Colleague at work who knows that I quite liked looking at birds, sent me an article from the US based website Salon dot com with the title birding is Punk, and it looked at a very noticeable phenomenon of increasingly younger people moving into bird watching as a hobby as a pastime, is a way of destressing, as a way of getting away from screens and all that sort of thing.

And I have a very limited understanding of what's happening in the Southern African birding scene.

But what understanding I do have is that there are younger birders coming, and they're coming in in their early teens.

Mike Buckham, about with whom I've spoken a lot about birding, a chair of the Western Cape Bird Club, has four children who from a very very early age were going birding and loving it and still do.

They've just gone back from a two week trip to Tanzania where that it's some really hardcore birding, and and I know I know of people around the Wilderness area fourteen fifteen sixteen year olds who are well not only very interested but really good.

As a young fellow here in Katon called Olie Maine, who has in the space of a year and a bit, maybe two years, gone from an absolute novice to somebody whose opinion on bird idea is taken very seriously by people who've been in the birding world for a long time.

John Kinghorn joins US now Avy Tourism project manager at BirdLife s A Hollo John.

Evening, John, what a pleasure it is to be on your show this evening.

Thanks very much.

I mean, is there any statistical evidence that backs up my gut feel that South Africa is not different from the US in many more younger people getting very keen on birding.

John, I mean, birding the worldwide is busy growing and growing at such a rapid rate.

It's one of the fastest growing hobbies in fact the world over, both in the United States and in South Africa.

And you know, by implication, that means that younger people are start to get more interested.

And in an age of technology where where resources and social media all just helped facilitate everything and experata at all, it's just growing.

And then it's booming even on South African soil.

As you violated.

The American article that I referenced said that at least part of this growth was as a result of COVID because there was so little that one could do.

One couldn't go and be with people in a club or where you might a'm all where you might normally have hung out.

And so people, young people got into nature and they looked around and they said, what's that interesting looking red bird over there?

And they see somebody who binocolis says, so what's that?

Oh it's a red cardinal?

A red what a red cardinal?

And so it grows from something like that.

Do you think the same dynamic might have been at Plains South Africa?

Yeah, no, definitely it is the case.

I mean, COVID expertanted a lot of things, many negatives, but you know there were some positive things that came out of the whole situation, John, And you know, ultimately, like I said, social media played a big role here.

Funny enough.

You know, content creators focusing on you know, nature based sort of recreational activities ended up putting our contents out there which was all linked to conservation and getting outside and exploring nature.

And obviously birds and birds are you know, because they're so fascinating of this gateway into becoming a broader creating a broader interest in every aspect of nature because they're so interconnected into every component of nature as a whole.

So certainly I think that you know, COVID forced people to look outdoors, to spend time more time outdoors and for those even youngsters that were perhaps alluded to their phone or social media or televisions may have had their eyes opened to live virtual safaris or content being created that just show case style natural world.

So all expertating at all.

Does Goodlife Essay have any programs focused specifically on young people.

Oh, we do, and it's called the Empowering People Program.

Obviously many programs under the Conservation Division at bird Last, South Africa, but the Empowering People's Program is unique and that has an environmental education and awareness project components, and that's targeted to schools both in rural communities in Quazilia Hotel, Bukistrom's Kenny in southern Guazilia Metel, but also in Johannesburg Central and using birds as at conduit for a greater environmental message through the uses of educational materials which we've co developed with Scythians College and also a wide range of other industry experts who's contributed towards creating you know, something really exciting for these youngsters to help them along their journey in understanding birds.

And you know, knowing that protect nature is so important.

In my diary.

To do when I get home tonight is to buy some tickets for the BirdLife Essay annual raffle, which as the prize fully paid two week birding in Ecuador and Ecuador probably second only to Columbia as the best birding destination in South America and one of the top five top ten birding destinations globally.

And it's in a company of Rock Jumper, a company started by two South Africans, Adam Riley and Jonathan Rousseau.

I mean, it's an extraordinary prize.

And John, one of the delights of this is you only sell a thousand tickets.

They cost six hundred and fifty rand, but you only sell a thousand and those are as raffles go not bad odds.

No, definitely, And you know, you know, John, as an MPO, were constantly looking for innovative ways in which we can generate funds for the organization and you know, all the crucial conservation worth it we're involved in.

This is one of those ways, and we're fortunate to have key relationships with organizations and companies such as you've indicated rock Jumper Worldwide Burning Tours, and this is one of those collaborate collaborations we have with rock Jumper, and for a very minor price in the greater scheme of things, given that the prize is worth one hundred and fifty thousand grand And you're quite right in that a simple purchasing of a ticket or if you boy client to purchase more, can get you some additional entries into this raffle.

And yes, you'll be if you are successful in winning, you'll then head all the way to the Eastern Andes within Ecuador, and this is an opportunity to bird one of the world's most renowned birding destinations.

But you know, I think you mentioned it being one of the best burning destinations in the world.

I think maybe a little bit biased here, but South Africa is still a ran is the best burning destination.

Yeah, familiar to us, so we sort of downplay it a bit, and it would be Birdlifeessay dot org, dotz A and then follow the links with it one hundred percent.

So you could go to birdlof dot org, dot Ford, slash jackpot, dash Birding, and all the relevant instructions are there.

You simply follow the prompts and it should be over in a matter of minutes and you sit back, relax and cross.

Your cross fingers and hope.

Yeah, I haven't won yet, but my might this year.

John Kinghorn, Avy tourism project manager at BirdLife, s A, uh, yeah, it's you've got a one in one thousand, or a two or a four in a thousand to any enemy tickets you take, not bad odds, and what a wonderful prize.

And if you don't win, you've made a contribution to really important conservation efforts.