What do a Swift, a Grey Heron and a Marsh Harrier have in common? They have all made epic journeys of thousands of kilometres over land and sea, and are currently passing through Cyprus! To celebrate World Migratory Bird Day we invite young and old to Athalassa Park on Saturday 12 May 2018 at 4pm to discover together the wondrous world of migratory birds.

With a plethora of migratory birds visiting our island every spring and autumn, there’s no better place and time to learn more about these birds through birdwatching. We will be at Athalassa Park bird hide on Saturday 12 May 2018 at 4pm to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with birdwatching and enjoy some of the birds that have travelled here to breed or are currently making a stopover on our island before continuing their journey further south.

During our outing young and old will learn more about birds and migration, and, will, of course, become birdwatchers for the day! We will provide binoculars and telescopes as well as our popular bird guide for young explorers.

World Migratory Bird Day is a global initiative to raise awareness about the astonishing feat of bird migration. It is celebrated every year on the second Saturday of May and October by thousands of people across the globe and underlines the need to conserve all migratory birds and the places they need. Migratory birds travel epic distances every year crossing many borders and connecting countries, cultures, and continents over their thousands-of-kilometres-long flyways.

And while migration is nothing short of a natural miracle, it is also a perilous journey and involves a wide range of threats, often caused by human activities. And as diverse as people and their habits in different countries are, so are threats the birds face. As migratory birds depend on a range of sites along their distribution area, the loss of wintering and stopover sites could have a dramatic impact on the birds’ chances of survival. It is evident that international cooperation among governments, NGOs and other stakeholders is required along the entire flyway of a species in order to share knowledge and to coordinate conservation efforts.

Participation is free of charge and is open to both young and old. All children are required to be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is required due to limited availability. For more information and to register please contact us on 22455072 or at elena.markitani@birdlifecyprus.org.cy