Announcing the 2013 Young Birders of the Year!

The American Birdiing Association is happy to announce the winners of the 2013 Young Birder of the Year Contest. Sixteen-year-old Ioana Seritan, from Davis, California, and 13-year-old Eric Hughes, from Pottstown, Pennsylvania, took top honors and will receive the grand prize of a Leica Trinovid bionocular courtesy of Leica Sport Optics, ABA Young Birder Programs Legacy Sponsor.

By Jennie Duberstein

The American Birdiing Association is happy to announce the winners of the 2013 Young Birder of the Year Contest. Sixteen-year-old Ioana Seritan, from Davis, California, and 13-year-old Eric Hughes, from Pottstown, Pennsylvania, took top honors and will receive the grand prize of a Leica Trinovid bionocular courtesy of Leica Sport Optics, ABA Young Birder Programs Legacy Sponsor.

Ioana Seritan, 2013 ABA Young Birder of the Year

Eric Hughes, 2013 ABA Young Birder of the Year

Top Places, age 14-18

1. Ioana Seritan, 16, Davis, California (2013 Young Birder of the Year)
2. Alec Wyatt, 14, Colorado Springs, Colorado
3. Nathan Martineau, 15, Lansing, Michigan

Top Places, age 10-13

1. Eric Hughes, 13, Pottstown, Pennsylvania (2013 Young Birder of the Year)
2. Chloe Walker, 11, Murfeesboro, Tennessee
3. Silas Hernandez, 11, Great Meadows, New Jersey

You can view the individual module winners by scrolling down or clicking here.

Illustration by Aspen Ellis, 15, 1st Place Winner, Illustration Module.

There are five modules in the YBY contest. Two are major
(Field Notebook, Conservation/Community Action) and the other three are
supporting (Illustration, Writing, and Photography). In order to be eligible for the overall Young Birder of the Year title, contestants must complete both major modules or complete one major and two supporting modules. In addition to the Grand Prize Winners, there are also individual module winners for each age group.

• Field Notebook:  Entails taking field notes and
  making field sketches of birds as or immediately after you observe them
  in the field. Keeping such records is universally recognized as one of
  the very best means of sharpening your birding skills.
• Conservation/Community Action:  Here’s your chance
  to make a difference and change something you care about for the better.
  Pick a project involving conservation, education, or inspiring the
  enjoyment and/or protection of wild birds in others. Get it approved,
  carry it out, and document what you’ve done through writing, pictures,
  and/or video.
• Illustration:  Involves detailed drawing or painting birds that you see and that interest you most.
• Writing:  Write about birds, birders, birding, and
  your experiences with any or all of them, whether it be poetry, short
  story, essay, or other prose.
• Photography:  Photograph birds digitally to highlight their beauty, behavior, identification, or emotional impact.

Illustration by 15-year-old Rosemary Kramer, 2nd Place Winner, Illustration Module.

This year I had the honor of being one of the judges for the conservation/community action module, new for 2013. This is a module that is near and dear to my heart, and I was so incredibly impressed and inspired with what all of the contestants accomplished, from creating a blog and videos for beginning birders, like Grand Prize Winner (14-18) Ioana Seritan did, to Grand Prize Winner (10-13) Eric Hughes' project working with a local nature reserve to engage his community in restoring native habitat for birds and other wildlife. Some of the projects read more like undergraduate honors theses than the work of high school students. Other contestants did a better job of teaching and engaging the public in conservation than some professionals I know. If the accomplishments of the contestants in this module ares any sign of the future of conservation, we are in very, very good hands.

Photograph by Eric Hughes, 2013 ABA Young Birder of the Year, 10-13.

We'll be highlighting some of the other impressive projects, along with more samples of the spectacular writing, artwork, and photography of the contestants, here on The Eyrie in the coming weeks. We'll also be posting interviews with Ioana and Eric, so stay tuned!

In the meanwhile, congratulations to all of the contestants!

Photograph by Kristina Polk, 16, 1st Place Winner, Photography Module.