Ornithologists all over the world marked the second weekend of October to raise awareness for migratory birds. So did we here in Georgia. School children have been invited for a dedicated program in the Museum of Georgia. The exhibition ‘Biodiversity Caucasus’ provided the perfect frame to introduce them to the challenges migratory birds face. At the end, they created their own flyway maps and finished of with origami birds. On Saturday all visitors had the chance to learn more about bird migration, create paper birds and test their knowledge in a migratory bird quiz.

On Sunday, a migratory bird game was offered to visitors at Tbilisi Zoo, in which they could experience the challenge of bird migration. Migratory birds are some of the most inspiring and impressive groups of birds. This is not only because of the spectacular views they offer as they move across the sky but also because of the incredible distances they cover during their voyages. Migratory birds mark the seasons leaving their breeding areas before food gets scarce and landing on another continent to build a new life. When we enjoy the presence and behavior of these migratory birds we hope and even assume that they will return each year. Unfortunately many migratory species, especially the long-distance migrants do not return.

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. It has a global outreach and is an effective tool to help raise global awareness of the threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance, and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. WMBD is celebrated twice a year, on the second weekend in May and in October. We would like to thank Museum of Georgia, National Geographic and Tbilisi Zoo for their cooperation.