Happy World Migratory Bird Day!
What a great idea, giving migrating birds a special day all their own. And the rest of us Earthlings a reminder to get out there and pay attention to what’s flooding through the neighbourhood right now, flitting about in trees, hopping on lawns, splashing in ponds, puddles and birdbaths. Some of the millions of birds taking advantage of breeding opportunities throughout the Northern Hemisphere as summer begins to unfold.
World Migratory Bird Day is set for this Saturday, May 10, right in the middle of warbler migration in North America. Good excuse and incentive to go for a leisurely walk in your favourite park or creek valley--you never walk fast when you’re birding! And maybe pick up any trash you come across along the way—might as well give back a little, eh? But many groups are planning special events featuring birds that day, and you might live near enough to join in the learning and fun.
“Shared Spaces: Creating bird-friendly cities and communities” is the theme this year, and groups around the globe are taking it to heart, arranging events in urban areas where lots of people can benefit by learning how to protect and enhance natural features there. Green spaces humans need just as much as migrating birds do.
I spent a few fascinating hours exploring the map on the official website (worldmigratorybirdday.org), dropping by street-level locations around the planet where celebrations will be held. Bangladesh is “a land of wetlands” with 208 species of migrants, for example. Most villagers in Nasirnagar are familiar with ducks that winter there, but know little about other birds that come by. The organizers aim to change that.
Folks who attend Bangkok’s “Bird Friendly Cities Day” will be drinking bird-friendly coffee as they hear about planting bird-friendly gardens, build nest boxes for owls and take nature walks in a public park. The event at Lomé, capital of Togo, on the other hand, promises “Sharing, Fund-raising, Cocktails.” Cocktails and migrating birds…? I checked the timing, and the 24-hour, midnight-to-midnight celebration might include raising a glass or two, who knows.
Many Migratory Day events include bird surveys, with observers posting their findings on eBird or other social media. Some feature contests and offer prizes; university students in Beijing who ID the most birds could win binoculars and field guides. The Tokyo site lists all kinds of contests, including storytelling and painting for the birds, while the one in Japan’s Yanago City advertises an exhibition of bird drawings by kindergarten children. I’d love to see that.
Moving across the world map provided an interesting range of languages and alphabets, though most had English subtitles. Cameroun’s program, “Les oiseaux migrateurs et leurs habitats menaces,” mentions 977 different birds that go by. Wouldn’t that be an amazing place to visit? The “Censo de Aves en el estrecho de Gibraltar” site features a riveting video of hundreds of white storks soaring over, from Africa to Europe.
I love looking at maps, and made a game of it, trying to decide, if I could magically drop by just one of the events on offer, which I would choose. I’ve never been to Lahore, or Benin, or Sardinia. Or Sarawak! So many intriguing spots to go birding, including the Fishpond Lakes in the North Banta District of Serbia…
Too many to count. I never even made it to the Americas, to learn how folks over here might be making cities bird-friendly. Hopefully spreading awareness of fatal window glass, and treatments that help migrating birds see it. And how critical it is to keep cats indoors.
Instead of off adventuring, Dennis and I will be celebrating World Migratory Bird Day in our home patch, Thickson’s Woods Nature Reserve, removing invasive buckthorn, garlic mustard and dog-strangling vine with other volunteers. But we’re starting early, at 8:00 a.m., with a walk through the woods, looking and listening for migrants. Always such a joy.
