Reading · Birding with BillBow

Hope. That’s the word that kept coming to mind as I spoke with my latest Ten Birding Questions guest, Wayne Klockner of the American Birding Association.

Before joining the ABA as Executive Director in 2023, Wayne spent nearly four decades working in conservation, most notably with The Nature Conservancy. I could have spent the entire show mining Wayne’s deep knowledge of conservation, and as we talked, it occurred to me that hope is the superpower of a conservationist, who recognizes massive problems like declining bird populations, habitat degradation, and climate change and decides to do something about it. But more than that—to keep doing something about it, in spite of obstacles, setbacks, and myriad other frustrations, all while knowing they may not see the fruits of their labor in their lifetime. Takes hope to play the long game, and I wanted to tap into that sense of hopefulness. Turns out I had no choice—it pervaded our entire talk, wherein we discuss—

Wayne’s humble birding origins in rural Maryland with an incomplete field guide and a spyglass.
The paved demise of his original birding patches and how that sparked a life in conservation.
Corridor conservation, community-based conservation, and some of his favorite conservation success stories.
The past, present, and future of birding and the American Birding Association’s role in an increasingly diverse and inclusive hobby.
Whether we’re experiencing a new Golden Age of birding (spoiler alert—we are).
How to stay hopeful in the midst of declining bird populations, and the way nature is ready to bounce back when we give her a chance.
Two ABA Area bucket list birds.

Optimism is infectious, and I came away from our conversation with a renewed belief in the power of birds to bring people together, and to make conservationists of anyone who, for whatever reason, really notices a bird for the first time, like Wayne did a Dark-eyed Junco when he was a fledgling birder of 11 or 12 years old.

I also came away excited about the direction the ABA is headed with Wayne at the helm. I’m kind of an ABA geek, and Wayne’s determination to steer the organization in a way that caters to young and experienced birders in a mutually beneficial way has me confident that the ABA will ride the current birding spirit of diversity and inclusivity to horizons never imagined when it was formed in 1968. I truly believe that birding is for everyone, and after talking with Wayne for more than an hour, my assertion that birds can save the world has only been reinforced.

Finally, in following up with Wayne via email about when he saw his first Horned Lark, the ABA’s Bird of the Year for 2026, I learned that one of his early mentors was the great Charles Henry Rogers, the Princeton ornithologist who was one of 27 participants in the first-ever Christmas Bird Count on December 25, 1900. What a legacy to inherit, and perhaps that early mentorship is what imbued Wayne with such a generous spirit when it comes to his mission to make birding better for everyone.

I confess I struggled with time management during this interview. I found it challenging to move on from each question, and more so to toggle between the three major subjects we addressed—Wayne’s birding life, his career in conservation, and his stewardship of the ABA. Three episodes packed into one is how I’m looking at it. Here’s hoping we did them at least partial justice.

That’s all for this month. Are you a member of the American Birding Association (if not, what are you waiting for?). Are you hopeful about the future of bird populations and nature conservation? How are you looking to enhance your birding experience, and what role can the ABA play? Mentorship? Identification help? Travel advice? Personally, I’d love to learn more about what I can do as an individual to promote conservation in (and attract birds to!) my immediate surroundings. Leave your ideas for Wayne in the comments!👇

Ten Birding Questions, with Wayne Klockner

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