EVENTS FOR YOUTH - LED BY GIFTED STUDENTS
Bird watching is a great way for our gifted students leaders to share their interests and knowledge with others while also promoting a deeper appreciation for the natural world. By leading bird watching events, they inspire others to take an interest in bird watching and become more engaged with the environment around them.
Born and raised in Northern California, Fiona Clare Gillogly, age 20, is an avid birder, artist, nature journaler, and advocate for nature. She has taught classes and given talks on birding and nature journaling for many organizations, including Audubon California, the Exploratorium in San Francisco, Environment for the Americas/World Migratory Bird Day, the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, and the Point Reyes Birding Festival. In June 2020, the American Birding Association's Birding magazine published Fiona's article and illustrations, "A Birder's Brain on Paper: How keeping a nature journal improves our birding experiences." Over the past 8 years, Fiona has volunteered many hours bird banding, monitoring nest boxes, and helping with Christmas Bird Counts. Learn more at fionasongbird.com.
Lara Tseng is 16 years old and in her junior year of college through the Early Entrance Program at Cal State LA, where she is majoring in biology and minoring in bioinformatics. After college, she hopes to go to graduate school to study evolutionary genomics and pursue a career in ornithology. Lara is especially interested in studying a circumpolar breeding shorebird, the dunlin, and the complex variation seen across its many subspecies. Previously, she has published research on calcium consumption in western bluebirds. Lara is also an active member of various young birder groups and is a member of the student programs committee at Western Field Ornithologists.
Max Taylor is 17 and has birding for most of his life, quickly falling in love with the community and peaceful yet thrilling experiences that birding encompasses. Max is passionate about the conservation of our planet's natural spaces and their inhabitants through scientific research and educational outreach. He works with Point Blue Nature Conservancy, managing SLO county's Seabird Nesting Success and Disturbance Surveys along with analysis of local Least Tern nesting and banding. Over the years Max has led numerous walks for the Morro Bay Bird Festival in addition to walks for Morro Bay's local Audubon chapter. Recipient of Morro Cost Audubon's American Birding Association camp Colorado scholarship, Max believes inspiring the next generation of naturalists and conservationists is key to our future.
Thursday
114 Land and Sea Birds at Morro Rock
115 Every Small Wonder: How to Capture Your Moments and Memories on Paper
Friday
227 Intro to Nature Journaling for Birders
237 A Birder's Brain on Paper: How keeping a nature journaling enriches our birding experiences
Saturday
329 Nature Journaling-Creating Sacred Moments in Your Own Garden
333 Master Class - Nature Journaling
340 Nature Journaling-Creating Sacred Moments in Your Own Garden
326 Young Birders & the Marina Boardwalk
338 How To Look At Shorebirds And Why Fewer Is Better
Sunday
436 Transitioning from birding to ornithology: college, research, and next steps
441 Young Birders Bay Birding Cruise
433 Birding and Sketching with John Muir Laws
438 Every Small Wonder: How to Capture Your Moments and Memories on Paper
445 Taken Under Their Wings, "How Mentors Can Support Young Birders": A conversation with John Muir Laws and Fiona Gillogly
Monday