Hello! My name is Jessica Decker. I started birding when I was eleven after seeing a Red-bellied Woodpecker at a feeder in my backyard, and I have been hooked ever since! I’m currently a 17-year-old senior at Ferndale High School. Next fall, I will be studying Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at Michigan Technological University. I am a member of the Ohio Young Birders Club and the Michigan DNR Youth Conservation Council, in addition to Michigan Audubon. I volunteer at the Bird Center of Washtenaw County weekly and love sharing my passion for birds with others. A few bird species close to my heart are the Pileated Woodpecker, Peregrine Falcon, Common Raven, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

My name is Evan Reister, and I’m a young birder. I’m 16 years old and live in Traverse City. About two years ago, I built a bird feeder for my backyard out of interest from seeing the birds that visited my grandparents’ feeders. I started to see these new birds coming to the feeder, and I’d grab out the point-shoot camera and try to get a picture to identify these birds later. This habit has led me to become a serious bird and wildlife photographer. Often you will see me army crawling through a field trying to get a picture of a sparrow or wading through ponds to get photos of Wood Ducks. I’ve seen 226 species between Michigan and Florida within the last two years. Birding is no longer a hobby for me; it has become a lifestyle. I plan to turn my love for birds into a career in the future.

Some of my favorite birds: Burrowing Owl, Monk Parakeet, Scarlet Tanager, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Florida Scrub-Jay.

My name is Karinne Tennenbaum, and I am a junior at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor. Currently, I am a member of both the Michigan and Ohio Young Birders Networks. I enjoy regularly heading out on walks around my city and taking photographs of the local species. My love for birds originated in my childhood desire to fly. As you might have guessed, this didn’t quite work out, so I found watching birds be the next best thing. I first got involved in second grade in Science Olympiad’s “Feathered Friends,” and I became an avid birdwatcher during my freshman year of high school. Seeking a community of other young birders at my high school where I could connect with other young birders who shared my passion, I founded the Ornithological Society of Pioneer (OSP) in my sophomore year and modeled it after the local birding chapter in Ann Arbor. Over two years, the club has grown to 18 active members spanning four high schools in the district and meeting biweekly to discuss avian-related news, study ornithology, and gather for Wednesday walks at birding hotspots around Ann Arbor, usually in the city’s parks. In addition, on Sunday mornings, I volunteer at the Bird Center of Washtenaw County, a nonprofit organization that aims to aid birds, wildlife, and the environment through public education and rehabilitation. As a Washtenaw Audubon Society member, I also participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count by helping group leaders count bird species. In the spring, I conducted my own Breeding Bird Survey, which led me to become an active eBird user where I continue to submit my findings as checklists, photos, and audio recordings (https://ebird.org/profile/MTQ3NjcxMw/world). Finally, I created my podcast called “Taking Flight” (https://anchor.fm/karinne-tennenbaum) that is focused on bringing together bird lovers from novices to fanatics in the hopes of increasing interest in birding and spreading awareness about important issues in the birding community. I look forward to sharing my birding adventures with you!