As a millennial who developed a chicken obsession earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic, my image of what it means to be a “birder,” and particularly a “younger birder,” has modified fairly a bit within the eight years since I joined my first Christmas Chook Rely (CBC). And that’s a gorgeous change for the world of birding and conservation.
Throughout my first December depend in 2017, our staff chief was a lately retired environmental scientist, and I used to be the youngest individual in our group. I appreciated the expertise and data she shared, however I’m particularly impressed by what I’ve seen extra lately: my final two CBC staff leaders have been each highschool college students with a deep ardour for birds.
This 12 months, my CBC journey chief was Preston Hinds, a Venice Excessive Faculty pupil and president of his faculty’s ornithology membership. Preston didn’t find yourself main our depend at the Audubon Center at Debs Park in Los Angeles by coincidence—he knew Debs Park (and the birds who thrive there) nicely, as a result of his ardour for birds grew throughout his time as an Audubon Youth Chief on the middle.
Our depend included Allen’s Hummingbirds; a Pink-tailed Hawk; woodpeckers like Pink-breasted Sapsucker and Northern Flicker; corvids together with California Scrub-Jay and Widespread Raven; and a wide range of songbirds resembling Oak Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick’s Wren, and Hermit Thrush. We additionally noticed a number of finches, together with Home Finch and a Purple Finch that was an particularly pleasant spotlight and a lifer for a lot of members of our group, together with a unbelievable lineup of sparrows (White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Tune, and Lincoln’s), towhees (California and Noticed), and warblers (Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped).
Preston shared that he deliberate to go to a different part of Debs Park to verify on a Mountain Chickadee he anticipated to seek out once more. Most of our group was able to name it a day, however I used to be intrigued by the prospect of recognizing a Mountain Chickadee in LA. Preston warned me it was a steep hike, and he was proper!
By the point we reached the highest, I used to be catching my breath and taking within the view, trying down to identify the Audubon Heart at Debs Park beneath us, and Preston was targeted on the rationale we climbed such a steep hill. “There,” he stated, choosing up the Mountain Chickadee’s “fee-bee, fee-bee” name. Inside seconds, he had eyes on the chicken and helped me spot it. The chickadee appeared too busy finding snacks to pay us any consideration. Preston remarked on how cool it was to contemplate that this particular person chicken might be his actual “life chicken” from the 12 months prior, reaping the advantages of habitat restoration efforts at Debs Park and discovering the right spot to overwinter earlier than heading again to the mountains for nesting season.
Preston’s enthusiasm was contagious. And his confidence and care in guiding me to the chickadee, and our group by means of the CBC survey, stated a lot about what’s doable when younger individuals have actual alternatives to attach with nature proper right here in Los Angeles. It was inspiring not solely to see a younger birder main our group as a part of a hemispheric neighborhood science custom, but additionally to witness the ripple impact of sturdy youth programming on the Audubon Heart at Debs Park. Packages like Audubon Youth Leaders assist younger individuals like Preston construct a long-lasting connection to birds and the locations that assist them thrive, then carry that keenness ahead by sharing it with their friends and constructing the management abilities to survey birds whereas guiding others in studying to see, determine, and respect them, too.
