group is about, is really just trying to bring people together, especially get more people of color outside to show them that these natural spaces are for you.

Yeah!

[laughter] - The Patrick Marsh Wildlife Area is the gathering spot for this new birder meetup.

- In my backyard, there's all kinds of birds back there.

- Whenever we get together, we get in a circle.

We do intros, and we try to figure out, have you done this before?

Y'all right on time.

We can do your intro now.

Sometimes you don't know what you don't know, and they get outside, and they're like, wow, I didn't know I was going to have that much fun.

Let's get started on this beginner birder walk.

Y'all ready?

We are a community of color, but we also invite everyone that supports our mission of creating a more inclusive outdoor experience in Wisconsin.

And to me, that's what it's about.

We all have more in common than we have different.

- On the birding club's one-year anniversary, membership is soaring.

- It's been mind-blowing in a sense of it's only been a year.

Say bird nerd!

- All: Bird nerd!

- Awesome.

We try to tell them you don't need to be a pro.

Just look for the movement.

You could just sit here for a minute, and you'll hear multiple bird songs and calls.

You see the song sparrow perched there?

There he is.

- Green heron flying over-- - Green heron!

I get a little excited sometimes.

Look at those little baby wood ducks!

- The enthusiasm is real as Dexter helps others become bird nerds.

[imitating Oprah Winfrey] - Yeah, you get a bird, you get a bird, you get a bird!

I spend a lot of time with the new birders.

eastern kingbird.

It's a good size.

It's about this size.

Talk about bird joy.

It's one of my absolute favorite birds.

It's such a badass bird, and it has a badass name too.

Tyrannus tyrannus.

- Besides getting the chance to spot an eastern kingbird, there's another reason why Dexter takes new birders under his wing.

- Feeling safe outside is important.

We hear that from our members a lot.

They're like, I've always wanted to go out and explore the woods, but I'm afraid.

- Hey, thank you.

- A lot of times, these natural areas, you're in rural areas.

They might not be used to seeing people like you in their neighborhoods, let alone with binoculars or a big camera and things.

We provide that safety.

We provide that space.

When you're out with 30, sometimes 40 people, that experience allows you to actually take in the beauty that you're seeing.

Oh, man, look at the swans out there in all their glory.

Fun fact about the trumpeter swan-- it is actually the heaviest bird native to North America.

So you're seeing something pretty remarkable right now.

It's trying to break down these barriers of what a birder looks like.

As a human being, that really touches my heart because I know we're touching people, and we're moving the needle in our state, and we're making our community better.

My children mean the world to me.

I want to make the world a better place for them.

It's just, these last few years have been rough.

Look, there's that thing.

Yes.

That was so cool.

I talked about those mental health benefits.

I'm exploring, and I'm feeling good about myself.

So that's why I'm excited.

The great blue is like-- I feel like birds saved me.

- How does it go again, Dexter?

[laughter] - I'm happy about life again.

[soft music, laughter]