Bringing Bird Conservation to Your Backyard

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Aamir Tinwala. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

At just 12 years old, Aamir Tinawala took his interest in birds to the next level by founding the Backyard Bird Project (BBP) to create and encourage the placement of nesting boxes in his community. As he got older, his interests naturally expanded to conservation, and he cofounded his high school’s Conservation Club, which spurred him to widen BBP’s focus.

In the past six years, Aamir has organized nearly 64 bird box events, both in-person and online, reaching thousands of people. There are now BBP chapters in 24 states and three countries.

Among his many achievements with BBP, Aamir has successfully advocated for the establishment of the American kestrel as his town’s “city bird” to boost civic pride and build awareness around bird conservation issues. “Birds and Brews” programming came after. And he co-hosted the town of Irving’s Arbor Day event last year, organizing presentations on environmental impact from school and community groups.

India’s Project Rise, an organization whose Indian Sparrows initiative supports repopulation, chose Aamir to lead their expansion and advocacy efforts in North America. He will tailor his work towards local endangered populations and is coordinating a 20,000-tree planting campaign. He’s also working with local government officials on environmental efforts and creating bird conservation guides for public spaces and parks around Coppell. When he’s not working on BBP, Aamir volunteers at his madrasa and works on his own clothing line—focusing, of course, on using a sustainable fabric and supply chain.

What inspires you to volunteer?

There’s a Jane Goodall quote we’ve talked about in English classes. “The greatest danger to our future is apathy.” I think Americans are more inclined to be apathetic towards our impact than others. That’s how most people are brought up, if you’re middle class. It’s how society caters to you.

Breaking out of the bubble in which I grew up is what inspires me to volunteer. Realizing, for example, that my carbon footprint has an impact on the rest of the world, and the goods and products I have in my house are causing environmental destruction in developing countries inspires me to focus on conservation efforts.

Tell us about your volunteer role with the Backyard Bird Project.

Our chapters are decentralized. I talk with people who want to start one, give them the information and then they pioneer their own path. I also keep up with partnerships and plan future initiatives and logistics for other chapters.

A lot of my work now is hosting community events around Dallas. I order wood and have it cut to different sizes. Then, around 60 people of all ages will come in–seniors, children, families–and I’ll teach them what birds do for the environment and the importance of a nesting box. I’ll show them how to make one and then spend the next two hours helping them make their own. I’ve personally installed over 750 since middle school for 16+ native Texan species.

I started setting up smart boxes seven months ago in different states where we monitor how humidity and temperature affects bird reproduction and the types of wood that do best. We’ve finalized a forecasting tool that integrates AirNow and eBird data from 2,500+ monitors and 100M+ annual observations–all data sets you can find online–to see how pollution affects bird migration, so we can predict the best places to put up nesting boxes.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

I had a pet cockatiel that sparked my interest and, during COVID, I did research on birds. I was looking for something to do, so I made nesting boxes and gave them to people around my community. I got a lot of positive feedback, so doing advocacy and education about birds’ roles in our environment and conservation eventually followed. Since then, it’s expanded to support the environment as a whole, like reforesting.

You’re currently trying to get your school campus Certified Bird Friendly by Audubon. What does that entail?

Audubon has a program that certifies college campuses but not high schools. Three years ago, I brought it up with contacts at Audubon, and it turned out to be something they’d planned to do but had put on the back burner.

Once we finalize the certification program, high schools will be able to certify themselves as Bird Friendly Audubon designated campuses. My school will be the first.

They look for things like policies ensuring new builds are completed so birds don’t fly into windows, student-led education campaigns and programs, and infrastructure like native green spaces, gardens and water spaces for birds.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

The most rewarding part is hosting in-person events. I enjoy telling them about bird conservation and recognizing that it’s something they might want to do in the future. At the Irving Arbor Day event, I spoke with a 12-year-old for 20 minutes who had a passion for birds and was concerned with environmental stuff. Telling him my story, that I was 12 when I started this, inspired him which, in turn, inspired me.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

Most people are receptive. Often, the media portrays a lot of the bad things, and it makes you think people are more closed off than they really are.

Do you have any tips for how people can help the bird populations in their own areas?

The simplest thing is to make a nesting box with your family. It takes two hours and is especially fun with kids and older parents. It’s a bonding activity that you can reap the benefits of for the next ten years as you see birds come to nest. You can also garden with more native plants that cater to native species.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

It doesn’t matter how old you are when you start something. Pursue your interests and what you care about. Opportunities will come. Start small and work at it over time.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Aamir? Find local volunteer opportunities.