Lafayette will celebrate bird migration at Waneka Lake for attendees to learn about the importance and beauty of birds and how to protect their habitats. The 11th annual Celebrating Bird Migration event will be held 1-3 p.m.
Sept. 15 at Waneka Lake and Greenlee Wildlife Preserve, 1600 Baseline Road. The event will start at the Waneka Lake east parking lot, where West Emma Street ends at Caria Drive.
Many activities will be held at the east parking lot and along the one-third mile walking path to Greenlee Wildlife Preserve. The Butterfly Pavilion, the Lafayette Arts and Cultural Resources Department, Boulder County Nature Association and more organizations will have activities and exhibits at the event. Attendees will have the opportunity to look at birds of prey up close, view birds in the area with binoculars or scopes and learn more about bird migration and their importance in the ecosystem.
The event will explore the World Migratory Bird Day theme of “protect insects, protect birds.” As insect populations decrease, birds lose their food source. Martin Ogle, education coordinator, said bird migration is always happening around the world, and it is an important aspect of life to acknowledge and celebrate.
“I have referred to birds as the single best way to understand the world around us,” Ogle said. He said studying bird migration is like taking a look behind the curtain to see how birds operate in the world. Ogle points to the Swainson’s hawk, which lives in the C.