International Migratory Bird Day and the : by Shyamala Rao

The celebrations for IMBD were held on Saturday May 11, 2013. The city and county joined the entire North American in celebrating the 10th anniversary of IMBD. It was our first time to join in and we did so with a bang! Three locations and “wild activities” for kids in each location and there were a large number of dedicated volunteers to make the event festive, fun and educational.

The three locations were The San Antonio Zoo showcasing the Whooping Crane, The Mitchell Lake Audubon Center showcasing the Painted Bunting and The Government Canyon showcasing the Golden Cheeked Warbler. Each event had wide participation and the sounds of children having a wonderful time rang forth. Sounds of laughter, squeals of delight, clapping and cheering filled the three locations with a

joie de vivre that was magical.

The events were geared towards family fun and the message conveyed was that celebrating Nature helps increase understanding the natural cycles. The annual migration of the glorious gorgeous song birds is a miracle that unfolds in front of our eyes. It fills our gardens and fields, our woods and dales with the rapture of bird song, the bringing to life a new generation of exquisite birds and in the fall the departure of our avian friends to warmer climates in central and South America.

We in Texas are fortunate to live in the Central Flyway and this means a huge number of species fly through Texas twice each year. In the Spring they come from as far south as Tierra Del Fuego and and go way up North; some birds going up all the way to the Circle. As Greg Pasztor said in the Bexar Audubon newsletter of March/April/May,” We are just a day’s flight from the coast and provide an important rest and feeding stop. Many of the birds are still recouping from the 600 mile flight over the Gulf waters and are in need of sustenance.”

If we are to continue to enjoy the birds of we must get informed about the Central Flyway and help preserve habitat, arrange for food and water so our feathered friends can rest, eat and move on to their final destinations. It is events such as IMBD which will ensure that the joyous and necessary annual migration will be helped and not hampered by human behaviors.