birdgirl: ringing

Showing posts with label ringing. Show all posts

Sunday, 6 March 2016

Interview with Natursidan in Swedan

Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig at Chew Valley Lake
Photograph taken by Oliver Edwards Photography

I've given a few interviews in the last few months, but this one was a little different. It was for a Swedish website www.Natursidan.se written by a birder Erik Hansson http://bit.ly/1VcXKUW

Often when we travel around the world birding, we meet Swedish birders along the way. They are normally extremely dedicated to their birding and interesting people to meet.

Last summer we met a Swedish family birding in Uganda, with their eighteen year son. It's really rare to meet a British family like that.

After the interview was published, it was shared by BirdLife Sweden, virtually all the Swedish birder's Facebook groups as well as a Swedish feminist page on Facebook.

It was fantastic that so many people in Sweden read my interview and hopefully were interested in it.

Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig at Chew Valley Ringing Station
Photograph taken by Oliver Edwards Photography

Below is a google translation of the Swedish text. Some of the meaning can get lost in the translation and can come out a bit strange, but it made be smile, so I've left it as it is. My favourite is gulskalliga kråktrastar (Yellow-throated Picathartes from Ghana). I am sure you will get the gist.

Mya-Rose Craig from the UK is perhaps better known by the nickname "Bird Girl" and for her record number of seen birds. Last fall, she became the youngest ever to see 4000 bird species worldwide (read more here). But she is also involved in numerous conservation projects and has probably done more for bird-watching and nature conservation in the world than any other 13-year-old's.

Mya-Rose Craig was born in a family birdwatching. Both her parents and her older sister are birdwatchers and "cruisers". She was "born to bird watching," as she puts it.

- I went on my first move to see the lesser kestrel in the Scilly Isles when I was nine days old. It was then that many British birders met me for the first time, which they gladly reminds me of.

15 months old, she followed with another pull to see a Black Lark. Then the bird came closer to her, she pointed at it and exclaimed, "birdie". It was her fourth word.

Bird's interest really took off when she was three years old came with a marine birding trip in Madeira. The following year, she began to identify and remember the birds she saw and on a trip to South Africa, she began to count her bird observations in the world.

- At this time, my sister Ayesha was 16 years and a great role model for me. She was beautiful and cool and I really understand today the importance of children allowed to have role models and people who inspire them, says Mya-Rose Craig.

In 2009 she made a so-called "Big Year" with her parents to see as many birds as possible in a single year. In connection with that, she participated also in the BBC4 documentary "Twitchers: A Very British Obsession" where she discovered that she also liked to be on TV. Since then she has begun writing a popular blog,Birdgirluk.blogspot.se, regular columns in the local newspaper and interviewed frequently on TV and radio.

When Mya-Rose Craig's hometown of Bristol last year was awarded the European Green Capital in 2015 with many projects for young people was Mya-Rose Craig involved as one of Bristol's ambassadors. She has also used her platform to spread information about the birds and the endangered areas to a wider audience. When an oil spill affected the mangrove forest Sundarbans in Bangladesh, she gathered more than 200 000 to clean up the area. In 2015 she organized a bird watching camp for young people and ethnic minorities, called Camp Avalon. It is worth recalling that Mya-Rose Craig is only 13 years old.

What is it you like about bird watching?

- First, I love birds. I mean - they can fly - how cool is that? I also like to study birds. It's really special to see their delicate wings, beaks and legs. Last but not least, it is fascinating to see new birds. When you see a small migratory birds, it is amazing to think that the wind hit the Atlantic Ocean or all the way from Siberia.

What is your favorite experience in nature?

- It's really hard to pick one, but I'll have to say when we went to Ghana in 2012. We were looking for the gulskalliga crow thrush and when we got to the place we saw how fågelekoturismen in the area funded cocoa farms and two schools for the local population. To have the chance to see the bird we had to walk up several steep slopes and then sit quietly and wait for a few caves. I did not expect to see them, but suddenly gulskalliga kråktrastar up and walked around in front of us. They are waxy, big as chickens and amazing to watch.

