Can you share any advice for aspiring birders?

• Enjoy each step of the journey. 

• Being a beginner is a magical time as you discover the common species around us. 

• Celebrate each new life bird. [i] 

• The best way to improve is to spend more time watching birds—looking through your binoculars. 

• There are countless varieties of birding such as hawk watching, seawatching, shorebirding, gulling, warbling, owling, field sketching, photography, feeder-watching, and nocturnal flight calls. Try them all and see what you enjoy. 

• Get involved with your local birding club and attend field trips. This will help you meet new people and explore new locations.

[i] life bird or "lifer" - n. a first-time sighting for a birder. [source]

What do you think a teenager can gain from birding?

Birding teaches many practical life skills. You learn how to plan trips, eat at restaurants, stay at hotels, and other essential travel skills. You learn about the highs of success alongside the disappointment of failure. You learn to get along with people of different ages, cultures, and personalities. You learn how to deal with people who cheat and how to recognize that impulse in yourself. You gain a hobby you can continue for the rest of your life. You increase confidence by becoming competent. Finally, you learn that wherever you go, others with the same interest are friends waiting to be made.

Additional resources:

For more birding resources you can visit the LycoBirds website and YouTube channel. Try out the flock size estimator tool. Practice your bird identification with our daily ID quizzes. Learn more about hawk watching and identification with our raptor guide.