Bill Young's Nature Essays and Articles

Bill Young is a writer who lives in Kensington, Maryland, and he is the co-creator of the MPNature website with Ashley Bradford. For many years, Bill sent out daily reports during the spring about the birds at Monticello Park. His reports sometimes included additional information that would be of interest to birders who visited the park. These reports were the inspiration for the creation of the MPNature website.

His book The Fascination of Birds: From the Albatross to the Yellowthroat was published by Dover Publications in 2014. He also wrote Cuma's Voice: An Environmental Utopia, which imagines a world based on principles of environmental sustainability. His YouTube channel has had well over a million views, and his Flickr site contains photos he has taken during his travels to many corners of the world. He has taught classes about birds and environmental issues for the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, and he frequently gives presentations to other birding and nature groups.

Bill was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. He developed an interest in birds while he was still in elementary school. A neighbor who had retired from his job used to take him on birding trips. On one clear November day, Bill was at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware where he saw and heard tens of thousands of Canada Geese and Snow Geese filling the sky. The experience left an impression which has stayed with him through the years.

His primary ornithological interest is bird behavior. His favorite bird author is Alexander Skutch, whom he met in 1997. When Dr. Skutch died in 2004, Bill wrote a lengthy obituary about him for the Audubon Naturalist Society newspaper. He has also made a video about Dr. Skutch.

Below are essays that Bill has written about natural history as well as articles that quote him.

Essays:

• Magic Mushrooms
• Bird Migration
• The Effects of Climate Change on Birds, Insects, and Plants
• Clothing Color and Birds
• Warbler Vocalizations
• Preferred Foraging Levels of Warblers
• Mnemonic for Remembering Monticello Warblers
• Pronunciation

Articles:

• Bill Young in 7-5-22 article about Monticello Park in the Washington Post
• Bill Young on Bird Banter Podcast (#130)
• Interview with Bill Young about Monticello Park in Alexandria Living
• Deutsche Welle Article about Bird Migration, with quote from Bill Young