Another memorable event for Mya-Rose Craig was a trip to the mountain gorillas in the Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. Watch a video from the meeting here:

[Youtube_sc url = "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abuqEr6KnnA"]

You had an eventful 2015. Not just because you saw your 4,000th bird species - you were also involved in at least 30 articles and several TV spots. How do you perceive the publicity?

- I think the media attention and publicity is important because it gives me the opportunity to talk about conservation and nature conservation. In January 2015, I was, for example, interviewed by Channel S, Europe's largest television station in Bangladesh. They were initially interested in me because I was the youngest person to see 3,000 birds in the world and because my mother is from Bangladesh. But after a short discussion about birding in the world I could talk about the spoon sandpipers in Bangladesh and how important it is to save them. The interview appeared in Europe and even on a news channel in Bangladesh at the time I visited the country to identify these rare waders. When I visited a barber shop near the area where the spoon sandpipers are felt the girl who worked there recognized me from television and knew that I was trying to save a rare bird. It was a very important message that I wanted to get up and I was really proud to reach people like her.

Mya-Rose Craig says she does not mind being an ambassador for bird watching. It gives her a chance to talk about the issues that she feels extra for. As an example, the effects of palm oil plantations, to get children and young people in nature and how we save the world's endangered shorebirds. These are topics that she has written articles about, talked about in the media and presentations on several different contexts. For example, when his hometown of Bristol as European Green Capital 2015 and the Oriental Bird Club's annual meeting.

Have you noticed if you have inspired other young birders?

- Lots of young birdwatchers from the UK and around the world, including many from Bangladesh, contact me privately. Sometimes they want to help get into bird watching, sometimes they want to start blogging or start with nature photos. I will help them if I can, but encourages them always and hope that I can inspire other young people to follow their passion and not let people dismiss them.

Regarding that, Mya-Rose Craig, even though she is only 13 years old, has already experienced a lot of sexism. She has also spoken out publicly about it in an eloquent blog post that has been widely spread in the United Kingdom. The text shows Mya-Rose Craig has great insight into the problems and can speak from personal experience. She says, among other things, that when she was only eleven years old created a secret Facebook group, where middle-aged men posted rude comments about her. It was revealed among other things that a university lecturer wrote a comment with sexual allusions about her. Screenshots from the group leaked and the group was closed, but seems to have been reopened under a new name.

You have been more or less public in six years already - have you noticed any change in people's attitude toward you during these years?

- After I participated in the documentary "Twitchers" was the most positive and encouraging, but there were those who were sure that I was not really that interested in birds. Now, since I still birdwatchers, they can not say so long. Instead, they attack me by saying that I do not know much about birds and I do not what I have seen but just follow behind my parents. Some bird watchers also froze me and my family. Therefore, I can not really say that things have improved so much for me.

In Sweden, it has taken embarrassingly long time for women to be relatively accepted as birdwatchers - what is your view of the situation in the UK?

- I think the bird is still heavily dominated by men in the UK. I know lots of older female bird-watchers who have been so discredited and has not been trusted with his observations that they would no longer dare to go out with a rare bird they found. Others seem to have no problems. There are lots of girls that start bird watching now, but they are still in strong minority. My experience is that some male watchers are pretty macho when they meet in the draft or in social media. Although many bird watchers are not like this, so it is a part that is both racist and sexist. When I'm out in the world and birdwatchers can I always others birdwatchers who are very supportive and have respect for my experience and passion.

Again, it is worth recalling that the Mya-Rose Craig is 13 years old.

What do you think you're doing in ten years?

- I hope I have a degree in zoology and some form of master's degree in conservation or media. I would like bird watching in the whole world, to go out on expeditions to remote places and look for new or rare species. If I may, I would also shoot in the meantime, as Steve Backshall made during a trip to a volcanic valley in New Britain, that would be my dream.

