Regina welcomes migratory birds through World Migratory Bird Day celebration

May 14 is World Migratory Bird Day and Nature Saskatchewan celebrated the occasion in Regina with an event at the Saskatchewan Science Centre.

Starting with a tipi raising Saturday morning, bird lovers off all ages, like Parker, were given an education about the importance of migratory birds to the local ecosystem through bird watching walks, games and information stations.

“[My favorite] was the owl station where you had to find bones,” said Parker. “I just like looking for bones.”

According to the Canadian Wildlife Service, over 200 Canadian geese and at least 115 other species of migratory birds nest at the Wascana Migratory Bird Sanctuary every year.

Under the theme "Dim the light for birds at night," Nature Saskatchewan raised awareness of the threats birds face during their migration such as light pollution.

“We’re asking people to shut off their outdoor lights,” said Lacey Weekes, manager of conservation and education at Nature Saskatchewan. “This will help birds through their migration journey.”

Because birds often migrate at night, Weekes explained how light pollution may lead to a bird’s migration to be delayed or stopped.

“Birds are attracted to light,” she said. “They’ll circle the lights around the city and use up all their energy. This can be detrimental to birds as they often have long journeys.”

According to Nature Saskatchewan, the leading causes of death for migratory birds are human-related. Over 250 million birds are killed by colliding with windows and being caught by pets annually.

Weekes suggests keeping animals, like cats, indoors and putting ‘feature friendly’ tape on windows to break up any reflections. These are just a few ways to help the winged travelers complete their migration.