Yellowstone Celebrates International Migratory Bird Day

International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) is an annual event to celebrate and support migratory bird conservation. Like clockwork, each spring many migratory birds return to or fly over environments like Yellowstone National Park en route to their breeding areas. Yellowstone and the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center staff will celebrate IMBD on Saturday, May 21, with programs and a field trip that are open to the public.

8:00 a.m. – Participants will meet inside Yellowstone National Park at the Madison Junction picnic area for a ranger-led, bird-watching car caravan with periodic stops along the Madison River. Birds found in the forest and meadows along the river include sandhill cranes, shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, and songbirds. A bald eagle nest will be the focus of one of the featured stops and discussions. The field trip will conclude at noon. Suggested items for the field trip include warm clothes, water, binoculars and a snack, if desired.

From 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center at 201 South Canyon Street, in West Yellowstone, Montana, will host IMBD programs, games and crafts. Children of all ages can play the migration game “It’s a Risky Journey,” create bird masks and origami or participate in other activities listed below:

1:00 p.m. Live raptor program: A Discovery Center naturalist will give a presentation using a rough-legged hawk and western screech owl
2:00 p.m. “Not-so-bird Brained: The Mysterious Raven”
3:00 p.m. Birds of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Presentation by National Park Service Ranger Katy Duffy
4:00 p.m. Live raptor program: A repeat of the 1:00 p.m. program

The activities are free of charge, but those wishing to explore the rest of the Discovery Center will be required to pay a fee, and field trip participants are required to pay the park entrance fee of $25 per vehicle.

Those interested in attending the event are encouraged to call the 24-hour road update line at 307-344-2117 for current park road status, as temporary road closures due to changing weather conditions can occur at any moment without warning at this time of year. Deep snow remaining in the park’s interior also makes walking on trails or on boardwalks difficult.

For further information on IMBD programs or field trips call Katy Duffy at (307) 344-2754.