Before then, Mya-Rose Craig have several other projects underway. In summer maybe bird watching in Mexico or the United States and her next project is to once again host a bird watching camp to get more young people from ethnic minorities in nature.

- I learned a lot about this last year when I got five boys from ethnic minorities to come to Camp Avalon. I realized then that there are things that conservation organizations can do to improve the situation. This is something that I really want to change because the numbers are shocking. 17% of this group visited not even a park over the past year. I wrote to the major British non-governmental nature of the organizations on this and now they help me to organize a conference June 3, 2016 on equal treatment in nature regardless of color. Kerry McCarthy, Secretary of State for the Environment Ministry, will be our keynote speaker. Since I am a teenager from an ethnic minority, I hope to be a role model for others.

It's probably the least one can say about Mya-Rose Craig.

Camp Avalon June 2015
Photograph taken by Helena Craig

About the Writer

Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig

Mya-Rose Craig is a 13 year old young birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent.

Mya-Rose is a Bristol European Green Capital Ambassador along with Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tony Juniper, Simon King, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Shaun the Sheep! See the full list of Bristol Ambassadors. She has also been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter

Race Equality in Nature Conference

This conference will take place on 3 June 2016 in Bristol http://bit.ly/1RP2fjP

Nabil at Camp Avalon 2015

In the UK, it is rare to see an ethnic minority person out in a nature reserve, even in the inner city.

People from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities do not have an equal access to nature, which has an impact on physical and mental health. We can no longer ignore the statistics, with 17% of BAME children never going to a park or playground.

This conference will bring together those from nature conservation, the environment, universities, schools etc with those who have an understanding of BAME communities, in order to identify the barriers, find practical solutions to overcoming them and creating role models.

This is the first time that this crucial subject is being addressed so please share with relevant organisations and come if you can.

If you are BAME living in the UK and interested in wildlife, nature, conservation or the environment, please can you complete this questionnaire to give us more understanding http://bit.ly/1numtom

If you live in Bangladesh and are interested in wildlife, nature, conservation or the environment, please can you complete this questionnaire to give us more understanding why Bangladeshis living here don't get into nature but those some of those in Bangladesh do http://bit.ly/1U26tbj

About the Writer

Camp Avalon is the idea of Mya-Rose Craig, who also organised the event in 2015. She is organising the 2016 camp and hopes to attract more young birders and inner city teenagers.

Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig

Friday, 4 March 2016

Questionnaire for BAME naturalists in UK

If you are Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) living in the UK and interested in wildlife, nature, conservation or the environment or knows someone in this group, please read on.

Hamza at Camp Avalon 2015

In the UK, it is rare to see an ethnic minority person out in a nature reserve, even in the inner city.

People from BAME communities for some reason rarely connect with nature. I would like BAME people with any interest in birds, wildlife, nature, conservation or the environment to complete the following questionnaire, so that we can see if there is anything that might help in encouraging others.

If you know anyone from this group, of any age, please can you ask them to complete the form and return it to me at birdgirl.uk@gmail.com. All answers will be treated as confidential.

About the Writer

Questionnaire for BAME Naturalists, Conservationists and Environmentalists

Dear fellow nature lover

I hope you don't mind me contacting you.

As you will be well aware, there are very few ethnic minority people in the UK showing an interest in birding, nature or conservation.

As you are part of that small number of ethnic minority people who are interested, in nature, I wanted to ask you some questions so that we can find out what the barriers are and whether they can be overcome.

Your answers will be treated in complete confidence as I understand these can be sensitive issues.

Please feel free to add anything you like your answers.

Please return the form to birdgirl.uk@gmail.com

Thanks

Mya-Rose Craig (Birdgirl)

Questionnaire for anyone from an ethnic minority background and interested in birding, nature or conservation.

Name

Ethnicity (including if you are dual heritage)

Are you 1st/2nd/3rd or 4th Generation

What sort of place did u grow up (for example Inner city, city suburbs, town or village?

