Light Wings Bring International Migratory Bird Day to IB Saturday

The will celebrate it's diverse fleet of fowl by making amateur birders of all who attend International Migratory Bird Day at the Estuary Visitor Center.

Over the course of a year, more than 370 species of birds call Imperial Beach home, making it one of the most biologically diverse places in the continental United States.

The festival includes a birdwalk at 8:30 a.m., followed by a presentation on good birding sites for families in San Diego at 10 a.m.

A guided nature walk and inside children's crafts tables will start at 11 a.m. as well as training in the basics of birding at four outdoor skill stations.

"It's a fun way for them to learn about back yard birds here in IB, where they can get out and meet experts in the field," said Marya Ahmad, the estuary's  Education Specialist.

Attendees of the annual event will learn about the importance of the estuary as a stop along the Pacific flyway, a thoroughfare for birds that extends north into Canada and Alaska and south into central America.

Wetlands are vital to the success of migrating shorebirds, Ahmad said.  

"This is not our big migratory time, which is in the Fall and Winter," said Danielle Litke, the estuary's Community Outreach Coordinator, so the focus of the event "is not on our migratory birds, but on techniques of birding."

Non-migratory birds such as the Light-footed Clapper Rail, Great Egret, American Kestrel, Song Sparrow and Killdeer can be found in the estuary year-round.

Attendees can learn the basics of birding birdcall recognition by species, how to use a bird field guide, spotting birds with binoculars and banding, where a biologist will measure children to imitate what its like to band a bird. 

Additionally, the TRNERR monthly 2nd Saturday Stewardship Event is a volunteer planting opportunity on Saturday May 14 from 9 a.m. to noon at Border Field State Park.

The estuary also hosts bird walks every other Sunday from 3-4 p.m.