Nature Canada
Photo by Tim Hopwood

Join the Online Party: World Migratory Bird Day 2020

Nature-lovers from across Canada are coming together virtually this week to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day—have you found your online flock yet?

Mornings are a little livelier now that our feathered friends have started to return home. The arrival of spring marks the magnificent migration of more than 80 percent of Canada’s bird species. And they’re just in time! This Saturday, May 9, is World Migratory Bird Day. 

Travelling home from regions across the United States and as far away as the southernmost stretches of South America, the migration of these birds is a literal illustration of how “Birds Connect Our World”—the theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day. 

GIF of bird dayTravelling home from regions across the United States and as far away as the southernmost stretches of South America, the migration of these birds is a literal illustration of how “Birds Connect Our World”—the theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day. 

The homecoming of migratory birds is usually cause for in-person celebration, as environmental organizations across the Americas plan welcome parties, parades, and other events. Things are a bit different this year. But fret not—just as a group of blue jays is called a “party,” the World Migratory Bird Day celebrations must go on!

Join an Online Bird Day Event

Nature organizations across Canada are inviting you to join them in an interactive, online celebration of World Migratory Bird Day. This is a chance to virtually meet fellow nature-lovers, display your migratory bird photos, share a favourite feathered friend encounter, contribute to citizen science, and put your inner birder to the test with one of our fun quizzes.

Our Bird Day website is home to many online resources, and it’s the all-in-one place to find an event hosted near you. We hope you will join us in celebrating a World Migratory Bird Day that is like none other!

The State of Canada’s Birds

World Migratory Bird Day offers a chance to reflect on the state of Canada’s birds and recognize the ways in which we can all become better neigh-birds. 

Birds are an integral part of our intricate ecosystems. They keep nature in balance by helping manage insect populations, maintain healthy forests, disperse seeds, fertilize and pollinate flowers, and prey on rodents that can damage crops and spread disease. 

Not only nice for nature, birds have an important role to play in our emotional well-being, and contribute to our local economies through bird-watching and eco-tourism. Despite these important contributions, human activity has heavily degraded bird habitats. Many bird populations are declining at an alarming rate. 

It’s for this reason that World Migratory Bird Day is not only a celebration—it’s also a call to action. 

We can all play a role in reversing this troubling trend by protecting critical bird habitat and taking small actions in our homes and outdoor spaces. Birds can’t talk, but you can. This Migratory Bird Day, we invite you to join us in delivering a united call on behalf of Canada’s 450 bird species whose vanishing chirps, tweets, and caws demand a simple but urgent message: it’s time for Canada to stand up for its feathered friends. 

Attending an event this Saturday, May 9, is the first step in going from migratory bird lover to migratory bird defender. Visit the Bird Day website to find and register for an event near you!

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