Young Birders

Are you in elementary, middle or high school and do you enjoy getting outside and watching birds? Would you like to meet other young birders?

The Montgomery County Bird Club is a part of the Maryland Ornithological Society (MOS). MOS has encouraged young birders for decades by sponsoring scholarships and events specifically for young birders. These events take place through a group named YMOS (Young MOS, https://mdbirds.org/young-birders/). YMOS was established to make the world of birds accessible to school age birders.

The Montgomery Bird Club is offering a separate program of guided bird walks for young people, each with an accompanying parent, called the YMBC. For more information, please reach out to [email protected]. You can also check our calendar to look for these mentored walks.

The group supports young birders throughout Maryland by:

• Facilitating communication among young birders throughout the State
• Providing opportunities for young birders to get started in birding and to develop their skills
• Providing educators with resources and opportunities to implement programs for young birders

Besides YMOS, here are a few other links that may interest you:

Maryland Facebook page for YMOS:
https://www.facebook.com/Youth-Maryland-Ornithological-Society-108394860783723/

American Birding Association Young Birders:
https://www.aba.org/aba-young-birders/

The Fledgling is a magazine produced by and designed for young birders:
https://www.aba.org/the-fledgling/

eBird for Young Birders:
https://ebird.org/about/resources/for-young-birders

You are also welcome to attend one of the club’s free scheduled walks that you can find on the calendar of this website, on your own or with a parent or sibling. When you contact the leader to reserve a spot on the walk, please share with the leader if you are a new birder. Most leaders have extra binoculars and field guides they will share.