Something wondrous happened during the pandemic. Kids began to notice — really notice— the nature that’s always surrounded them. Many became transfixed by what they found in their own backyards: birds of all sizes, shapes, colors and songs thriving in mini ecosystems of plants, insects and other creatures. And they discovered something equally as precious: a sense of awe, calm, focus and curiosity about the natural world.
To gain some insight into how these new discoveries are changing young people’s daily lives and, in some cases, long-term futures, I recently joined them out in the wilds of L.A. County. Their stories just might inspire you and your kids, too.
Exploring diverse birdlife with expert guides
During a recent morning bird walk at San Gabriel Coastal Basin Spreading Grounds, a gaggle of kids crowded around Pasadena Audubon Society (PAS) President Luke Tiller’s powerful bird scope, clamoring to get their first look at something remarkable.
“Oh my! Come on — take a look,” urged Tiller, who is a sort of pied piper of birding for PAS’s Young Birders Club. “Those black-and-white birds with the long pink legs and long pointed bills are black-necked stilts. Aren’t they lovely? They nest along the L.A. River, and they hunt for tiny invertebrates, snails and small fish.”
“Let me see!” one youngster squealed.
“Lifer!” blurted another. In birder parlance, that means it was her first time ever seeing this bird species.
Moments later, Tiller pointed out a nearby glaucous-winged gull and a herring gull. The kids gawked at his discoveries and began to discuss the birds in animated fashion.
“I can’t tell these gulls from any other gull,” a parent admitted, but a 10-year-old girl offered to help her. Opening a birding app on her phone, she quickly scanned the information and summarized: “The glaucous-winged gulls have grey wing tips instead of black, and the herring gulls have those wicked yellow eyes.” Other kids nodded in approval, then cavorted off toward Tiller like young colts.
Over the last few years, Tiller has introduced hundreds of youths and their parents to thousands of new birds through free monthly field trips. “I love their enthusiasm when they find new birds,” he says. “They get excited, then their parents get excited. It’s very inspirational.”
By the end of the outing, the group had spied 49 species of birds, including a tropical kingbird on a wire, a turkey vulture on a post, six raptors on the hunt, warblers whisking through the trees and more than 400 wading and water birds.
“I’m impressed with how these kids research the birds they want to see,” Tiller says. “Some are only 9 or 10, but they can identify birds I haven’t shown them and quote facts I haven’t taught them. Some are even cataloging the birds they see through photography.”
Katarina Doorly, for example, began noticing the birds in her backyard during the pandemic. She was just 7. One day, she became curious about a small gray bird flitting through the shrubs, so her mom jumped online to help her identify it. Their discovery of Katarina’s first dark-eyed junco sparked an intense interest in birds that rippled through the family.
Today, at 10, Katarina carries her Canon SX70 HS PowerShot camera with her everywhere, photographing birds and uploading the images to her @lakatbirder Instagram page of 1,500+ followers. She and her family regularly travel around L.A. County with Tiller and other birders, thanks to the free PAS field trips.
Diego’s journey — from backyard birdsong to environmental career
Diego Blanco’s parents never dreamed that a book about birds could profoundly impact their 9-year-old son’s life and future career. But after discovering “The Backyard Birdsong Guide” at a local bookstore, young Diego was captivated by the book’s digital speaker that played bird songs alongside illustrations of each bird. He spent hours in his yard trying to match the calls of birds in the book to the sounds he was hearing around him.
His curiosity was further ignited after watching documentaries such as “The Life of Birds.” “Before that, I hadn’t realized there was a whole world of birds beyond those in my neighborhood, and they came in different colors and shapes,” says Blanco, now 23.
At 11, he joined PAS Young Birders Club, where he met other kids excited about birds, as well as the founder of the club, Susan Gilliland.
“They introduced us to tools like eBird to help us track our sightings,” Blanco recalls. “Susan even gifted me with one of my most prized possessions: a Sibley Guide app that helped me better identify birds.”
