Queer Bird Walks

Camille Auer’s popular queer bird walks are coming to Tromsø/Romsa/Tromssa for the first time!

Auer is an artist and writer who has a long lasting special interest in Critical Queer Bird Studies. On the walks we will observe birds in their everyday environments and discuss how norms related to gender and sexuality shape human understanding of birds – and the world. Auer will lead the conversation and share insights from her years-long research processes.

Homosexual behaviour is not rare among birds, but nature media rarely mentions it. Birds might go through a kind of sex change during their life and there are myriads of ways features that might be considered gendered show up in birds. Nevertheless, humans tend to think that all males are like men and all females are like women. Auer will offer concrete examples of divergent sex and sexuality among birds and a suggestion to consider things from the birds’ perspective.

Camille Auer is a Helsinki-based artist and writer.Ruff Knowledge, Auer’s speech performance about the extravagant sex lives of Ruffs (Calidris pugnax, brushane) has toured internationally and will be published as a book by Errant Bodies Press. She will have her ninth solo exhibition at the end of 2026 at Sinne gallery in Helsinki. She has published essays, poetry and art writing in Finland and internationally. She loves arctic wading birds, mudflats, strong tides and the smell of seaweed.

Dress according to the weather and wear comfortable shoes. It looks like the weather might be chilly and we will be standing still whilst watching birds. The walks will last approximately 1,5 hours. The main language is English, but the guide speaks native Finnish and a bit of Swedish, so questions and comments in these languages are also welcome.

The bird walks are brought to Tromsø with support from Nordic Culture Point

Photo: Tani Simberg