Registration is open for the 2009 Youth Birding Competition, a statewide event that blends fun, challenges and conservation. The fourth annual competition is set for April 25-26, with a banquet and awards ceremony scheduled the evening of April 26 at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center near Mansfield. Participants can begin registering teams from kindergarteners to high school seniors as soon as today for free pre-competition birding programs, workshops and other training events. The Youth Birding Competition is also free. The registration deadline is March 31.

This bird-a-thon and conservation fundraiser is based on the World Series of Birding event in Cape May, N.J., and sponsored by the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division and The Environmental Resources Network Inc., or T.E.R.N. The competition is also growing, in interest and turnout.

“Pretty much every year has exceeded our expectations,” said competition coordinator Tim Keyes, a Wildlife Resources biologist with the division’s Nongame Conservation Section.

This past May, 126 youths from 3 to 18 years old took part. The 29 teams recorded a total of about 200 bird species and raised $3,642 for conservation in Georgia.

The competition is open to teams ranging in age from kindergarten to high school (participants compete against other teams their age, in four age divisions). Fundraising is a voluntary component. Teams can raise money to support their chosen organization on a per-bird or lump sum basis.

Youth who take part can be experienced birders or first-timers. The overall goal is to engage them in the outdoors, laying the groundwork for interest in bird and wildlife conservation. “A basic awareness is a critical first step down that road,” Keyes said.

Because there is much more to birds than simply listing them, organizers have added a “Bird Journal” activity for 2009. Participants can turn in a journal that includes sketches and observations about their experiences with Georgia’s birds. Keyes said there is no better way to learn about birds, their habits, habitats and identification than to carefully observe draw and write about them.

To also help youth learn the birds of Georgia, pre-registered teams will be paired with experienced birding mentors to meet throughout the year and take part in birding programs, workshops and other bird-related events, such as Flying Wild curriculum, Backyard Bird Counts and Christmas Bird Counts. By organizing and registering teams now, this program helps participants develop the knowledge they need to succeed in the competition.

The competition starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 25, and ends at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 26. Groups can use as much or as little of that time to count as many birds as possible throughout Georgia. Although teams may start birding anywhere in the state, they must arrive at the “finish line” at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center by 5 p.m. Sunday. While judges examine and score the final checklists, the participants will enjoy a live animal show followed by an awards banquet with prizes including new binoculars for the grand-prize winning team.

The state’s third Youth Birding Competition was held May 2-3 this year. Many teams crisscrossed the state, some starting the count at the beginning competition hour, while many others stationed themselves in one area of the state counting birds throughout the day.

Awards for the teams ranged from binoculars to field guides donated by event supporters such as Eagle Optics, Atlanta Audubon Society, Georgia Ornithological Society, Identiflyer, Softscribe and T.E.R.N, the friends group of Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section.

The T-shirt Art Contest, which started this year, will return in 2009. It is open to Georgia residents in pre-K through high school. The grand-prize artwork will appear on the 2009 Youth Birding Competition T-shirt. Other participants can win Michaels gift cards to redeem for art supplies.

Kelly Redford O’Mara, a senior at Darlington School in Rome, won the top prize among 195 entries this year. The night of the banquet, some 200 people were wearing sky-blue shirts printed with O’Mara’s painting of a blue-gray gnatcatcher.

For details on the T-shirt Art Contest, visit the Wildlife Resource Division’s Web site at www.georgiawildlife.com (click the “Get Involved” tab and the birding competition link) or contact Linda May, (770) 784-3059 or linda.may@gadnr.org.

For more information on the Youth Birding Competition, including how to register a youth team, check out the event links at www.georgiawildlife.com or contact contest coordinator Tim Keyes, (478) 994-1438 or tim.keyes@gadnr.org.

2009 Youth Birding Competition

* What: Free bird-a-thon and fundraiser for youth from kindergarten through high school.

* When: April 25-26. Registration is open. Deadline to enter: March 31.

* Where: Teams can bird anywhere in the state, but must arrive at the finish line at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield by 5 p.m. April 26.

* Also returning in ’09: T-shirt Art Contest. Details at www.georgiawildlife.com or from Linda May at (770) 784-3059 or linda.may@gadnr.org.

* Online: www.georgiawildlife.com (click the “Get Involved” tab and the birding competition link)

* Contact: Birding competition coordinator Tim Keyes, (478) 994-1438 or tim.keyes@gadnr.org.