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Hundreds of children, parents, and naturalists of all ages turned out for an engaging afternoon featuring games, crafting, prizes, an author’s reading and wild bird encounters at Tropical Audubon’s ninth annual Bird Day on Saturday, Feb. 18.
By 4 p.m., 275-plus visitors and 40-plus volunteers had alighted at the non-profit’s 2.2-acre near-native grounds that comprise the Steinberg Nature Center (SNC) and Tropical Audubon Society (TAS) headquarters. The enriching activities enabled participants of every age to learn about bird protection programs, native habitat gardening and bird identification.
Rekindled after a two-year pandemic hiatus, the annual BIRD DAY event — chaired by TAS Education and Advocacy director Stephanie Clements — celebrates the late winter/early spring northbound flight of nearly 350 species of migratory birds stopping over in South Florida as they return to their North American nesting grounds from points south.
To monitor their migration for science, TAS Field Trip coordinator Brian Rapoza mentored attendees about how to participate that very weekend in the nation’s Great Backyard Bird Count, leading a mini bird walk primer on the SNC grounds.
Attendees of every age were enthralled by the release of a rehabilitated Broad-winged Hawk by Wildlife Rescue of Dade County founder Lloyd Brown. It had been rescued after ingesting rat poison, and nursed back to health by Brown and his capable volunteers. The folks at Pelican Harbor Seabird Station also brought rescued wild animals to share their stories and educate curious children. Many of the day’s visitors tried their hand at Owl Pellet dissection, Nature Journaling, and crafting Piping Plover “chicks.” Others honed their binocular skills with loaner binoculars from Leica Store Miami, or learned about Miami-Dade County’s Environmentally Endangered Lands Program.
Story time drew a flock of youngsters, who gathered under the big chickee to hear author Marta Magellan read her new children’s book, Flying Jewels: A Hummingbird Story.
Kids also “ate like birds” under the tutelage of Everglades National Park rangers and explored the nature trails that thread the site’s Tropical Hardwood Hammock and Pine Rockland habitats; their parents took tours of the historic 1932 Doc Thomas House.
Tropical Audubon Society is located at 5530 Sunset Dr. Miami, FL 33143; phone 305-667-7337. Visit www.tropicalaudubon.org.
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