If you did not grow up in the countryside, did you visit the countryside during

your childhood?

Growing up, did you have lots of contact with ethnic minority family or friends?

How did you become interested in nature?

How old were you when you first became interested?

Did you have a role model or someone who got you interested?

What was the response of your family and friends?

Have you managed to get another ethnic minority person interested through your interest?

What do think are the barriers to ethnic minority people getting into nature or wildlife?

How do you think promotional materials can be targeted towards ethnic minority communities to increase their interest or involvement or state if you do not think this would help?

Can you give details of any ethnic minority people you know who are interested in nature, so that we can contact them?

Is there anything else you want to add?

Questionnaire for Naturalists living in Bangladesh

If you live in Bangladesh and are interested in wildlife, nature, conservation or the environment or know someone in this group, please read on.

Hamza at Camp Avalon 2015

In the UK, it is rare to see an ethnic minority person out in a nature reserve, even in the inner city.

People from ethnic minority communities (like British Bangladeshi's) for some reason rarely connect with nature.

I would like anyone living in Bangladesh and with any interest in birds, wildlife, nature, conservation or the environment to complete the following questionnaire, so that we can see if there is anything that might help in encouraging Bangladeshis here in the UK.

If you know anyone from this group, of any age, please can you ask them to complete the form and return it to me at birdgirl.uk@gmail.com. All answers will be treated as confidential.

About the Writer

Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig

Dear fellow nature lover

I hope you don't mind me contacting you.

As you will be well aware, there are very few Bangladeshi people showing an interest in birding, nature or conservation. In the UK, the numbers are even lower.

As you are part of that growing number of people living in Bangladesh who are interested, in nature, I wanted to ask you some questions so that we can find out what the barriers are and whether they can be overcome.

Your answers will be treated in complete confidence as I understand these can be sensitive issues.

Please feel free to add anything you like your answers.

Please return the form to birdgirl.uk@gmail.com by 26 May 2016.

Thanks

Mya-Rose Craig (Birdgirl)

Questionnaire for anyone living in Bangladesh and interested in birding, nature or conservation.

Name

Address

E-mail

Facebook

Ethnicity/Religion (including if you are mixed heritage)

What is the background of your family? For example, do older people in your family have degrees or professional jobs? Are they in an upper, middle or lower socio economic group? Are they well off, middle or lower income?

What sort of place did u grow up (for example city centre, city suburbs, town or village?

If you did not grow up in the countryside, did you visit the countryside during your childhood?

In your childhood, were you taken into nature (somewhere with grass or trees) such as a park or green area?

If so, how often?

Were you allowed to run around with free play or was your play organised, such as playing cricket or football?

Growing up, did you have lots of contact with ordinary/less educated Bangladeshi family and friends who influenced you?

How did you become interested in nature?

How old were you when you first became interested?

Did you have a role model or someone who got you interested?

What was the response of your family and friends?

Have you managed to get another person interested through your interest?

What do think are the barriers to Bangladeshi people getting into nature or wildlife?

How do you think promotional materials can be targeted to increase people’s interest or involvement or state if you do not think this would help?

Can you give details of anyone else you know in Bangladesh who are interested in nature, so that we can contact them?

Is there anything else you want to add?

Thursday, 25 February 2016

Camp Avalon - Hamza

Camp Avalon 2015 had 5 ethnic minority boys attend from central Bristol. This is about one of them.

Hamza was 16 years old and had just finished his GCSE's when he came to Camp Avalon 2015.

He had never camped before and never attended anything that was related to nature or the outdoors. He is from central Bristol and does not know any ethnic minority people into nature.

He enjoyed the weekend and event said that he might attend again in 2017. It was challenging for him at times, as it was hard to know how to find nature interesting. However, over the weekend the people helping on the camp did manage to capture his imagination.

