Are we helping this kid? |
Pictured above is the 2013 ABA Young Birder of the Year. He looks like a bright, inquisitive, promising young naturalist. He also looks like he might have some social difficulties on the playground.
I don't mean to be judgmental, and obviously it is difficult to come to any conclusions based on a single photograph. I could be way off here. Perhaps he is well-adjusted amongst his classmates, has many friends and interests outside of birding and enjoys gym class. However my honest first impression when I looked upon this bespectacled, Tilley clad, pastel bird print t-shirt adorned kid, my reaction was that this young man is a pair of Crocs and a binocular harness away from irreparable social harm.
This young individual seems to have more than enough birding influences in his life right now. For his sake I just hope that someone is looking at the bigger picture.