May 11, 2024

Spring is in full swing at the Museum, and with it all kinds of critters abound. Today, May 11, happens to be the springtime World Migratory Bird Day, which is a perfect chance to recap from our first Spring into Action event, last Saturday’s Bird Bonanza!

Ranger Greg, our park naturalist, was out and about throughout the day, helping folks complete their bird bingo sheets. If you haven’t checked out Ranger Greg’s blog posts, you absolutely should — they’re a treat! He’s also put together a full (but ever-updating) list of the birds that you can spot on the Museum’s campus. For Bird Bonanza, we use this pamphlet as a starting point to chart how many species we can collectively see throughout the day.

I’m happy to report that 36 species of birds had reported sightings on campus during Bird Bonanza, with 10 of those 36 being migratory species! From the non-migratory Carolina Chickadee (my personal favorite) to the migratory Tree Swallow (which Ranger Greg spotted in this post), there is incredible diversity in the bird species that we can spot and support locally.

Along with spotting birds, experts from New Hope Audubon and the Durham County Master Gardeners gave advice on how to support our feathered friends. Bird welfare is closely tied to insect welfare; insects serve as an incredibly important food source for these birds on-the-go. Planting bird and insect-friendly gardens, supporting pollinator-friendly initiatives, and leaving your leaves are all individual actions that keep the ecosystem healthy and support bird populations (whether migratory or not)!

You can learn more about supporting local species at any of our Party for the Planet: Spring into Action events, each Saturday in May!