Hamza one from the right

Hamza

Hamza on the far left

Hamza on the far right

The weekend was not easy for Hamza, but he did get involved in nature and could see how it could be interesting. He was really interested in the flight speed of a Peregrine, particularly when it was compared to a Formula One racing car. He particularly enjoyed the ringing (banding), wildlife photography and bird sketching.

About the writer

Camp Avalon is the idea of Mya-Rose Craig, who also organised the event in 2015. She is organising the 2016 camp and hopes to attract more young birders and inner city teenagers.

Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig

Mya-Rose Craig is a 13 year old young birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent.

Mya-Rose is a Bristol European Green Capital Ambassador along with Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tony Juniper, Simon King, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Shaun the Sheep! See the full list of Bristol Ambassadors. She has also been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter

Sunday, 31 January 2016

Interview for Indiana Young Birder's Club

Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig in Queensland, Australia
Photograph taken by and copyright Helena Craig

At the end of last year I gave an interview to Indiana Young Birders' Club for their magazine, The Warbler which was published in their Fall Edition, http://bit.ly/23kiPBa

It was really interesting talking to young birder, Mathias Benko and hearing about the birding he gets up to. The young birder scene is so much bigger and more developed in the USA, we have a lot we can learn over here where things are only just taking off. I suppose the USA is so much bigger, it's understandable. Looking at the state of Indiana, it is exactly the same size as the whole of the UK, including all four countries.

Maybe, so that our young birders have similar opportunities, we should start looking at young birders groups within Europe rather than just here in the UK.

So, Mya-Rose, where are you from and how old are you?

My name is Mya-Rose Craig (a.k.a. Birdgirl), and I'm 13 years old. I live in the countryside near Bath and Bristol, Somerset in the South West of the UK.

How did you first become interested in birds?

My Mom and Dad were birders as well as my big sis Ayesha. They carried on birding after I was born, just taking me with them everywhere they went. So, birding was something that I grew up with. When I was four, it was time for me to decide for myself. At that stage, my sister was a really cool sixteen-year-old, and I wanted to do everything she wanted to do. That was when I decided that nature and birds were what I cared about and what I wanted to do. I became obsessed pretty quickly after that.

I was four when I went on my first world birding trip, which was to South Africa for four weeks. That was an awesome trip. As well as seeing birds like African Penguin and Ostrich, I was stalked by a lioness and her cubs in Kruger National Park, charged by a hippo when we got between it and water in Ndumo National Park, and almost fell into the high Sani Pass when we skidded towards a precipice on the way to Lesotho.

Do you have a favorite bird? Or birds? Why?

My favourite bird in the world is Southern Cassowary, which we saw in Queensland, Australia. They are blue and red on the head, can get to 6 feet tall, and are closely related to dinosaurs. They have a sharp hook on each foot that with one kick could kill you. We saw five in all, including 2 young birds being looked after by their dad.

What do your friends and family think about your love of birds and birding?

My immediate family shares my passion for birds, so we can do everything together. We go away for the summer trying to see as many of the birds in that country as possible. It is really hard work, as we often bird 6 AM to 6 PM and also sometimes go night birding in the evening, but I love it.

My wider family tries to be a bit supportive especially since I've been writings blogs, though not many of them read what I write. In the end though, they don't like it if we prioritise birding above seeing them.

My close friends have been at school with me since I was four years old. I was in a 2010 BBC documentary called Twitchers: A Very British Obsession, which my teacher showed everyone at school. My close friends watched that, so they know I'm a birder, but they don't show any interest in what I get up to. A couple of months ago, I was interviewed on BBC Springwatch, but even though I told them, none of them watched it. When another friend was on Junior Bake Off, everyone watched it and made a fuss of her. It might just be that because I've been on TV and Radio a few times already, so it's nothing special any more.

I don't really talk about birding to other people at school or my after school clubs like dance and scouts as they would think it's nerdy. As I appear in the local papers, some people still know I'm into birds. So, sometimes, if I'm being teased, I'll say "Well, I've earnt £250 for writing an article that only took half a day to write. What have you earnt?" That shuts them up!

