While the Orioles haven’t been in the World Series of Baseball since 1983, teams of Maryland youth annually compete in the World Series of Birding. Organized in 1984 by New Jersey Audubon, this event features teams competing to identify the greatest number of birds in a 24-hour period. Although it’s billed as a competition, WSB is both educational and an opportunity for the students to connect with adult and youth birders from around the country. Maryland has sent elementary, middle, and high school teams and a carbon-free team that birds the entire day on a bicycle.
The youth birders, members of the YMOS Birding Group (part of the Maryland Ornithological Society), will share their experiences as youth birders and specifically about their participation in the World Series of Birding along with their mentor, George Radcliffe.
The Maryland Ornithological Society (MOS) is a nonprofit, statewide organization of people who are interested in birds and nature. It was founded in 1945 and incorporated in 1956 to promote the study and enjoyment of birds. MOS promotes knowledge about our natural resources, and fosters their appreciation and conservation. The Society also maintains a system of sanctuaries to encourage the conservation of birds and bird habitat, and to help record and publish observations of bird life.
George M. Radcliffe, Jr. is a retired teacher, youth birding leader, environmentalist, historian, and writer. He lives with Jackie, his wife of 54 years, and two crazy beagles on the Dorchester County (Maryland) property his family has owned since 1663. He taught science for thirty-eight years in Dorchester and Queen Anne’s County Schools. He received numerous awards, including the Presidential Award for Science Teaching (1986) and the Disney Creativity in Teaching Award (2005). He is the youth coordinator for the Maryland Ornithological Society (2000 to present), where he organizes and leads trips for youth birders around the state. He manages Spocott Farm near Cambridge, where he has implemented numerous habitat restoration projects, including several to promote Bobwhite Quail. He is also the president of the Spocott Windmill Foundation, which oversees the working post mill, museum, and accompanying village.
