International Migratory Bird Day 2016

International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) will be held at Quarai on May 14, 2016 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

 

The artwork above is the 2016 IMBD Poster by Lionel Worrell illustrating the theme: “Spread Your Wings for Bird Conservation.” Come for a chance to get yours on May 14, 2015 at Quarai!!

(c) Lionel Worrell for International Migratory Bird Day

BACKGROUND:

Since 1998, people have been returning to the Quarai oasis to celebrate the return of migrant birds on the second Saturday in May. This very special Partners in Flight bird appreciation and conservation event is sponsored jointly by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. Please note that the Spring Migration Count, also conducted on the second Saturday in May, is a worthy but entirely separate event that is not connected with the spirit and purpose of IMBD.

GETTING TO QUARAI:

From the village of Tijeras, east of Albuquerque, go south about 45 miles on State Roads 337 and 55 to the village of Punta de Agua;there a sign will direct you onto a short spur road to Quarai, one of three units comprising the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. All three units have a pueblo mound and the imposing ruins of a Franciscan mission church established and abandoned in the 17th century.

 

THE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: (8:00 AM to 4:00PM at the Visitors Center)

• 08:00 AM –11:00 PM:Morning bird walk, led by NPS Park Guide, Murt Sullivan. The walk along the creek and into the pinyon/juniper uplands will be an easy, leisurely ramble and have as its primary focus the identification of birds by sight and sound. ALL are welcome to share in seeing some of the 50 to 65 species that are expected to be present.
  
• 11:00 AM –12:00 PM: Time for coffee and mingling in the Visitors Center. It's also an opportunity to make sure you have a number for the drawing in the afternoon;you may be one of the lucky ones!
• 12:00 PM –1:00 PM: Picnic and bird talk under the cottonwoods. Bring your own lunch, but a soft-drink machine and restrooms are just a few yards away.
  
• 01:30 PM –02:30 PM: Presentation and discussion of this year's IMBD theme: Spread Your Wings for Bird Conservation, talk will consider threats, such as urbanization and climate change, and suggest ways to get involved in habitat restoration projects at home, in communities, and further afield.
  
• 03:00 PM –03:30 PM: Distribution of individualized IMBD Certificates and presentation of awards, including posters, climate change mugs and T-Shirts.

ALL DAY……until 04:00 PM: Shade-grown coffee and cookies for everyone. "Shade-grown" is produced the old-fashioned way: in the shade of a forest canopy, instead of the open sun. This is good for the birds, the coffee growers and the consumers.

 

MORE INFORMATION:

For more information, please contact Murt Sullivan by phone at [phone] or by email.