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Camilo Sanabria Grajales can still remember the bird that changed his life—the one that made him fall in love with birds. It was an Azulejo Común, or Blue-gray Tanager, that he saw when he was six years old. Grajales took a long look through a pair of borrowed binoculars, and “from then on, I started to see them with different eyes, literally. And I began to delve deeper into this world.”

Now, at age 14, Grajales is an accomplished bird photographer; he wowed the judges in the 2025 Լ����Ƶ Photography Awards, becoming the first youth prize winner from Latin America. That’s because this year’s competition stretches across the hemisphere: For the first time, residents of Chile and Colombia joined those in the United States and Canada in entering their breathtaking visuals of birdlife.

To celebrate this landmark moment, we produced something special: an issue with two covers, each featuring an award-winning image. One shows a Brandt’s Cormorant collecting nesting material in California, and the other a Ringed Kingfisher emerging from a dive in Chile. Whichever stunning cover you received illustrates an important consideration behind our decision to expand the awards: Birds transcend cultures and countries, and overcoming the challenges they face will require the attention of people everywhere.

Throughout this issue we feature efforts to inspire a fresh look at birdlife. In “Let’s Talk Turkey” we paint a frank and delightfully detailed picture of a bird deserving of greater admiration. In “Lucky Ducks” we let the Hautman brothers—the winningest family in federal duck stamp contest history—serve as your guide to the world of waterfowl art. (And in “Know Thine Enemy” we even suggest you reconsider your avian archnemesis, the squirrel.)

Several stories, including “On the Origin of Birders” and “The Birds Next Door,” spotlight initiatives aimed at inspiring new constituencies for conservation. “Early Birds,” which kicks off the Field Guide section, recognizes the particularly impactful role that children can play when their interest is sparked.

Grajales recognizes this, too. As he shared with Լ����Ƶ contributor María Paula Rubiano A. in her profile, he plans to use his photography to raise awareness of biodiversity and the importance of protecting it. He’s so committed to this goal that he recently sold a trampoline and two video game consoles in order to pay for improved gear. Grajales found that as his love of birdlife and photography grew, he was spending more time outdoors pursuing his passion—and eager to look at birds through a new lens.

This piece ran in the Fall 2025 issue. To receive our print magazine, become a member by .