January 2017: Bird-Related Holidays
- creativecaitlin
- Nov 28, 2018
- 4 min read
Hello, everyone! Happy New Year and welcome to Caitlin’s Corner! This month I am going share with you a few different bird related holidays. Who is ready to celebrate this year? I know I am! So here they are:
January:
1. National Bird Day (5th): If you have come early enough to read this article, you are in for a treat! January 5th is National Bird Day, and was made by bird lovers just like you! What is special about this bird holiday is that it helps raise awareness for birds in captivity, those hurt in the pet industry, and their overall conditions. It is on the 5th to celebrate the end of the Christmas bird count, mentioned at the end of this article.
2. Save the Eagles Day (10th): Save the eagles! This holiday is observed each year on this date. Thanks to all the celebration and efforts, the Bald Eagle was taken off the endangered species list in June 2007. But, there are still eagles that need help to save them from chemicals, the destruction of habitats, and poaching. #SaveTheEaglesDay!
February:
3. Feed the Birds Month: Make sure that your birds are happy and full! John Porter first made it in 1994. He chose this month because it is hard on a bird’s health with the weather changes and food running low in neighbors’ feeders. Fill up your bird feeders with your favorite bird feed to celebrate!
4. Great Backyard Bird Count (17th-20th): Also known as the GBBC, it is a fun event that YOU can take part in! If you want to participate, you can count birds 15+ minutes during these 4 days. Help the whole community by recording your findings at http://gbbc.birdcount.org/. Check out your backyard or take a trip somewhere for extra fun! This year is the 20th annual GBBC, so how cool would it to join 160,000+ participants in the experience? Go out there and have fun!
March:
5. International Festival of Owls (3rd-5th): Happen to be in Houston, Minnesota from March 3rd to the 5th? Be sure to check out the Festival of Owls! There are many different fun owl activities and events over this period of time like history, seeing live owls, and building owl boxes! Check out the full schedule at http://www.festivalofowls.com/2016schedule.html.
6. World Sparrow Day (20th): Do you love sparrows? Today is your day to voice your sparrow appreciation on social media and around your community! Sparrows need support all over the world, and celebrating this day to raise awareness is a fantastic thing to do!
April:
7. Draw a Picture of a Bird Day (8th): Yes!!! So how did this holiday start? Well, it is kind of a sad story. Dorie Cooper in 1943 went to the hospital where her uncle was staying after having been wounded in WWII. He asked her to draw a bird, and soon enough, bird drawings covered the walls. A few years later, Dorie was killed in a car accident, and her birthday was made into this celebrated day. Take out your colored pencils and be sure to draw a bird today for a friend or maybe a family member you care about. Spread the love!
8. World Penguin Day (25th): This day is to celebrate penguins and their northward migration. It happens around this time, waddling around instead of flying like most birds. I know I will be gushing over cute penguin photos today!
9. Audubon Day (26th): Audubon day helps celebrate the man who worked A LOT with birds and information about them!
10. National Go Birding Day (29th): Need an excuse to go birding? Here is a perfect one! For amazing places to go birding, I have written an article on where to explore around the United States.
May:
11. Bird Day (4th): Bird Day, one of the oldest bird related holidays out there, was first celebrated on this day in 1894. Charles Babcock made it, and over the next couple decades, became widely known. It is usually linked to Arbor Day, both working to help the public to become more aware of their environments and to further conservation efforts.
12. International Migratory Bird Day (2nd Saturday): Ready to celebrate a bird’s journey of migration? This holiday recognizes the long distance flights of birds between North America and Central and South America.
June:
13. Pink Flamingo Day (23rd): This fantastic day was first made in 2007 by Dean Mazzaralla to honor the maker of the plastic lawn flamingo, Don Featherstone. Be sure to show your love for flamingos today!
July
August
September:
14. National Hummingbird Day (2nd): Though it was never made an official national holiday through Congress, we still celebrate these amazing birds on this day! Help educate your friends with fun hummingbird facts such as how they can flap their wings 15-80 times PER SECOND and are the only birds that can fly backwards!
15. National Bluebird of Happiness Day (24th): This title for the day may seem a bit strange, but bluebirds are symbols of happiness! There is even a song called “Bluebird of Happiness” made by Sandor Harmati and Edward Heyman in 1934. Other bluebird songs followed like “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” (one of my favorites).
October
November
December:
16. Christmas Bird Count Week (December 14th – January 5th): Did you have fun with the GBBC? Then you should try the 118th Christmas Bird Count! A map view of the circles expected to be included in the completed 117th CBC can be found here. Participate by finding green and yellow 15-mile diameter circles nearby to look and email people to take part in it by using the map (there is no online registration).
So there you have it, 16 different bird related holidays to celebrate over the course of 2017. Have a blast, and I will see you next month on Caitlin’s Corner!
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