On Saturday, September 22, 2012, I'll be speaking to and birding with a passel of young birders at The American Birding Association's Mid-Atlantic Young Birder Conference. This important event is sponsored by the ABA and Leica Sport Optics, in conjunction with the Delaware Nature Society and Ashland Hawk Watch and hosted by the Delaware Dunlins Youth Birders Club. It will be held at The Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin, Delaware beginning at 8 am. My fellow featured speaker is Marie McGee winner of The ABA's "Young Birder of the Year" contest.
It's so reassuring to see events (like this one) and clubs for young birders springing up all over the place. If you started watching birds as a young person (as I did), you probably remember wondering if there was ANYone else out there in the world who also enjoyed birds. It was a lonely feeling. Lucky for today's budding nature fans it's a billion times easier to connect with like-minded souls. And with events and clubs and regular field trips and camps where you get to spend time with other young birders—well it makes an older birding dude like me very happy to see that the future of birds and bird watching seems to be getting stronger all the time.
I've arranged for all registrants at the ABA's Mid-Atlantic Young Birder Conference to receive a copy of my Young Birder's Guide to Birds of Eastern North America. It's going to be a blast.
If you have a young person in your life who is interested in birds and nature, please encourage them to attend one of the many organized events for young birder/naturalists.
Another resource is the newly redesigned and relaunched Young Birders' section on the Bird Watcher's Digest website. It is sponsored by our friends at Leica Sport Optics. I'm especially proud of the birder/blogger content we're highlighting, as well as the list of clubs and organizations for young birders.
I look forward to meeting these new bird watchers—in Delaware later this month, and at events in the years ahead. How exciting!