Photo: Snow Geese, Adit Nehra/Audubon Photography AWards
Lisa Mackem
Eighteen-year-old Adit Nehra has always loved birds. He officially started birding in 2014. Two years later, he joined Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy bird walks around the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve. On one walk, he saw a Scarlet Tanager in a bare tree, 30-40 feet above the group – a gorgeous red male with jet-black wings, singing away. It inspired him to continue birding. Later that year, Adit found his parents’ old camera, bought a telephoto lens, and began taking pictures of birds in his backyard and in local parks. This year, his photo of Snow Geese was one of the top 100 photos (see 86) in the National Audubon Society’s annual photo contest.
Adit focuses on birds because “birds are obvious and visible – the only animals I saw without much effort.” He joined Fred Atwood’s Teen Birding Club (co-sponsored by ASNV and Flint Hill School) in 2016 and also joined the ASNV Birdathon team, “The Scarlet Teenagers.” Because of Covid, the team couldn’t bird as one unit this year, so three groups spread out over several counties. Adit and his friend, Amiel Hopkins, birded at the Mason Neck Peninsula with a special focus on the Elizabeth Hartwell National Wildlife Refuge. They rode their bikes because they wanted a carbon neutral day with no vehicular emissions and they found 110-130 bird species. Together, all three groups of Scarlet Teenagers found a total of 150 species – a higher total than usual, says Adit.
Adit’s favorite place to bird is the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Rajathastan, India. He explored it in 2014 with his family, which has ancestral roots there. Locally, he enjoys Frying Pan Farm Park. “For the entire time I’ve considered myself a serious birder, I’d bike over before or after school almost every day,” says Adit. “The diversity of habitat is amazing. Some fields are fallow, there are wetlands, small ponds, forests. You can’t find that diversity in many places in Fairfax.”
Learning about birds individually and as a species helps Adit’s photography. “The camera plays a big part in how your photos turn out, but the photographer is the driving force behind a photo,” he says. Adit’s favorite birds are Barred Owls. He found a Barred Owl nest and watched these owls for three years. He learned when the owlets would fledge and photographed the adults feeding them. He also learned about Barred Owl prey and then knew where they would hunt. He even saw them fish – “just like eagles,” he says, “not something Barred Owls are known for.” He admires these owls for their ability to adapt to suburban life, taking advantage of development for their own benefit. “Getting to know an individual bird is very rewarding.”
In 8th grade, Adit read the Sibley Guide to Birds for hours every night. Now, he appreciates the variety of apps available for bird identification, but he recommends against over-reliance on technology. Adit likes regional field guides and checklists such as ASNV’s Checklist for Birds of Northern Virginia, which he considers a go-to resource.
Adit will attend the University of Miami. He will study biology with a focus on conservation and ecology, including elements of birding and photography. In addition to birding, he loves being outside, photographing all wildlife, biking, hiking, and rowing his boat around the Potomac.
Barred Owlet, Adit Nehra