Become a citizen scientist for the day and discover who might be showing their feathers by participating in River Legacy's Great Backyard Bird Count free Family Festival on Saturday, February 18.
River Legacy Living Science Center will lead guided bird walks and host a family-friendly festival as part of the 20th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, a four-day global event hosted by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that allows bird watchers from across the globe to count the birds they see from February 17 to February 20.
The free festival slated from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Science Center, 703 NW Green Oaks Blvd., will give participants a chance to be citizen scientists by contributing to a snapshot of bird distribution that can help Cornell scientists discover changes over the past 20 years.
Family-friendly activities geared at bird education and conservation include games such as Fill the Bill, Bird Song Bingo, Jeop-Birdy, Bird Scavenger Hunt and a Bird Migration Challenge Obstacle Course; and crafts such as Bird Feeders, Paper Owls, Bird Origami and more. Guided Family Bird Hikes are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Live Raptor Presentations are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The Arlington Public Library will present story times about our feathered friends at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars and cameras for the hikes.
Cross Timbers Master Naturalists, Wild Birds Unlimited, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Fort Worth and Dallas Audubon Societies will also be available to share information and provide additional activities.
During last year's Great Backyard Bird Count, more than 160,000 participants from more than 100 countries submitted online bird observations creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.
To learn more about the Great Backyard Bird Count, visit www.birdcount.org. For more information about the free event at River Legacy Living Science Center call 817.860.6752 or visit www.riverlegacy.org.
This free festival is supported by River Legacy Living Science Center's annual sponsors: Baylor Orthopedic Spine Hospital of Arlington and Viridian.
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