2nd Annual Ohio Young Birders Conference - October 4 & 5, 2008

Kenn Kaufman posted an announcement on BIRDCHAT about the 2nd Annual Conference of the Ohio Young Birders Club, and since I have been hoping to get a youth birding club started in my area, I decided to attend the conference--and I have to say it was well worth the 16 hour r/t drive.

The stars of the conference -- Ethan Kistler, Ben Thornton, Brad Wilkinson, Auriel Van Der Laar, Bret McCarty, Jared Merriman, Jacob Bowman, and Hope Batcheller -- all did a great job as speakers and field trip leaders and deserve a huge round of applause! Kim Kaufman and her team from the Black Swamp Bird Observatory have created a wonderful venue for these young birders to share their interests and talents.

About 110 were in attendance, most from OH, but also from (what I remember) PA, CT, MI, IN, WV, FL and NY. The conference had wonderful support, not only from BSBO but also from sponsors and special attendees: Jeff Bouton from Leica Sport Optics (and his son Austin); Steve Carbol, the ABA's education manager; Bill Thompson III of Birdwatcher's Digest (and his kids); Ohio DNR naturalist and author Jim McCormac (and several other representatives from different governmental departments of State of Ohio); Ohio journalist/columnist Jim McCarty and Andy Jones of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. I am sure there were more whom I have forgotten or that I did not have the honor of meeting!

The weekend began at the Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area. It was a misty morning and the area was filled with the sounds of Autumn migration. The toots and purrs of Sandhill Cranes in flight, the chips of Swamp and Song Sparrows, Palm Warblers, and Red-winged Blackbirds and the dripping calls of Bluebirds. One of the best birds of the days was unfortunately dead. The lifeless form of a Barn Owl was was discovered in the murky pond. Steve Carbol bravely waded out into the muck to collect the carcass for all to study before Andy Jones wrapped the owl for transport back to his museum's collection.

As we began our walk through this beautiful preserve, a Coopers Hawk swooped down from its perch through a swirling mass of agitiated balckbirds as and American Kestrel looked on from a nearby snag. Swamp Sparrows were everywhere, and we probably observed each one in this swamp as we picked our way through each movement of sedge and reed in order to find the less common Marsh Wrens and hopeful views of LeConte's Sparrow and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow. No luck in the latter two, though they should be arriving in this habitat very soon.

Eastern Bluebirds, Northern Flickers, Cedar Waxwings offered flyovers and distant perched views. Yellow-rumped Warblers arrived in a small flock and Sandhill Cranes could be scoped in a nearby field as well as viewed in flight from time to time. Turkey Vultures and a Red-tailed Hawk soared overhead and a Peregrine Falcon perched in a snag to bid us farewell as we departed for a delicious Amish style lunch and an afternoon of excellent presentations by the kids... all between the ages of 12 and 18.

The conference was held in Walnut Creek at the Chestnut Ridge Elementary School in the heart of Holmes County's Amish community... where a number of the young attendees reside. Our 14 year old emcee, Ben Thornton did a fantastic job of introducing the speakers.

First up was Auriel Van Der Laar who told us about the rail research in which she is involved. Radio tagging rails and soras to learn about their migration habits.

Bret McCarty was next. He offered an enthusiastic presentation on winter birding on the Cleveland lakefront, which is often full of a variety of gulls and waterfowl.

Jared Merriman took us on a zippy trip through the Americas to inform us on how eco-tourism, especially birding, can have a positive influence on economics and conservation.

Jacob Bowman updated us on his Big Year progress. His list is now at over 240 species -- all found within BICYCLE range of his home in Holmes County!

Ethan Kistler and Brad Wilkinson ooffered a travelog of their trip to Ecuador. They had wonderful images of the birds and their habitats and offered information on the conservation taking place through tourism.

Our keynote speaker was 16 year old Hope Batcheller, from upstate New York. Hope has been fascinated with fledgeling identification, a topic that few have taken on. Through images and audio recordings she walked us through an impressive presentation of what she learned during this past breeding season. She hopes to continue her work next season!

The Saturday afternoon session was topped off with a photo bird quiz created by Kenn Kaufman which offered some intriguing images. Donated prizes, including binoculars and field guides, were handed out to the winners.

Sunday morning offered fewer attendees, but just as beautiful and misty a morning as on Saturday. Jeff Bouton offered a digiscoping workshop back at Funk Bottoms which was attended mostly by adults. I joined Kim Kaufman and Steve Carbol with a handfull of kids on an exploration. We found birds, bugs and really cool plants. Steve uncovered a Northern Watersnake that appeared to be feeding on a group of Long-tailed Salamanders! It was a joy to be part of these discoveries with the kids!

I was very fortunate to sit with Ben Thornton and his mom Tina, Hope Batcheller and Jim McCormac at dinner. Ben and Hope's enthusiasm for birds and nature was wonderful to see. Just as impressive was the support all of these kids had from their parents and other adult birders. Kim has been asked by many to help with starting a program like this in other states, and rightly so, the Ohio Young Birders Club is a great model for the young birding community!