Year of the Bird celebration to feature games, demos and tours April 28-29
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, McHenry County Conservation District, Friends of Hackmatack NWR and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will host bird banding demos and loads of activities for kids and adults to learn more about birds in Ringwood, Ingleside, and Genoa City, Wis.
Dodge tall buildings and escape from a cat, "Compete in JeopBirdy" and "Bird Bingo"! Look through a spotting scope, learn how to use binoculars and go on a 10-minute bird walk. Make a model bird and "Join the Flock."
These are just some of the 20-plus fun activities in celebration of birds at World Migratory Bird Days to be held in northeast Illinois and southeast Wisconsin.
2018 is the Year of the Bird and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, McHenry County Conservation District, Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are once again bringing a worldwide celebration of birds to the Illinois-Wisconsin state line region.
Participants are invited to complete activities and win prizes: the more activities completed, the more prizes won, up to a pair of 7 x 35 binoculars as part of "Backpacks for Birding," free for every child, age 6 to 14 who completes at least 14 of the 20-plus fun activities.
On Saturday, April 28, the Glacial Park's Lost Valley Visitor Center at Route 31 and Harts Road in Ringwood including bird banding by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologists from 8 to 10:30 a.m. and activities all morning long from 8 a.m. to noon.
On Sunday, April 29, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service bird banding demonstrations from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at Ducks Unlimited's Hackmatack NWR site, N541 County Hwy. H, Genoa City, Wisconsin.
Or enjoy more fun activities from noon to 4 p.m. at Volo Bog State Natural Area at 28478 W. Brandenburg Road, Ingleside.
Volo Bog also offers tours at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. both days.
Locally, World Migratory Bird Days is a cooperative between the IDNR, MCCD, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, Friends of Volo Bog, and McHenry County Audubon, along with approximately 40 volunteers, and nearly a dozen additional partners and sponsors.
On both mornings, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wildlife biologists will be capturing and leg banding birds before releasing them back into the wild. As they weigh and check the health of each bird, participants will get to see these unique creatures up close.
This year features a special prize, "Backpacks for Birding." Donated to the events in memory of young birder Zachary Brokaw who died in an auto accident in 2015, the packs were created by his mom, in partnership with McHenry County Audubon, to keep Zach's memory alive and inspire the next generation of young birders. Each pack contains a pair of 7 by 35 binoculars, a bird book, a hummingbird ring and other bird-related items. The backpacks will be distributed free to the first 75 children ages 6 to 14 who complete 14 activities at Glacial Park or Volo Bog State Natural Area. One pack per child.
Coordinated throughout the Americas by Environment for the Americas, World Migratory Bird Days aim to bring people together around a common cause - the conservation of birds and their habitats.
In a groundbreaking accord between Environment for the Americas, the Convention on Migratory Species, and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds, International Migratory Bird Day was combined with World Migratory Bird Day into a unified, global effort to be called World Migratory Bird Day. This campaign will be organized around an annual conservation theme, which in 2018 is the "Year of the Bird."
Environment for the Americas will maintain its focus on the Western Hemisphere, working to engage communities at schools, parks, natural areas, museums, and other venues from Argentina to Canada and the Caribbean and to highlight the easy, everyday actions that people can take to help migratory birds. During Year of the Bird, Environment for the Americas will also celebrate its new partnership and the amplifying effect that unifying the world's voices for bird conservation under a single event will have.
"Birds do not recognize political boundaries, so their conservation depends on our joint efforts at the many habitats they need for nesting, migratory stopovers, and wintering grounds," explains Susan Bonfield, executive director of Environment for the Americas. "This partnership represents our desire to work together for the benefit of migratory birds around the globe."
2018 also marks another milestone: the 25th anniversary of International Migratory Bird Day. "We are excited to celebrate this landmark occasion as we continue to expand our work for bird conservation," Bonfield says.
Based in Boulder, Colorado, Environment for the Americas works with diverse partners to provide bilingual educational materials and information about birds and bird conservation throughout the Americas. Their programs inspire children and adults to get outdoors, learn about birds, and participate in their conservation.
The Convention on Migratory Species is an environmental treaty that provides a global platform for the conservation of migratory animals and sustainable use of their habitats. The treaty unites the regions through which migratory animals pass and lays the legal foundation for coordinated conservation measures throughout their range.
The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds is a treaty devoted to the conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitats across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Central Asia, Greenland, and Canada. Its goal is to coordinate the conservation and management of migratory waterbirds across their entire range.