International Migratory Bird Day, 1
Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife
In the early 1990s, scientists started noticing that some populations of migratory birds were declining.
There was a concern about what these causes were, and at the same time there was considerable interest in getting the public involved in learning more about birds and their conservation.
Susan Bonfield is Executive Director of Environment for the Americas. Her non-profit coordinates International Migratory Bird Day, an event created as a direct result of scientists’ concerns over declining avian populations.
Several researchers at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird center came up with the idea of hosting a public event to get communities involved in learning about birds. And that was the origins of International Migratory Bird Day.
It is the second Saturday of May for the US and Canada, and is intended to occur during peak migration. The idea is to give folks an opportunity to see these migrants.
That doesn’t work for everyone. So, for example, in some parts of Canada it may too early, and some parts of the United States, even, it’s a little bit too late—migratory birds have already passed over.
In Texas, for example, April often offers the best opportunities for viewing these migrating species. Tomorrow: how you can celebrate birds, whether you attend an event, or stay in your own backyard.
That’s our show…with support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…working to restore wildlife habitat in Texas.
For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Copy and paste www.birdday.org into your browser to go to the official International Migratory Bird Day website.
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