Tortas and birding come together with the Guero Bird Club in Portland

As the sun rose over Smith and Bybee lakes on a warm weekday morning, a small group of Portlanders shuffled down the wetland trails, pausing to raise binoculars to their eyes in unison, speaking in hushed tones about birds.

It was a sight familiar to anyone who has frequented the many bird watching spots around Portland, but the group might not be what most people would expect: a bird club run by a torta restaurant.

Started by employees of Guero, the popular torta restaurant in Southeast Portland, the Guero Bird Club is a birding community actively promoted by the restaurant through its website, on social media and with branded merchandise.

Audrey Tawdry, kitchen manager at Guero, was one of the two founders of what she refers to as simply “bird club.” She said it started in 2021, when birding became a more popular outdoor activity during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We just kind of decided that there needs to be more bird clubs in the world,” Tawdry said. “I can’t imagine there being too many bird clubs in the world.”

Birders gather at Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area in North Portland for a morning of bird watching as part of the Guero Bird Club, a group run by popular local torta restaurant Guero. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Birders gather at Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area in North Portland for a morning of bird watching as part of the Guero Bird Club, a group run by popular local torta restaurant Guero. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Pelicans, egrets and other birds flock to Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area in North Portland on a warm summer morning. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

In fact, there were already several bird club options in Portland alone. Birders can join some of the more established organizations such as the Portland Audubon Society and Oregon Birding Association, or smaller communities such as Birdhers and the Feminist Bird Club. Some general outdoor groups, including Wild Diversity and Outdoor Afro, will also host bird walks.

Many birders also opt to visit local wildlife refuges and forests on their own, although there does seem to be something special about going out with a community.

“I’ve always enjoyed going out with groups because I loved going out with someone I thought had a lot more birding experience,” Tawdry said. And while she’s quick to distance herself from the title of “expert,” it’s clear that she has a knack for finding and identifying birds.

“I really just try to make the walks about beginning birding and being curious, and encouraging people to be curious,” she said.

Audrey Tawdry is co-founder of the Guero Bird Club, a bird watching group run by local torta restaurant Guero, where she works as kitchen manager. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Birders gather at Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area in North Portland for a morning of bird watching as part of the Guero Bird Club, a group run by popular local torta restaurant Guero. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Birders gather at Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area in North Portland for a morning of bird watching as part of the Guero Bird Club, a group run by popular local torta restaurant Guero. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

One of those people is Rebecca Tosdevin, who started attending Guero Bird Club events in February, when she said she and fellow birders were “freezing their toes off.” As a member of the local restaurant scene (Tosdevin owns Tabor Bread) and somebody who loves birds, the club has been as much about socializing as about bird watching.

“It’s almost like birding’s second,” Tosdevin said. “I come to spend some time with other likeminded people, and then we get to look at really great birds.”

Through bird walks, Tosdevin met Matt Simmons, a prep cook at Guero, and the two soon became “bird buds.” Simmons said he appreciates how casual the events can be, allowing him to glean information about birds at his own pace, rather than feel like he’s going to birding school.

“I’m slowly learning as I go,” Simmons said. “I don’t put too much effort on myself to learn it, I just kind of keep it casual and fun.”

One notable feature of the Guero Bird Club is the age of its participants. Attendees on the recent walk ranged from 24 to 70 years old, averaging out at 42. Tawdry herself is 32.

That relative youth might fly in the face of the stereotype of birders as gray-haired retirees, but it seems to be in line with national trends. A 2016 survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service showed that “away-from home” birders have an average age of 49 years old, and that nearly half are younger than 45. The pandemic further broadened the birding community, with the hobby reportedly seeing a surge in popularity in 2020 and 2021.

Evergreen Hosp, who at 24 years old was the youngest participant in the recent Guero Bird Club outing, said they’ve never put much stock into the stereotype of gray-haired birders.

“I always found that incredibly funny because we’re putting an age restriction on viewing wildlife,” they said. It may be true that older people enjoy birding, but that doesn’t mean younger people can’t. “I hope everybody can go out and embrace their inner grandpa.”

While the Guero Bird Club is explicitly open to birders of all ages, the way it presents itself is definitely modern. The club’s website shows off a sold-out “swag box” and promises an online shop coming soon. Events like “Beach and Bird,” “Bird with Buds” and “Pajama Birding” are advertised with stylish Instagram posts that picture people far more often than birds, highlighting the social component of the club.

Tawdry, who not only leads bird walks but manages the social media posts and organizes events, said it’s all just about drawing people to events, and to the birds. There, her demeanor is much quieter and more contemplative than the Instagram posts suggest. Walking slowly through the trails of Smith and Bybee, Tawdry often stopped to raise her head to the trees, her eyes wide and clear as she identified nearby birds by ear.

Tawdry said she’s always loved birds, but didn’t start birding in earnest until she was in college. Encouraged by one of her professors, she and a friend began going out regularly, learning how to identify the birds all around them. When she moved to Portland from New York in 2015, it opened up a whole new world of birds to discover.

Guero Bird Club has now thrust her into the role of teacher, a role she’s still settling into as she imparts her birding skills to beginners.

And while she’s happy about the current state of Guero Bird Club, she’s also scheming ideas for the future, always looking for new ways to go birding. It may be a while before she executes her wilder dreams (a bird book club, a camping trip, a group birding trip to Mexico), but she is putting one of her ideas into action: On Sept. 14, she’ll lead a biking and birding excursion from Guero to Chapman Elementary to see the roosting swifts – a rare bird club event that could actually include tortas.

The evolution of Guero Bird Club, even its mere existence, speaks to the greater potential of birding, she said, a hobby that has been breaking out of its shell and finding a more diverse audience. The omnipresence of birds in our society makes it something that practically anyone can do, wherever they are.

“I think a lot of people already are birders and they don’t realize it,” Tawdry said. “Once you watch a bird, you’re a birder.”

Want to join up with the Guero Bird Club? Look for events at guerotortas.com/birdclub or on Instagram @guerobirdclub.

— Jamie Hale

503-294-4077; jhale@oregonian.com; @HaleJamesB

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