International Day of Birds - April 1. International Bird Watching Days

International Bird Day is celebrated every year throughout the world. He appeared in the late nineteenth century in America. Literally in a few years, it began to spread very quickly to different countries. This holiday is considered the very first, which appeared in the so-called "ecological calendar". To mark it in Europe it began already in 1906.

International Day of Birds in Russia. The beginning of history

Having reached Russia, the International Day of Birds received great recognition. By that time the protection of the birds had already been organized here. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were dozens of various committees dealing with this matter. In short, the protection of wildlife in Russia flourished.

May Unions and Yunat Organizations

The study and protection of birds also attracted children. On the basis of schools, special May organizations were opened for this purpose. Nine-eleven-year-olds joined forces in detachments. Their distinctive sign was the headdresses with the image of a flying swallow.

Since 1910 a special society has been created for nature lovers in the village of Khortitsa. Its participants fed birds and hung for them birdhouses.

The Mayan unions were closed immediately after the revolution. Nevertheless, the Yunnat organizations took up their idea. In 1924, at their All-Union Congress and was invited to re-establish the International Day of Birds. In 2 years the holiday was already recognized as official. And in a couple of years the number of participants in various events timed to this day was simply enormous! About 65,000 children in Moscow alone hung out bird houses and fed birds. Thus, every year, the International Day of Birds was brighter and brighter in Russia. His date is on April 1.

The holiday was dying and reborn ...

Everything would be fine, but soon the war began. International day of birds, of course, stopped celebrating. Revival of this movement was possible only 3 years after the end of the war. The holiday was gaining momentum, but, alas! By the 1960s, the International Bird Watching Days had again come to naught.

The final revival of the holiday occurred only in 1999. In the capital, more than 500 starling-houses were hanged. And the next year the Moscow government accepted the holiday as a citywide event, joining its organization.

Day of birds - arrival time of birds

So, the story of the event is insanely rich. April 1 - International Day of Birds. And it's not just that many years ago at that time the Convention on the Protection of the Feathered was signed. Approximately at this time birds just arrive from wintering home.

Rooks come first to "native penates". Behind them - ducks, geese, cranes. After them - thrushes, oatmeal, finches, etc.

So what do you do on April 1st? The International Day of Birds assumes the hanging of the birdhouses, gogollyatniki and other bird houses by the indifferent people. In this case, a person does not just help the birds. He himself becomes much closer to nature. By the way, her awakening from hibernation is also celebrated on this day. In the old days people specially baked larks from the dough and sang special "rolls".

Protecting birds from extinction

On this day, not only is the meeting of spring. The joy of the arrival of birds is also not the only reason why a variety of events are held. People remember all the terrible mistakes of the past. As a result of the extermination of birds, hundreds of varieties have already disappeared around the world. For example, on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, literally for a couple of hundred years, the seamen and animals they brought with them destroyed an entire population of a blue-fledged flying dodo.

No less serious threat is pollution of the environment. Of course, this is also the fault of a man who has brought the disappearance of birds to the brink not only with his uncontrolled hunting, but also with the use of pesticides, and the unsafe conversion of natural habitats.

To date, the threat of existence is also in front of various swamps and forests. But for some species of birds this is the only habitat. For example, a bittern, a shepherd or a wren is found only in swamps.

Of course, man's attack on the birds can not be stopped. However, it is possible to slow it down. This is what the International Bird Day calls for. The events are very diverse. The goal of many of them is to increase the areas of protected areas, especially those where the species listed in the Red Book live.

Everyone can help the birds

Various events and actions are also held for children. International Bird Day for the 4th grade, for example, can be organized very brightly and interestingly. Most importantly, kids will learn to love nature, the surrounding world, helping the birds. Since birds return to this time from wintering, and there are practically no parks and forests in modern cities, they simply have nowhere to live. The pupils of the junior school already understand that the twittering of our smaller brothers' winged brothers is heard less and less often every spring. In order to watch them, in order to enjoy their singing, and not just to study them according to the textbook of zoology, there is not so much to do. The children need only to make friendly arrangements for the building of starling-houses, for example, in the lessons of labor training. The team makes them very entertaining, and it is also very fun to hang out.

Activities for children can be varied

It is not necessary to limit ourselves to the resettlement of birds only, who returned home from wintering grounds. International Bird Day for the 4th grade can include a variety of excursions, competitions and quizzes.

In many cities, for example, organize special photo exhibitions. They are represented by a huge number of a variety of species. Well, the guide will provide interesting information about each of them.

Often, the classroom leaders are also assigned to the classroom for various master classes, where you can get to know birds and folk traditions associated with them.

In a word, on this day, the children will be able to find out about what kind of birds are needed for raising chicks; How and where to correctly hang the birdhouses; Will learn to observe the living nature, comparing it in the city or outside it.

And on excursions you can also get a lot of knowledge. Firstly, kids will be told about a variety of birds living in their village. Secondly, children will begin to slowly comprehend the laws of physics and understand the riddles of flight. Thirdly, they will learn to distinguish bird voices. And finally, they will understand how they can help the birds.

At the end of the holiday, children can be treated with traditional lunches, and you can invite them to fashion a bird from the salted dough. Another option for entertainment is making birds in origami style. And you can just arrange a drawing competition for the best bird. Dances and songs, stories about ancient traditions and rituals ... It is possible to celebrate the International Day of Birds differently. The main thing is fun and usefully!