Mya Bambrick wins Young Ornithologist of the Year Award

Congratulations to Communities Intern Mya Bambrick for winning the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) Young Ornithologist of the Year Award 2023

She tells Emma Chaplin a bit about it

Birdwatching wasn’t something to naturally get into as a young girl growing up in Crawley. Whilst my friends were attending gymnastics or dancing clubs, I was spending my weekends sat in hides, waiting patiently for Kingfishers and Greater Spotted Woodpeckers. I got involved with the British Trust for Ornithology at the age of thirteen through attending their residential weekends for young people, Birdcamps. This allowed me to discover a whole community of young people also fascinated with the natural world. From then I began to train as a bird ringer, write articles for wildlife magazines, and get involved with organisations like the RSPB, Sussex Ornithological Society, and Cameron Bespolka Trust. More recently, I raised over £2700 for the BTO through my ’21 Wildlife Walks’ project and have led many events for young people through my role as a Youth Representative.

With BTO being such a big part of my life, I was honoured to be contacted a few months ago with the exciting news that I had won their ‘Young Ornithologist of the Year 2023,’ in partnership with the Marsh Charitable Trust. I was honoured to accept the award at the Society of Wildlife Artists Exhibition at the Mall Galleries. It was a really special evening and a joy to celebrate with the many friends I’ve made through the BTO.