Our Newsdepth A+ this week goes to the members of the bird nerds, a student club at East Clark Middle School in Collinwood.
The students, led by teacher Buster Banish, learn how to use binoculars and identify birds. and boy do they know them!
Last spring, the students were asked to be on a panel for the Ohio Ornithological Society. Tykee James, co-organizer of the first Black Birders Week, put the students to the test, and they were able to identify every bird he described correctly!
When asked how to explain birding, student Angela said, “birding is like starting at a new school - you get to meet new people and explore new rooms, except, in this case, you are meeting new birds and exploring new locations.”
The club has traveled to numerous places around Northeast Ohio - one of their favorite spots is Magee Marsh, but they’ve also ventured to Lake Erie and to Amish Country.
“My experience has been really fun,” said M’Kynzie, “I get to go places and be with my friends and see cool birds.”
Mr. Banish has plenty of great stories about the students’ passion for birding. one that he shared included the students skipping Halloween trick-or-treating to visit a marsh and look for birds.
Alicia said that she first joined the club just to annoy her sister, who was already a member, “but then as I got into it, it got way more fun, and I'm actually glad I joined,” she said. “Now, if I go outside, I'm just naming birds after birds.”
The students also told Tykee that their passion for birding has made them more conscious about taking care of the earth, so the birds have a healthy environment.
Well, bird nerds, for your passion to get outside and learn more about nature, we are proud to award you this week’s NewsDepth A+!
Submit your ideas for our NewsDepth A+ segment to newsdepth@ideastream.org for consideration.
