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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 7, 2013

CONTACT: Staci Stevens, sstevens@audubon.org , c: 202-294-3101 

Every spring from March to June, billions of birds travel from their winter homes in the south to their summer breeding grounds as far north as the Arctic. They often fly at night, when skies are less turbulent, and air temperatures cooler for this high-energy exercise. Larger flocks are visible on ; the green areas represent actual weather, which generally moves east; the diffuse blue circles are massive numbers of small birds, moving north. Recently, bird watchers have observed many migrants moving through New Mexico, including the Wilson’s Warbler, Green-tailed Towhee, and Black-headed Grosbeak.

Bird migration is a worldwide phenomenon, but is especially spectacular in North America, where up to 10 billion birds fly up to 20,000 miles round-trip each spring and fall. Because migration covers such a vast area, migratory birds face unusual risks and require safe and healthy habitats throughout their routes.  International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD), which will take place on Saturday, May 11th this year, celebrates this spectacular journey north with festivals and bird counts while increasing awareness about how communities can help to maintain healthy bird populations. 2013 marks the twentieth year that IMBD will be celebrated.

Carol Beidleman, ����logo New Mexico’s Director of Bird Conservation, recently received the U.S. Forest Service International Programs 2013 Wings Across the Americas award for “Outstanding Achievement on Conservation” for her work on IMBD.

Elevating public awareness and concern are crucial components of migratory bird conservation, and IMBD has been one of the most successful vehicles for public education on migratory birds.

“There are easy things we can all do to help provide safe passage for migrating birds,” explained Beidleman. “Forgoing pesticide use in your yard, making your windows more visible to birds, keeping your cats indoors, and planting bird-friendly native plants around your home are just a few examples of ways to help birds on their long journeys north.”

The this year is the life cycles of migratory birds, and focuses on the need to conserve habitats for nesting, wintering and stop-overs during migration.  In New Mexico rivers are important migratory corridors where riparian forests provide shelter and nourishment for wing weary travelers. In another year where severe drought is only forecasted to get worse, the outlook for many migrating bird species may also be dismal.

“A one hundred mile stretch of the Rio Grande below Elephant Butte is bone dry,” commented Beidlemen. “In addition to making our communities bird friendly, we need to take broader actions to maintain bird habitat and that means addressing water management issues and finding ways to keep water in our rivers.”

In recognition of the many threats facing both our rivers and the birds that rely on them, ����logo recently established the to advocate for conservation actions that will increase river flow, enhance the health of our environment and restore valuable wetlands and forests.

For more tips on what you can do to help birds in your community check out ����logo Magazine’s and IMBD’s list of .

: As the state office of the ����logo, ����logo New Mexico’s mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.