Organizations Collaborate to Host 2017 Community Celebrations
Tour participants will see a wide variety of bird species and have a great chance to explore the slough system with expert guides. Tours are designed to accommodate both new and experienced birders and people of all ages. Several of the tours will be offered are bilingual. In addition to migratory birds, tour participants can expect to be treated to a variety of birds in their colorful breeding plumage or making interesting breeding calls, like Red-winged Blackbirds, Ruddy Ducks, and American Bitterns.
The community is invited to attend the following events to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day 2017:
- Nanci Adams will lead a walk along the paved East Struve Slough trail that is wheelchair accessible and will see some of our restoration work in progress.
- Hugo Ceja’s walk is bi-lingual and will take us across Department of Fish and Wildlife lands to West Struve Slough. Hugo’s tour requires walking over some uneven terrain and is a great venture out into one of the more wild areas of the Watsonville Slough System.
Both trips meet at Fitz Wetlands Education Resource Center located at Pajaro Valley High School at 500 Harkins Slough Road, Watsonville. Get Map/Directions. Wear layers, bring binoculars, hat, sunscreen, and water.
1 to 4 p.m.: Bi-lingual Family Fun Activities sponsored by the City of Watsonville Nature Center. Activities include: Bird Beak Buffet: an indoor interactive game about beak adaptations. Cut and decorate a beautiful bird mask, complete with feathers, wetland bird coloring sheets, bird puzzle and books. Snacks, too!
Address: 30 Harkins Slough Road, Watsonville, CA 95076. Call 831-768-1622 for more information.
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International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD), which is celebrated in May, was created in 1993 by visionaries at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. From 1995 to 2006, the program was under the direction of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Because of its consistent growth, IMBD is now the premier education project of Environment for the Americas.
This year’s theme is: “Stopover Sites: Helping Birds Along the Way”, because when birds migrate between nesting and wintering sites, they don’t just stop anywhere; they rely on a handful of resource-rich and strategically located sites where they may double their body weight as they acquire the energy-rich fat stores needed to fly thousands of miles across continents and oceans. These places are known as stopover sites.
The wetlands along the Central Coast, including Watsonville Wetlands, provide crucial habitat for migrating and resident birds. The goal of IMBD is to connect people to nature through birds and to help people understand the importance of bird and habitat conservation.
Now in its 27th year, IMBD continues to focus attention on one of the most important and spectacular events in the life of a migratory bird — its journey between summer and winter homes. Today, IMBD is celebrated in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Central America. We invite you to join us in this important celebration!
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To learn more about IMBD and EFTA, visit www.migratorybirdday.org
To learn more about Watsonville Wetlands Watch, visit www.watsonvillewetlandswatch.org
To learn more about City of Watsonville Nature Center, visit www.cityofwatsonville.org