Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 03:31:57 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Norm Saunders Subject: BirdFest 2003 at National Zoo MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The Smithsonian folks have asked me to post this announcement on MDOsprey: Contact: Mary Deinlein Migratory Bird Center (202)-673-4998 deinleinm@nzp.si.edu National Zoo Hosts Bird Fest 2003 This Festival is for the Birds! Celebrate the return of millions of migratory birds from wintering grounds in Latin America and the Caribbean! Held in honor of the eleventh annual International Migratory Bird Day, the National Zoo will host Bird Fest 2003 on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. This free festival will feature educational displays by dozens of conservation organizations; hands-on activities and crafts for kids; presentations with live birds; a shade-grown coffee tasting; Latin American food and music; and live performances by the Evergreen Theatre. There will be something for everyone so bring the whole flock! Pete Dunne, Vice President of Natural History Information at the Cape May Bird Observatory and popular raconteur, author, and birder, will kick off the celebration with a public lecture on the evening of Thursday, April 24 in the Zoo's Visitor Center auditorium (book signing at 7:00, lecture at 8:00). Founded in 1993 by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, International Migratory Bird Day is now the hallmark event of "Partners in Flight," an international coalition whose mission is to conserve migratory birds. Each spring, hundreds of events occur in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America to celebrate the epic journeys of millions of migratory birds that breed in the United States and Canada and winter in Latin America and the Caribbean. These so-called "Neotropical migratory birds" include many familiar species, such as the Baltimore oriole, ruby-throated hummingbird, and wood thrush (the official bird of Washington, D.C.). Of equal importance, International Migratory Bird Day aims to raise awareness of the environmental problems that are making life increasingly difficult for these birds- leading to serious declines in many species- and to let people know what they can do to help. More details can be found on our web site at www.si.edu/smbc or for further information send an email to Colleen Duarte at duartec@ic.si.edu. Bird Fest 2003 is organized by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center with the indispensable help of Friends of the National Zoo and generous support from the following sponsors: Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program, USDA Forest Service, and US Fish and Wildlife Service. ============================ Norman C. Saunders Colesville, Montgomery County, MD marshhawk@att.net ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================