Oscar Thomas is speaking at the monthly meeting of Birds BOP tonight.

Still only 18, Oscar was the recipient of Forest & Bird's 2017 Youth Award. During 2016, he orchestrated a successful Bird of the Year campaign to win the vote for the kōkako for the first time. The kōkako won with 3600 votes, 1000 more than the second placed kea.

Oscar's campaign culminated in being interviewed by Carolyn Robinson on One's Seven Sharp.

A regular guide since 2015 on the Hauraki Gulf island sanctuary Tiritiri Matangi, Oscar also makes regular pelagic (ocean-going) trips to observe seabirds. His favourite highlight so far was his visit to the Chatham Islands, which will be the topic of his Birds BOP talk this evening.

Fast becoming an authority on anything bird, Oscar will take this knowledge to Belgium for a year in 2019.

Birds BOP meets at the Brain Watkins Hall behind the Brain Watkins House on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Cameron Road. The meeting starts at 7pm.