Pittsburgh-area residents can learn how to protect migratory bird populations with simple, everyday actions that create more bird-friendly communities within the region this Saturday at the Frick Environmental Center.
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has worked with partners for several months on World Migratory Bird Day at the Frick Environmental Center and created the free family friendly event as part of that global initiative. This year’s theme is Shared Spaces: Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities.
Conservancy marketing manager Bethany Wells said the nonprofit has held the event for a number of years in conjunction with core partner organizations, and the rise in birding popularity here resulted in three morning activities already selling out. “There are just as many things for adults as well as kids,” she said.
The main event runs from 9 a.m. to noon and does not require registration. Activities will span the lawn, classrooms and surrounding areas of the Frick Environmental Center with an array of bird-themed programming presented in partnership with local organizations including the National Aviary, Pittsburgh Park Rangers, Bird Lab and the Allegheny Bird Conservation Alliance.
The timing of the event is just right. “Early May is one of the peak times for spring bird migration in Pittsburgh — especially for songbirds,” conservancy naturalist educator and mycologist Stephen Bucklin said in a news release. “Pittsburgh’s location along the Appalachian Flyway makes it a prime stopover site, and local parks like Frick Park offer rich habitats where migrating birds can rest and refuel. Early mornings in May are often filled with birdsong, and birders can spot dozens of species in just a few hours.”
For families with young children, Jr. Garden Buds Storytime will offer hands-on fun with story sharing and vegetable planting in the From Slavery to Freedom Garden, according to the release.
Other highlights from 9 a.m. until noon include Virtual Bird Banding with Bird Lab founder and executive director Nick G. Liadis, featuring a live Q&A about bird tracking and conservation; a Bird Beak Challenge with the National Aviary, where guests can discover how different birds use their beaks to feed; an Egg Matching Game with the Pittsburgh Park Rangers that will teach guests about the variety of bird eggs found in the region; and Discovery Time activities with interactive educational tables.
One new addition to this year’s event is Bird-Friendly Initiatives in Pittsburgh: Exhibition + Talk hosted by Bird Lab and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The exhibit in the environmental center from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. showcases innovative bird-friendly designs that protect migratory birds. Liadis and Carnegie Museum of Natural History urban bird conservation coordinator Jon Rice will explore why birds collide with windows and what can be done to change that from 2:15 to 3 p.m. Free bird-friendly coffee from Redstart Roasters will be available, too. Throughout the first part of the event, Allegheny Goatscape, DarkSky International, BirdSafe Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy naturalist educators and Building New Hope will teach visitors how to make their homes and neighborhoods more welcoming to migrating birds.
“By taking simple actions like turning off lights at night, planting native species and making windows more visible to prevent bird collisions, anyone can help make their community more bird-friendly,” Bucklin said in the release. “We’re excited to spread the word about ways we can come together as a community to better appreciate migrating birds.”
The conservancy has the day’s agenda on its website.
This is not the only conservancy bird-centered event this month. It will offer Birding Pittsburgh’s Parks with Bird Lab on May 13 in Hays Woods Park and Black Birders Week at the Frick Environmental Center May 25-26.
More information on those two events is available online, too.
For more information, visit pittsburghparks.org/world-migratory-bird-day. The conservancy has a calendar with all its May events at Events | Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.
Helen is a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but she's currently on strike. Contact her at hfallon@unionprogress.com.