Garnet Valley Living, January 2024 Cover by Stacey Zarro

Ever wonder what young birders are up to in the local community? New technologies and resources that budding birders may utilize? From the perspective of a passionate young birder, Ethan Kang will share his personal birding experiences. He will explore new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and nocturnal flight calls (NFCs), the proliferation of messaging apps and social media, some of his personal experiences at the DVOC-sponsored Frontiers in Ornithology Youth Symposium, and his community involvement at school-level birding clubs and his local PA Bird Town.

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Meeting the Nēnēs in Hawaii

Ethan Kang, a high school Junior, is a passionate young birder and community leader. By day, he frequently birds his yard or local patch. By night, he records nocturnal flight calls during migration. He enjoys cataloging his findings in eBird, having accumulated thousands of observations, photos, audio, and video recordings. Beyond personal birding, he serves as a founding member of the Concord Township Bird Town committee, staffing tables at events and designing bird signage. In his school community, Ethan volunteers as a guide for the Bethel Springs Elementary School Trailblazers Birding Club. Additionally, he founded the Garnet Valley High School Birding Club, inspiring students to learn and appreciate birds through presentations, activities, and field trips; he created his website, Beary Birding with a similar mission: to inspire the next generation of birders through information, entertainment and conversation.