Gen Z birdwatchers turn a grandma's pastime into a thriving analog movement

At 15, Ian Bell started exploring Central Park alone with binoculars and later helped launch a Discord server that now hosts over 4,000 members who trade bird sighting alerts. Federal surveys show that birdwatching among 25-to-34-year-olds has multiplied since 2016, and Cornell University’s birding club has become noticeably larger. The free Merlin app, managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, grew from roughly 279,000 U.S. users in 2019 to more than 4.8 million by mid-2026, aiding beginners with the eBird database.

Christopher Wood of eBird describes the shift from a niche hobby to a popular way to connect with nature. Psychologist Jennifer Lodi-Smith’s research highlights that most young birders are drawn by personal connections and mentorship rather than a single “spark-bird” moment, a pattern echoed by mentor Robert Buckert and mentee Shawn Wallace.