Camp Surfbird: Building Community for Young Birders Through Partnership

For the third year, the ABA partnered with the San Diego Bird Alliance to host Camp Surfbird during the San Diego Birding Festival—offering young birders an immersive, community-centered experience within one of the country’s premier birding gatherings for all ages and skill levels. Set against the dynamic landscapes of coastal Southern California, this unique overnight camp continues to demonstrate what’s possible when partnership, place, and passion align.

Based at YMCA Camp Surf in Imperial Beach, Camp Surfbird brings together birders ages 13–17 for a concentrated weekend in the field. Campers ventured across diverse habitats—from coastal wetlands to chaparral—encountering an impressive diversity of species and deepening their understanding of avian ecology. Highlights this year included a pelagic trip, where campers experienced seabirds up close, and special festival moments like attending Kenn Kaufman’s keynote and sharing breakfast with birding leaders Jason Hall and Dexter Patterson.

The birding was memorable. But what lingered was something else.

Community.

Spend even a short time with a group of young birders and the pattern becomes clear: They are seeking connection. At Camp Surfbird, that connection formed quickly—over shared sightings, quiet moments scanning the horizon, and the collective thrill of a new bird called out. In just three days, friendships took shape, reinforcing the idea that even short-format programs can have a lasting impact.

For many campers, that sense of connection is transformative. One scholarship recipient shared that, after years of birding largely on their own or with adult mentors, Camp Surfbird was their first opportunity to meet peers who shared their enthusiasm—“my first chance to meet kids my own age who were excited about birds.”

That experience extended well beyond social connection. Campers were introduced to new ways of birding—traveling with purpose to find species, learning from expert guides, and building identification skills in real time. Over the course of the weekend, that same camper recorded 19 lifebirds, many encountered during their first pelagic trip—an experience they had “looked forward to for months.”

Equally important were the role models at camp. Campers spent time with counselors and leaders not far removed in age, but already building lives and careers connected to birds. They saw what it looks like to carry a passion for birds into young adulthood—and into meaningful work. For youth considering paths in biology, conservation, or related fields, those moments matter. They make the path feel visible—and possible.

And the impact doesn’t stop at camp. As one camper shared, the experience has already begun to ripple outward—leading bird walks for friends, sparking curiosity in teachers, and inspiring family members to pay closer attention to the birds around them.

At its heart, Camp Surfbird is about more than a weekend of birding—it’s about opening doors. It’s about creating spaces where young people feel welcomed, inspired, and connected. And it’s about building a stronger, more inclusive future for birding—together.

Three days is not a long time. But it is enough.

Enough to build friendships. Enough to gain confidence. Enough to see what birding can be when it is shared.

The ABA is grateful to the San Diego Bird Alliance for their partnership in making Camp Surfbird possible, and for their shared commitment to birds, habitats, and the people who care about them.

Because when young birders find each other, something powerful takes flight.

And if Camp Surfbird is any indication, that future is bright, connected, and full of possibility.