Two annual events that celebrate birds occur this year on Saturday, May 10, and you can participate.
Global Big Day brings together people who care about birds and contribute to the effort to understand how bird populations are faring worldwide. Every year the number of participants increases. Last year, a new world record was set when more than 63,000 people entered checklists of the birds they saw on Global Big Day.
Adding to this important dataset is easy. Simply list the bird species and numbers of each that you see in any location and enter your data on ebird.org. You may count for as little as 10 minutes anytime between midnight and midnight on May 10 to participate. Count birds at your home or submit a list from your favorite location to watch birds. Every bird counts.
If you are new to ebird, visit ebird.org to learn how to set up an account.
Also occurring on Saturday, May 10, is World Migratory Bird Day. The goal of this global effort is to raise the awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. Migratory birds rely on good habitat at their winter homes, along the paths of their spring and fall journeys, and in their summer breeding areas to survive. They may travel through several countries each year.
The theme of this year’s Migratory Bird Day is “Shared Spaces.”
The day is dedicated to creating bird-friendly cities and communities. Urban development and other human activities pose survival challenges to birds and other wildlife who share the earth with us.
In addition to urging area officials and developers to utilize bird-friendly practices in new planning, there are simple actions that you can take to protect birds. Among them are treating glass to prevent bird strikes, planting native plants in your home space, keeping cats indoors, providing clean water, eliminating pesticide use and keeping skies dark at night.
Migratory birds like western tanagers, black-headed grosbeaks, broad-tailed and black-throated hummingbirds, chipping sparrows, green-tailed towhees, Virginia’s warblers and others are arriving now to spend the summer in our area. You can take action to ensure that they find a refuge in your shared space.
