Lake Meredith Hosts Walks and Programs Celebrating International Migratory Bird Day

Helping Birds Along the Way

Rocío Landívar

News Release Date: May 2, 2017

Contact: Carl Brenner, 806-857-3151

FRITCH TX: Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (LAMR) is leading three bird walks and participating in the “Global Big Day” bird count in celebration of “International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD)” on Saturday, May 13, 2017. Meet walk leaders at the Alibates Visitor Center (for the McBride and Mullinaw areas), South Turkey Creek Trailhead, or at the fishing dock in Spring Canyon at 8:00 am. To participate in one of these walks, please call Park Headquarters at 806-857-3151 for reservations. Additional programs will be held at the Alibates Visitor Center. Bird count sheets will be available from each walk leader and at the Visitor Center.

“Helping Birds Along the Way” is the theme for this year’s IMBD. This day celebrates the migration of nearly 350 bird species between their nesting habitats in North America and wintering grounds in Latin America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

This year IMBD will celebrate the importance of stopover sites, refuges where migratory birds rest and refuel before continuing their remarkable journeys. Because these flights can stretch thousands of miles across continents and oceans, the birds depend upon a handful of resource-rich and strategically located habitats to acquire the energy-rich fat stores they need to survive.

“The marshes and grasslands of Lake Meredith provide critical stopover habitats for the survival of migratory waterfowl and songbirds,” said LAMR Superintendent Robert Maguire. “Providing healthy habitats during these long migrations are essential to migratory birds,” continued Maguire.

Global Big Day, May 13, 2017, is a single day, uniting birdwatchers worldwide across political boundaries and language barriers, all brought together by their shared passion for birds. In 2016, 17,000 people from 153 countries took part.