Now a graduate of Cornell University, Blanco credits birding and his mentors for guiding him to his career. After studying environmental science and working in the hallowed Cornell Lab of Ornithology, he works at Theodore Payne Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for initiatives and education to proliferate the use of California native plants.
Brian’s story — from apartment dweller to nature educator
Other free birding programs are changing children’s lives, too. As a kid, Brian Young grew up in an apartment with no backyard and had little connection to nature. At 16, he joined the Dorsey High School Eco-Club, where new opportunities unfolded.
“Through the Eco-Club, my instructor introduced me to Los Angeles Audubon Society [LAAS], which offered paid internships at the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program,” says Young. “At 17, I was selected for an after-school internship there, where I learned to identify birds and plants and understand ecology. Until then, I thought the birds and insects in L.A. were just random. I had no idea they were all part of a complex ecosystem.”
Today, Young holds a degree in art from UC Santa Cruz and is the arts and education specialist at Nature Nexus Institute, a nonprofit spinoff of LAAS. There, he helps students and the community connect to nature through video, art and music education and leads habitat restoration events.
Lily’s transformation — from nonverbal to bird illustrator
Birding also helps kids soar above and beyond physical challenges. At a recent Eaton Canyon Arts Festival, 21-year.old Lily Yllescas presented a talk on bird sketching before an audience of nature enthusiasts. As she unveiled each image, she discussed her sketching techniques and passion for each bird. Yllescas’ presentation was a testimonial to the power of nature to inspire.
Born autistic, Yllesca was nonverbal until age 5 and spoke only occasionally for two years after she began speaking. Around 7, she became enthralled with sea creatures at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. She began drawing and painting them and even became an aquarium volunteer. At 13, when she expressed interest in birds, her mom discovered the PAS Young Birders Club.
“Lily found her people there,” her mother, Denise LaMontagne, says. “Birding has been a bridge to a community that speaks her language and has her passion. When Lily is birding, she is focused.”
Through the years, birding has taken Yllesca on cross-country and international travels. Birding also further nurtured her love of art. She began following well-known illustrators online, learning new techniques and mediums. Today, she attends Exceptional Minds Academy, where she studies visual effects and 3D design, sells her art at local art shows and online at Etsy and continues to enjoy birding with L.A.’s newest birding organization, Los Angeles Birders.
When asked what she would tell other parents about the value of birding, Yllesca’s mom gets emotional.“I almost want to cry,” she says.“Every kid needs to connect with nature. It brings out talents and passions you didn’t know they had. It helps them build a community of friends and gives them opportunities they might not otherwise have. And birding is available for everybody, regardless of social or economic status.
“When we’re birding in a park,” she adds,“and I see other kids there watching us, I always hope their parents notice. I want to go up to them and say,‘You can do this with your child — for free. And it can change your kid’s life — and your life — in magical ways.’”
4 Birding Organizations Changing Young Lives
The following is a partial list of L.A.-area organizations that offer free birding, nature walks and other programs for children and teens. Search online for other organizations near you.
Pasadena Audubon’s Young Birders Club offers programs for kids and teens to learn about birds, meet other young birders and attend monthly meetings, field trips and education events. The Bird Science Program serves Title 1 elementary schools in the San Gabriel Valley with classroom lessons on nature, trips to local parks and a schoolyard native habitat program.
Los Angeles Birders – Students provides students with education about birds and their habitats, developing future ornithologists, conservationists, photographers, artists and community scientists. The organization hosts photo sharing, bird identification, eBird assistance, sketching workshops and field trips.
Los Angeles Audubon Society offers family education opportunities through its bird walks and provides volunteers to support its nonprofit spinoff, Nature Nexus Institute.
Nature Nexus Institute offers education programs focused on youth in L.A.’s urban core. In collaboration with schools, businesses and nonprofits, it cultivates community-nature relationships through field trips, art-science workshops, habitat stewardship and high school and college internships.
Robbie Lisa Freeman is a freelance journalist and avid birder, traveler and photographer writing about birding, conservation and outdoor adventures around the world, as well as outdoor life in L.A. She can be found on Instagram @freebird2020lf.
