HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The University of Guam is inviting nature enthusiasts to flock together for the 3rd Annual Migratory Bird Celebration this coming weekend, the university announced recently in a press release.
The community festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Jeff’s Pirates Cove and will feature educational booths, activities, live music and dance performances according to the release.
The event, hosted by the University of Guam College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Sea Grant and the Center for Island Sustainability, aims to use science and art to help conserve Guam’s native and migratory birds and habitats.
“Native birds play an important role in island ecosystems as seed dispersers, predators of pests and pollinators of plants, but their numbers in Guam have declined due to predation by introduced species, such as brown tree snakes, and other potential factors, like pesticide usage and habitat alteration,” the university said in the release.
Avian ecologist Martin Kastner reported that 20 to 30 migratory bird species visit Guam regularly and some are beneficial as predators of pests, such as rhino beetle grubs, but are threatened by shoreline development and disturbance from boonie animals.
Attendees can expect bird watching and identification tours led by Kastner, watercolor activity by Marianas Audubon Society, dance performances by Luna Schils and Gabby Calvo and a middle and high school art contest.
Reusable bags and water bottles are highly encouraged. Ten percent of all food purchased at Jeff’s Pirates Cove during the event will be donated to the Marianas Audubon Society.
For more information, call 671-788-6300 or 671-735-2060.
A guest at the Migratory Bird Celebration on Feb. 11, 2023, learns about Guam’s endemic ko’ko’ bird, which is now extinct in the wild, at the Guam Department of Agriculture booth.
