I was age 7, growing up on Johns Island, South Carolina, when a ruby-throated hummingbird showed up in our yard on a spring day and began flitting amongst the blooms in my mother’s garden.
For several minutes, I watched in fascination as the tiny bird zipped from flower to flower. It kept coming back over the next several days and I developed an attachment to it — as if it were returning just for me. From then on, I was a devoted bird lover. Now, some 70 years later, I have learned this lesson: Even seemingly everyday moments in nature can inspire a youngster to a lifelong commitment to conservation.
I tell this because four young neighbors on my street in Decatur have become hooked on birds — Ella Ballard, 11; Eden Ballard, 9; Declan Pease, 8; and Elias Parga-Tang, 7. Calling themselves Lil Birdie Rascals, they teamed up to compete in this year’s annual Youth Birding Competition (YBC) administered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
In the event, birding teams of four youngsters each vie statewide by age group to find the highest number of birds within 24 hours — without help from the adults chaperoning them. The Lil Birdie Rascals tallied 33 species in or near our neighborhood, earning them the award for Top Rookie Team in the Elementary Division. They also received the Top Fundraising award for raising $735 to expand bird habitat at a neighborhood church.
Their 24-hour count started on my backyard deck overlooking woods along Burnt Fork Creek. They were thrilled right off when a red-shouldered hawk landed in the creek to take a bath, which Elias said was his favorite part of the count. Eden said her favorite part was seeing all of the biodiversity around a lake, including fish and turtles; Declan’s favorite was a close-up view of a mallard mother with two ducklings. For Ella, it was the total of 33 species — when her team’s goal was 25.
As Tim Keyes, the DNR’s coordinator for the YBC, noted: “This event always gives me great hope for the future of birding and conservation.”
IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks this weekend at about 60 meteors per hour in the eastern sky. The moon will be first quarter on Sunday. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn (rising around midnight) are all low in the east a few hours before sunrise.
Charles Seabrook can be reached at charles.seabrook@yahoo.com.
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