Dr. Scott Edwards, ornithology professor at Harvard University, makes a quick stop during his cross-country birding bike trip (photo by James Deshler).

Dr. Scott Edwards, ornithology professor at Harvard University, is realizing a long-time dream of cycling from the Atlantic to Pacific, enjoying birds he sees along the way and sharing sightings via Twitter – and contributing to the #BlackBirdersWeek forum. Following a planned route that leads him south of the Great Lakes, then due west, he is riding along country roads and sleeping at campgrounds, expecting both to be empty enough for social distancing.

As a professor, Dr. Edwards usually spends his summers immersed in conferences, fieldwork, and laboratories. But when the Covid pandemic halted most research endeavors and closed campuses across the United States, Edwards decided to attempt his dream of cycling from coast to coast, birding all the way.

When Scott Edwards learned about Black Birders Week, he created a Twitter account to participate. Then on June 6th, he ceremoniously dipped his wheel in the edge of the water of the Atlantic coast in Massachusetts and started pedaling west. A few days in, Dr. Edwards added Black Lives Matter signs to his bike and began documenting his birding trip on Twitter at @ScottVEdwards1. You can keep up with his progress as he shares his experiences birding by ear and noteworthy bird sightings by following him on Twitter, and he checks in on the Black Birders Week site too, which you can access at https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackBirdersWeek or via Twitter at #BlackBirdersWeek.

Audubon magazine interviewed Edwards 10 days into his trip during a stop in rural New York, about 80 miles east of Lake Erie. He discussed cycling alone during the pandemic and protests, minorities in science, and the birds along his route, which is an insightful read at https://www.audubon.org/news/meet-harvard-ornithology-professor-biking-across-country