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Today is the first-ever World Shorebirds Day

Today – September 6, 2014 – is the first-ever World Shorebird Day. It’s when shorebird enthusiasts from around the globe can participate in celebrating these beautiful creatures. György Szimuly – a bird conservationist in Milton Keynes, England – proposed and organized the event as a way to raise awareness about global shorebird research and conservation efforts. To celebrate World Shorebird Day, you can:

Count shorebirds. Although World Shorebird Day isn’t exclusively a citizen science program, it is an effort to raise awareness of the importance of regular bird monitoring as a core element of shorebird protection and habitat conservation. Click here to learn to participate in shorebird counts.

Sketch shorebirds. Organizers ask that you register first. Then join Hungarian Szabolcs Kókay and other artists around the world in sketching shorebirds. Click here to participate in sketching shorebirds.

Vote on shorebird of the year. Shorebird of the Year for 2014 is the Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus). It’s time to help select the next one. Click here to vote on shorebird of the year.

Or just enjoy the beautiful video above, from the Nature Conservancy, showing migrating shorebirds in Skagit County, Washington at one of the Conservancy’s Farming for Wildlife project sites. At this site, farmers are flooding their fields to create new habitat for shorebirds.

Have a good day, shorebird fans!

The Global Shorebird Counting is one of the key events of the World Shorebirds Day. This is not particularly a citizen science program, but rather an effort to rise awareness for the importance of regular bird monitoring as the core element of bird protection and habitat conservation.  Photo via World Shore Bird Day.
Counting is one of the key events of World Shorebirds Day. Photo via World Shore Bird Day.

Bottom line: Saturday, September 6, 2014, is the first World Shorebird Day. How to participate – and a beautiful shorebird video – here.

Posted 
September 6, 2014
 in 
Earth

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