Allendale, NJ — Leica is pleased to announce that its youth birding team in the 11th Annual Great Texas Birding Classic took top honors. The Leica/American Birding Association Tropicbirds team won the Gliders Tournament, which is open to birders aged 14-18. The Leica/ABA team recorded a stunning 206 species in the Lower Coast region of Texas on Saturday, April 22, covering a range of habitats from the dry uplands around Falcon Dam to the coastal prairie near Brownsville. This youth birding team consisted of team captain Ethan Kistler of Ohio, Saraiya Ruano of Colorado, Andy Bankert of Florida and Jesse Pakkala of Ontario.
For the past 11 years during the spectacular spring migration, Texas Parks and Wildlife has sponsored this weeklong birding event. Birders from around the globe converge on the Lone Star State for fun and friendly team birding. The mission of the event is to increase appreciation, understanding and conservation of birds along the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail through education, recreation, nature tourism and conservation fundraising.
"We are very proud of these outstanding young people and pleased with the results of their efforts. It should also be recognized that their totals exceeded those of the 'winning' adult team in the same competition. Their dedication and knowledge certainly shined through during the competition," stated Terry Moore, Vice President, Leica Sport Optics. "It is our goal to bring more adults and youth into the world of birding. These four individuals are ambassadors for the sport and set a great example for our society as a whole. We are honored to have them as part of the Leica team."
Headquartered in Germany, Leica has been an acknowledged leader in the optics industry for over 150 years. Throughout that time, the company has built a solid reputation for producing high quality, durable products due to their commitment to optical perfection and mechanical precision. Visit the new Leica Web site at www.leica-camera.com/sportoptics.
EDITORS: Digital photography available upon request contact Karen Lutto at karen@luttopr.com or Kimi Herndon at kimi@luttopr.com.
Media Contact:
Karen Lutto (830) 755-4308 karen@luttopr.com or Kimi Herndon (804) 346-4309 kimi@luttopr.com