I have heard that your life list is quite impressive. Exactly how many species of birds have you seen?

Some people think that if you keep a bird list, you somehow don't care about the birds or conservation. I think that when you tell someone your list, what you are really doing is encapsulating in a number how many years of birding you have done and how hard you have birded.

So, on that basis, my British List is 450. 400 used to be the number people tried to get to but now it's 500. I reached 400 when I was 9 years old, beating my sister's record of 12 years old. I saw my 450th bird recently when I was 13 years old, which was a Black Stork.

I got to 3000 when I was 11 years old in Queensland, Australia with Regent Bowerbird a beautiful black and yellow bird. Bowerbirds make bowers or displays to attract the female and are often plain looking. This is one of the exceptions as it is really beautiful and builds a wooden structure out of sticks. The photograph of me feeding Crimson Rosella was taken straight afterwards.

Then, I saw my 4000th bird this summer in East Africa. We visited Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya. My 4,000th bird was Red-throated Tit, which I saw on my first morning of birding in Kenya. I think I'm the youngest person to see 4,000 birds but if it's you, let me know.

I'd like to see 5,400 birds before I'm 18 years old, just because it would be amazing to see half the birds of the world by then.

I also fell in love with hummingbirds on my first trip to South America when we went to Ecuador in 2010. I saw a Sword-billed Hummingbird on my second day there, and I was like "OMG, that is cool, I want to see all of them!” I have now seen exactly half of all the hummingbirds of the world, 170 out of 340. Some are very rare and endangered, so seeing them all will take a lot of dedication and focus and is still likely to be impossible.

What is the coolest bird you’ve ever seen?

That is so hard! Probably Sword-billed Hummingbird. Its bill is longer than its body, and when it's hovering and feeding on nectar, it looks impossible. I have made some hand printed Birdgirl T-shirts that have a Sword-billed Hummingbird on the front. So, it is the bird that represents me.

Who is someone in the birding or environmental world you would consider to be your mentor?

Unfortunately, I don't have anyone who is a mentor to me, apart from my parents and sister who are very supportive and also care a lot about the world. We talk a lot about birds, animals, conservation, environmental issues, and human rights (which are often linked to environmental issues. For example, the rights of indigenous people.) Birding around the world, I have witnessed environmental disasters as well as successful conservation projects. Seeing this kind of thing first-hand has made me want to do and say what I can, and I strive to be a real activist.

In terms of being inspired, there are quite a few people who have inspired me: Sir Peter Scott (who set up WWT and WWF and son of the Antarctic explorer Captain Scott), Sir David Attenborough (for bringing wildlife and conservation to the masses), Bill Oddie (a 1970's comedian and birder who brought birding and live nature programmes to our screens), and Steve Backshall (presenter of CBBC's Deadly 60, which introduced my generation to special animals). He has also been on expeditions to remote places, looking for new species.

I'm lucky because the BBC Natural History Unit, which makes all of these programmes, is based in Bristol where I live. A lot of people who work there live in my area, the Chew Valley.

Where is your favorite place to bird?

I actually love birding at my local patch, Chew Valley Lake, where I also go bird banding at a banding station. I like seeing the changes over the year and the excitement of scarce birds, including American shorebirds like Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher.

I write a monthly column for my local paper, The Chew Valley Gazette, where I suggest birds for people to look out for at the lake that month. Lots of people at the BBC read my column, which is amazing.

The favourite place I've birded is Bolivia. The altiplano is on a huge scale, the habitats are varied, the area has been not been as affected by habitat destruction, and the people are genuine and welcoming. Our guide, Sandro, was from an indigenous tribe deep in the Amazon, and only ten years ago used to be a hunter wearing a loincloth.

The birds were also brilliant and beautiful, although purely on bird numbers, you can see more in neighbouring Peru.

Do you have a bird you would like to see as soon as possible?

