Avian admirers in southwestern Pennsylvania will mark World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday.
In Westmoreland County, the Westmoreland Bird and Nature Club is encouraging residents to take part in the Global Big Day, hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and its eBird app. Participants are asked to observe and record the birds they see in their backyard (or wherever they happen to be) using the free eBird app. Several reports can be made throughout the day.
In 2022, more than 51,000 people in 201 countries took part. Submissions can be made through the app or at eBird.org.
“World Migratory Bird Day is important because so many people don’t know how incredible the phenomenon of bird migration is and how much power we have to improve not only the lives of birds but our lives as well by noticing the impact of our actions,” said Stephen Bucklin, naturalist educator at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, which will host a free community celebration on May 11 at the city’s Frick Environmental Center.
The event will be from 8 a.m. to noon at the center, 2005 Beechwood Boulevard in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, with a variety of events including birding walks, a bird and insect stream study, helping plant fauna at the park’s “From Slavery to Freedom Garden,” as well as as activities hosted by Pittsburgh Park Rangers, the National Aviary and the Allegheny Land Trust.
Some events require pre-registration at PittsburghParks.org. Click on the “Experience” link to find May 11 events on the calendar.
The theme for this year’s event is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds.” Conservancy members said Frick Park has been a longtime stopover for migratory songbirds traveling through Pittsburgh.
“It’s remarkable how much you can notice when you just look up,” Bucklin said.
World Migratory Bird Day was founded in 1993 to boost the need for migratory bird conservation globally through promotion of the planet’s major migratory bird corridors, particularly in the Western Hemisphere.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.