Monroe Twp. Girl Competes In 'World Series Of Birding'

MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ — While most New Jersey kids equate spring with Little League season, Emma Price and Etan Zeller recently competed in the actual World Series ... of birding. On Saturday, May 6, birders of all ages swarmed to New Jersey, known as the “superhighway” of bird migration, to compete in New Jersey Audubon’s 34th World Series of Birding.

And Emma, a 13-year-old Monroe Township girl, is one of them. This young lady has been bird watching since she was all of five years old.

"I love birding because it's fun! There are so many birds and always a new one to see," Emma said. "I remember the first bird I ever identified was a Junco who was eating bird seed in my backyard. I became more serious about birding when I was eight and took my first trip to the Cape May Autumn Birding Festival."

Emma says she loves "doing anything outdoors."

"Especially fishing and birding. I enjoy photographing birds and other wildlife. I like playing my guitar and hanging out with my three pets; my dog Peyton, and my two cats Tommy and Callie," she said. "I also spend time drawing, writing short stories and making fishing videos."

Emma competed in the youngest category of birders, whose members range from ages 6-18. Etan is from Westfield. He competed with an official team called "The Millennial Falcons," a high-school aged team of youth birders. Last year they identified a total of 160 bird species. This year, they placed sixth in their division, finding a total of 142 species. They were also one of the top fundraisers.

The World Series of Birding wrapped up in Cape May Point State Park at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and there was an awards ceremony on Sunday.

Recognized as the country's largest and most prestigious birding competition, teams have up to 24 hours to identify as many bird species as they can within New Jersey using an app designed especially for the event. Raising money for critically needed conservation priorities, the World Series of Birding gives bird nerds of all experience levels a chance to put their skills to use for a good cause.