Look, listen for migratory birds at celebration

Welcome back birds during the International Migratory Bird Day Celebration from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 20, at LaBagh Woods, 5400 N. Cicero Ave., in Chicago. During the event, attendees can enjoy seeing a variety of birds migrating from Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

Event attendees can also watch bird banding, meet a raptor, plant a shrub, join a beginner bird walk, participate in family activities, enjoy a performance by the a cappella group "The Bullfrogs," and more.

"The theme for this year's International Migratory Bird Day Celebration is 'Helping Birds Along the Way,' and events will celebrate the importance of stopover sites, which are crucial refuges for migratory birds where they can rest and refuel before continuing their incredible journeys," said Katy Krigbaum of Chicago Ornithological Society.

Because migration flights can stretch thousands of miles across continents and oceans, the birds need to have plenty of spots to rest and refuel. LaBagh Woods Forest Preserves is such a spot and provides energy-rich fat stores the birds need to survive.

"We're hoping through this event to share a wonderful secret with everyone who visits," said Louise Clemency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "That each spring and fall, millions of colorful songbirds and interesting hawks, owls, and water birds fly through Chicago, mostly at night, unseen by most of us, but all around us once we learn how to look and listen for them."

The International Migratory Bird Day Celebration is free to attend and is coordinated in honor of Environment for the America's International Migratory Bird Day, the only international education program that celebrates the migration of nearly 350 bird species between their nesting habitats and their wintering grounds.

This event is part of the "Chicago Urban Treaty Project," generously funded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Five Star & Urban Waters Restoration Program through funding provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Urban Bird Treaty Program.

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