World Migratory Bird Day is a time-honored observance marked twice a year, occurring during the second weekend of May and the second weekend of October. This year’s autumnal commemoration took place on October 14. Its objective is to educate humanity about the challenges faced by migratory birds and to shed light on the global environmental shifts that are detrimentally affecting bird habitats.
As part of the celebration, experts from the Interreligious and Civil Environmental Forum of Eastern Europe organized an engaging bird-watching activity for primary school students. The theme for World Migratory Bird Day in 2023 is “Water: Saving Birds’ Lives,” so the first-graders from Uzhhorod Lyceum No. 5, under the guidance of their teacher Liliia Kyiak, ventured out to study the avian population along the Uzh River near their school.
Ruslana Dzhahman, a senior researcher at the Nature Branch of the Transcarpathian Regional Museum of Local Lore and an IRCEF expert, imparted knowledge to the children about the significance of water for birds and elucidated the bird species closely linked with water bodies. The young researchers discovered that, besides the common inhabitants like swans, mallards, gray herons, crows, pigeons, and black-headed gulls which have established their residence on the Uzh, there are occasional sightings of other birds such as common kingfishers, great cormorants, storks, pintails, common mergansers, and greater white-fronted geese.
The students engaged in a fun “True or False” game where they learned intriguing facts about these avian creatures. For instance, they discovered that although birds may love bread, it’s not advisable to feed them with it. They were also surprised to learn that the nests of white storks can weigh up to 500 kg and that young swans aren’t initially gray.
The young students were particularly captivated by the binoculars, which were demonstrated by Mykhailo Bilanych, the head of the museum’s Nature Branch. They experienced the thrill of genuine birdwatchers as they used the binoculars to observe mute swans, mallards, and pigeons on the opposite side of the river. Back at home, the first-graders were given the task of visiting the riverbank from time to time to count the swans and mallards. Additionally, they were encouraged to report any new bird species they spotted to the researchers.
The event was held within the framework of cooperation between the Interreligious and Civil Environmental Forum of Eastern Europe (IRCEF) headed by Olexander Bokotey) and the German Nature Conservation Union (NABU Bundesverband, NABU International), project coordinators Ivan Tymofeiev (NABU), and Nataliya Kulya (IRCEF).
Informational Service of IRCEF
