Katie Warner, age 13, who lives in Vancouver, Washington is the 2021 ABA Young Birder of the Year in the 10 to 13 age group. Joaquin Galindo, age 17, from McAllen, Texas has been selected as the 2021 ABA Young Birder of the Year in the 14 to 18 age group. Both Joaquin and Katie are obviously active bird photographers, one of the modules ABA Young Birders study. The 2021 ABA Young Birder of the Year logo.

The American Birding Association has announced the winners of the 2021 ABA Young Birder of the Year program: Katie Warner, age 13, who lives in Vancouver, Washington, and Joaquin Galindo, age 17, from McAllen, Texas. Congratulations Joaquin and Katie for completing and excelling in the ABA Young Birder of the Year Mentoring Program! Initiated in 1998 to encourage and develop the talents of birders between the ages of 10 and 18, the Mentoring Program has an incredible track record of influencing up and coming leaders of the birding community to help them develop their birding skills.

Katie and Juaquin’s work stood out among a distinguished field of young birders who participated during the past year, and as the top finishers, Katie and Joaquin will each receive a pair of Kowa Genesis Binoculars generously contributed by Kowa Sporting Optics.

Youth Participants

Would you like to learn more about the ABA Young Birder of the Year Mentoring Program? Do you never leave the house without your binoculars? Even indoors, are birds always on your mind? How would you like to stretch and grow your birding skills under the guidance of some of the most respected birders in North America and have a lot of fun in the process? If you are age 10 to 18 years old and enjoy any or all aspects of birding, then the ABA Young Birder of the Year Mentoring Program is for you!

Participants in the program choose among 5 modules to focus on: 1) Field Notebook, 2) Photography, 3) Illustration, 4) Writing, 5) Conservation and Community Leadership. The youth birders work on their project submissions from April through October, then submit their portfolios to the ABA panels of mentors.

The mentors, all volunteers, include many of the ABA community’s foremost artists, conservationists, and field ornithologists. The mentors evaluate the project entries and craft detailed feedback intended to help the young birders evolve, adapt, and grow in their areas of interest. The mentors frequently share that they learn from and are inspired by the youths, as well.

All participants who complete even 1 of the 5 modules accomplish a huge feat, and the ABA honors the hard work of each young birder who participates in the year’s program, especially considering the added difficulties of the covid pandemic last year.

Young birders who complete both of the “major” modules (Field Notebook and Conservation & Community Leadership) or one of those major modules plus two of the “minor” modules (Photography, Illustration, or Writing) are eligible to be named ABA Young Birder of the Year in either the 10 to 13 or 14 to 18 age categories. Completing that level of distinction is a major achievement.

The mentors are dedicated birders who give freely of their time and energy to encourage and teach each of the young birders who participate. Their comments are priceless and keep young birders coming back year after year. The ABA young birder programs are made possible thanks to the ABA members who fund this program through generous donations.

The 2022 Mentor Program will begin in April 2021, and for more information, contact the American Birding Association at https://www.aba.org/young-birder-year-contest/

You can access the original article by Ioana Seritan at https://www.aba.org/2021-aba-young-birders-of-the-year/

Share your birding experiences and photos at editorstbw2@gmail.com