The bird I would like to see most in the world is a Harpy Eagle. It's one of the biggest eagles in the world and lives in South America. I think we'd have to make a special trip in the spring to Venezuela or Brazil whilst a chick is still on the nest to see one, though.

What is your favorite field guide?

The best field guide for Britain is the Collins Guide. It's actually a fantastic field guide with amazing illustrations by Lars Johnson.

I also use the Sibley North America field guide, which is useful for the regular North American rarities that we get in the UK.

Do you like to take pictures or draw sketches of the birds you see?

I try and take photographs of birds I see. I either use a bridge camera or digiscope using my iPhone. I'd like a better camera to use when I'm world birding, but anything decent is too heavy for me to carry all day everyday. Also, when we are birding abroad, we are usually on a tight schedule, so there isn't time to spend ages getting good shots.

I would like to draw birds better and went to a sketching workshop at Camp Avalon, a young birders’ camp that I arranged in June. Hopefully, this has improved my technique.

How many continents and countries have you been to?

I have been to six continents but will be going to Antarctica, my seventh continent, at Christmas.

I have been to 29 countries, but I will have been to 33 by the end of the year.

I would really like to do more birding in North America as I have only spent a day there.

Tell us about what you have done to promote conservation efforts.

Talking about conservation projects is really important to me. I try and highlight these projects through my blog, giving talks, and publicising them in the media.

One of these projects is protecting shorebirds (especially the Spoon-billed Sandpiper), particularly in Bangladesh where my Mom's family is from. I travelled there earlier this year to survey them, give a talk, and do interviews on TV, Radio and national papers.

I have also promoted shorebird conservation through Wader Quest, and by being Ambassador of the Global Conservation Initiative, World Shorebirds Day.

Last year, following an oil spill in the Sundarbans in Bangladesh (the world's largest mangrove and home of the rare Masked Finfoot and Bengal Tiger), I worked hard to promote the disaster, writing about it in the ABA Blog, and raising approximately $30,000.

I write regular blog posts about conservation issues on subjects like palm oil, GMOs, the decline of bees, and fox hunting. I am also addressing a climate change rally on 29th November 2015, which is one of many rallies around the world in the lead up to the UN Climate Change talks in Paris. It would be great if as many people as possible attended a rally.

What do you think is the most important thing we can do to protect the environment?

There are so many issues going on in the world, but if I had to choose one to stop completely, it would be habitat destruction on land and sea. I have seen the impact of logging, cattle farming, palm oil, and fishing globally.

However, in Europe, lots of terrible things are happening that will remove the protection of habitat in place now. Bigger than that is the proposed TTIP trade agreement being negotiated between the European Union and the United States of America. This will allow American companies to sue our governments directly if, for example, they don't like an environmental law put in place that reduces their profits. This is what companies can do in America already, and the same tactics have been used by chemical companies to stop the States from bringing in legislation for GMO labelling of food.

Do you want to make conservation your life?

I would like to carry on birding but as well as that, yes, I would like to concentrate on conservation. At the moment, I hope to study Zoology at University and then go on expeditions to remote countries, looking for rare species and how they are doing, and then working out what conservation plan is needed to save them and how that can be implemented. If this is filmed along the way to raise awareness, that would be great.

Is there a certain environmentalist that you look up to?

I think that U.S. Actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Mark Ruffallo are really important for publicising environmental issues. The recent Vivienne Westwood project by actors to save the Arctic was inspiring.

In the UK, I respect Tony Juniper (former Executive Director of Friends of the Earth UK) and George Monbiot (a writer and columnist for leftwing Guardian Newspaper).

Do you have any advice for the young birders reading this?

I would just say follow your passion. Nothing in birding or conservation is fair, and people will tell you along the way what you should or shouldn't do. Hear what they say, but do what you want. Being a young birder is the time to enjoy yourself. It's not a competition; it is meant to be fun.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

Just thanks for asking to interview me, and I hope to make it over to your conference next year.

About the Writer

Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig