Margaret Atwood on Birds, Conservation and Staying Optimistic

Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood has made a C$1 million gift to a university to establish the Graeme Gibson chair in avian biology, honouring her late partner's lifelong love of birds.

Speaking from a bird observatory in the Lake Erie Islands archipelago, which she set up together with Gibson, Atwood said that if she could become any bird, she would choose a raven, describing the species as smart, social, playful and an intelligent problem solver.

The observatory is located on the west shore of Pelee Island, Canada's southernmost community, and Atwood noted that it remains so new that some of its lamps still lack lightbulbs.

Atwood's gift reflects a shared commitment to conservation that she and Gibson built over their years together, with the new chair intended to support continued research into avian biology.

Her reflections on birds, conservation and hope point to a broader outlook she has expressed on the future, framing optimism as something she considers a built-in characteristic rather than a stance she has to work to maintain.