International Migratory Bird Day Festival

This is our second year in a row to attend the annual International Migratory Bird Day Festival at the National Zoo. The Bird Fest celebrates the journeys of birds that migrate from the US/Canada to Latin America/The Caribbean.

There are many exhibits. The kids learned about bird banding, and they got to see several live birds of prey and ask questions about them. They also did a ‘Bird Olympics,’ where they learned about some of the amazing abilities of birds. The ‘Bird Quest’ was fun trying to find hidden birds in an area of trees. They also participated in a ‘Migration Challenge’ where they pretended they were migrating birds. They received a sticker for each of these activities. After getting three stickers, they were given a prize – a wristband. Then there were several arts and crafts to make – their favorite was making bird masks. Justin made a bald eagle mask, while Brian made a cardinal bird mask The boys learned how to operate and use a bird tracking device. Justin and Brian tracked a bird several times. Woodsie Owl made an appearance. I remembered this bird from my childhood - ‘Give a hoot. Don’t polute.’ Kevin and Brian volunteered to be part of a live musical theater about migratory birds. They were able to rehearse beforehand, then when it was time for the audience participants to join, they walked onto the stage and held up their sign which gave an example of how people can help solve the environmental problems that migratory birds are facing. (My camera batteries ran out before the kids part in the program, so I don't have any pictures of the actual performance.) The boys had fun learning about different migratory birds. It was a nice family activity, and we headed home right when it started to rain.