Yousif Attia wasnsa国际传媒檛 exactly a typical teenager. He had always been fascinated by birds, and he wanted to participate in a local Christmas bird count sa国际传媒� an annual event where people across North America note the number of fowl in the Western hemisphere.
No one at his Calgary high school shared quite the same passion for ornithology, but fortunately it was the late 1990s and local birdwatching groups were just a few clicks away on the internet. Attia found his community.
sa国际传媒淚 found a mentor who kind of took me under his wing, as far as driving me around and taking me on Christmas bird counts with him and then encouraging me to lead walks myself,sa国际传媒� said Attia, now a 35-year-old tour guide. sa国际传媒淚t kind of took off from there.sa国际传媒�
More young people like Attia are flocking to birdwatching than ever, aided by the internet, social media and digital photography, avian enthusiasts say. While previous generations had to dust off old bird books at the library, millennials have easier access to information and like-minded individuals than ever before.
Attia is among the thousands of people who have descended upon Vancouver this week for the International Ornithological Congress, a global gathering of highly respected bird scientists held every four years. It is the first time the sought-after event has been staged in Canada since the 1980s, and convener Robert Elner pushed to bring it to British Columbia.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a sense of incredible pride, not for myself but for Canada to actually host this. This is a real big endorsement of Canadian science and basically Canadian culture,sa国际传媒� said Elner, a scientist emeritus with Environment Canada.
Organizers partnered with the inaugural Vancouver International Bird Festival, which is also being held this week and features such millennial-friendly events as fowl-themed improv comedy, a laid-back nature walk dubbed sa国际传媒淩eturn of the Hipster Birder,sa国际传媒� and bird-inspired outdoor yoga.
Festival chairman Rob Butler has observed the demographics of birdwatching change.
sa国际传媒淚t used to be the purview of generally retired people, but itsa国际传媒檚 really becoming much younger. The average age is now in the high 40s, early 50s, because the people have a bit of money and can travel,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淏ut itsa国际传媒檚 coming down.sa国际传媒�
Travellers who are entirely focused on seeing rare birds are relatively few, while most want a broader cultural experience that involves birds, said Butler.
Thatsa国际传媒檚 why the festival is sa国际传媒渁ll about connecting you to culture through birds,sa国际传媒� he said.
Cam Gillies, owner of Eagle-Eye Tours, which facilitates guided bird tours in dozens of countries, said most of his clients want a tour that features some birds but also includes other animals and natural wonders.
More people in their 30s are signing up for his tours than ever, Gillies said, driven by the rise of digital photography and websites like Instagram and Facebook.
sa国际传媒淵ou can fill the frame with some beautiful bird, which normally would have taken thousands of dollars of camera equipment and a really big lens to achieve,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淧eople are now able to capture those images and share them on social media.sa国际传媒�
Some millennials are pushing the artistic limits of bird fandom even further. Hillary Esdaile, 33, and Jennifer Miller, 36, are artists and birdwatchers who have created full, lifelike avian costumes, which they wore to the opening ceremony of the congress on Monday.
Miller said her elaborate costume depicting a bearded vulture sa国际传媒� a near-threatened bird of prey sa国际传媒� is a fun way to spark conversations about protecting wildlife.
sa国际传媒淚 really like being able to engage with people. They might not know about the species that Isa国际传媒檓 costuming as,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淭o let people learn about this bird through this interactive costume has been very rewarding to me.sa国际传媒�
Laura Kane, The Canadian Press
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