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Idaho Fish and Game

Nature Center Celebrates Bird Life

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The Morrison Knudsen Nature Center, in Boise, will celebrate International Migratory Bird Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 8. Enjoy a full day of bird observation and educational activities for bird enthusiasts of all ages. Families can participate in bird watching, owl pellet investigation, and wood carving demonstrations, bird Olympics, face painting, nature arts, journal making and other children's activities. Children will be entered to win raffle prizes by visiting several activity stations and receiving stamps in their Bird Day Passports. Anser Charter School Kindergarten students will once again be selling their hand-made bird cards, as well as showcasing student bird projects. Picnicking will be allowed in the formal backyard of the Nature Center. A donation of $1 per person is requested. Schedule:
  • 9 a.m. to noon - Live Bird Banding, Idaho Bird Observatory biologists.
  • 11 a.m. - American Kestrel Program (live birds), Susan Ziebarth, MK Nature Center.
  • 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. - Birds of Prey Program (live birds) Larry Ridenhour, Bureau of Land Management.
  • 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. - Guided bird walks with Golden Eagle Audubon Society volunteers along the Boise Greenbelt.
  • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Activity stations, Bird Day Passports and information tables.
International Migratory Bird Day is a world-wide annual event to celebrate and support migratory bird conservation. The theme of International Migratory Bird Day 2010 is "The Power of Partnerships in Bird Conservation". Launched in 1993 by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, International Migratory Bird Day is now coordinated by Environment for the Americas, based in Boulder, Colorado. It is the largest-known bird conservation and education event of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. This year partners and sponsors include Bureau of Land Management, Boise National Forest, Rocky Mountain Research, Idaho Watchable Wildlife, Golden Eagle Audubon, Idaho Wood Carvers Guild, Idaho Bird Observatory, Sage Brush-steppe Chapter of the Idaho Master Naturalists, North Star Courier, Zamzows, Idaho Botanical Gardens, Discovery Center, Flying M, Omega Lab Techs and Henderson Specialty Woods. For information, contact event coordinator Cass Meissner at the Nature Center at 208-287-2901; or online at www.BirdDay.org.