World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD)
The long journeys that migratory birds take each year are truly fantastic. These birds, like our endemics and residents, are part of our natural heritage and it is up to us to conserve the habitats they need to feed and rest during winter or their long migrations. We encourage all of you to celebrate WMBD in your own country, as you have celebrated the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival with great success for many years now. WMBD is officially celebrated on the second Saturday in October in the Caribbean (this year it’s October 14th), but you can celebrate anytime in the fall that is convenient for you.
In 2023, the focus is on Water and its importance to migratory birds with the theme, “Water: Sustaining Bird Life“
Water is fundamental to sustaining life on our planet. Migratory birds rely on water and its associated habitats—lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, swamps, marshes, and coastal wetlands—for breeding, resting and refueling during migration, and wintering. Increasing human demand for water, along with climate change, pollution, and other factors, are threatening these precious aquatic ecosystems.
Global headlines are sounding the alarm: 35 percent of the world’s wetlands, critical to migratory birds, have been lost in the last 50 years. Utah’s Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, used by more than a million shorebirds, is in danger of disappearing within five years. Here in the Caribbean, our wetland habitats are threatened by development and climate change. With depleted natural water systems, and loss of wetland habitats, our migratory birds are deprived of vital stopover sites. These sobering statistics go hand-in-hand with recent reports that reveal that 48 percent of bird species worldwide are undergoing population declines.
In the fall, we will share Migratory Birds of the Day with coloring pages, online puzzles, natural history information, photos, videos, activities for kids, webinars, and more! Follow along on our website and social media (look for BirdsCaribbean on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and search for #WorldMigratoryBirdDay #WaterSustainingBirdlife and #BirdsCaribbean. Thanks to assistance from Environment for the Americas, we have a new poster, kits, and other materials to help you celebrate. Great resources for celebrating WMBD can be found at Environment for the Americas website (home of WMBD in the Americas), at MigratoryBirdDay.org, and also the global website of World Migratory Bird Day.