Participants at a Young Birders Event at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is hosting the Young Birders Event, which is sponsored by Carl Zeiss Sports Optics, during the upcoming weekends of July 7-10 and July 28-31. This premier youth event brings a group of 32 highly accomplished young birders with an interest in pursuing a career in ornithology to Ithaca, New York, to meet and learn from Cornell Lab employees including bird researchers, audio specialists, and computer scientists.
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Zeiss,” said eBird project lead Chris Wood. “With Zeiss’s support of both eBird and the Young Birders Event, we are able to build and engage an international birding community interested in advancing bird conservation and scientific understanding. And following what these young people go on to do after they leave the Cornell Lab has been amazing.”
The Young Birder’s Event features:
– 2 days of field trips led by Cornell Lab staff
– Presentations by Lab staff, including professors, researchers, and students
– Workshops on eBird and sound recording
– A tour of the Cornell Lab including the Macaulay Library and Museum of Vertebrates
– Dinner with Cornell Lab directors and staff
As a ‘thank you’ for participating, each young birder will receive a Terra ED 8x42 Binocular, courtesy of Zeiss. “Since our partnership began 14 years ago, the Cornell Lab has hosted hundreds of young people interested in pursuing a career involving birds,” said Rich Moncrief, Territory Account Manager at Zeiss. “It’s great to see the impact this event has had on the lives of these extraordinary young people.”
Chris Wood and Jessie Barry are the primary leaders of the Young Birders Event. Chris is the Managing Director of the Center for Avian Population Studies and the Director of eBird. He is a Colorado native who has been birding since childhood and traveled the world in search of birds. Now he is thrilled to share stories and birding skills with young birders.
Jessie Barry is Program Manager for the Macaulay Library and helps lead Merlin, the premier bird ID app. Jessie grew up in Rochester, New York where she began birding at an early age and continues today as a professional ornithologist. She and Chris are grateful for the opportunities they had as young birders, and they are working to create opportunities for the next generation of leaders in ornithology.
For additional information about how you can participate next year, or how your child or student can be involved, email youngbirders@cornell.edu
Thanks to Zeiss for all they do to support birders and birding. To learn more about the Zeiss line of binoculars and spotting scopes, see https://www.zeiss.com/consumer-products/us/nature-observation.html and at