Celebrating IMBD in the Caribbean - Celebrate Birds in Culture
The long journeys that migratory birds take each year are truly amazing. These birds, like our endemics and residents, are part of our natural heritage and it is up to us to conserve the habitats they need to feed and rest during winter or their long migrations. We encourage all of you to celebrate IMBD in your own country, as you have celebrated the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival with great success for many years now. Materials available to help celebrate include a poster, powerpoint presentation, stickers, tattoos, bird buddie bracelets and t-shirts.
The “official” date for IMBD in the Caribbean is the second Saturday of October, which this year falls on October 10. You can celebrate the festival at any time in the Fall that is convenient for you, however, we encourage October because this is peak migration period. The activity or activities can be very simple, for example, organizing a birding walk or a presentation on migratory birds, or more involved (like organizing displays, art competitions, etc.).
The theme of IMBD this year is CELEBRATE BIRDS IN CULTURE (we used this same theme for the CEBF last spring). This is an opportunity to explore birds in culture, with a focus on the role birds played in native cultures, their symbolism and folklore, and how birds inspire conservation. Many ideas for celebrating this theme are available at the IMBD website: www.birdday.org
Birds have always played an important role in the cultures of Native People, appearing in stories, art, ceremonies, political systems, religions, and beliefs about conservation. The historical importance of birds has been handed down over the years, reaching not only new generations of Native People, but also other cultures. Today, the contributions of Native People are reflected in folklore, music, local festivities, literature, art, food and the names of places. Birds, too, are a recurring theme in all of these arenas.
Reconnect with our roots when nature was loved and respected as part of a way of life. Use the species in the 2009 IMBD art to share the many ways birds are represented in native cultures. Many ideas, downloadable resources, and promotional materials for celebrating this theme are available at the IMBD website: www.birdday.org.
Last spring we distributed to CEBF/IMBD coordinators a number of IMBD materials that we received from Sue Bonfield (posters, stickers, tattoos, Bird Buddy Bracelets, and T-shirts). We hope that you have reserved some of these materials to celebrate IMBD.
We hope that you can participate in this great international event! Please let me know if you have any questions (Anthony Levesque). We look forward to hearing about your festival activities.
Materials available for 2009
Birds and Culture Powerpoint Presentation (English and Spanish). Thanks to Lynne Guitar (anthropologist in the DR) for preparing this outstanding presentation and sharing it with us. Please contact Lisa Sorenson to request a copy of the presentation (specify English or Spanish).
Thanks to Sue Bonfield, IMBD Coordinator, for help with the following materials:
Ideas for fun activities that especially emphasize the Birds and Culture theme can be found in Wondrous West Indian Wetlands: Teachers Resource Book: Activity 2-G – Anansi and the Amazing Mangrove Marching Band, Activity 4-A – Knowing our Wetlands: Family Knowledge and Island Lore, Activity 5-C – Wondrous Wetlands: Celebrate Wetlands in Poetry, Activity 6-O – Biodiversity Rap - Compose a rap, calypso, reggae or other traditional song about birds.
The above materials are free but you will need to pay shipping costs. Visit www.birdday.org for more downloadable fact sheets and ideas about this theme (English and Spanish) from International Migratory Bird Day.
T-shirts! The t-shirts have the striking Birds and Culture artwork on the front. We have customized the t-shirts for the Caribbean by adding CEBF and SCSCB logos underneath the artwork (in addition to the Environment for the Americas logo). With this design, we can celebrate CEBF in the spring and IMBD in October with the same shirt. Groups can add their logo to the back but there will be an extra charge of $40 for this (set-up fee). A few free t-shirts have already been sent to local coordinators in participating countries. The cost for extra t-shirts is $8.50 each plus shipping. You can sell the t-shirts to raise money for your organization or give them away to participants, use them as prizes, etc.
Visit www.birdday.org for more resources and ideas about this theme (English and Spanish) from International Migratory Bird Day.
Will your country be celebrating? Please let us know!
Confirm your interest of coordinating festival activities in your country this year by e-mail (Anthony Levesque) and let me know as soon as possible about your plans so that a regional list of activities can be prepared. Please also share your ideas for activities to celebrate our “birds and culture” theme. We will be posting a list of these ideas on the IMBD webpages. If your country celebrated last year and the local coordinator has changed, and you know his or her e-mail, I would appreciate your help with this information. If you know of additional groups that would like to join the festival, please send me their contact information (name and email address) so that I can communicate with them.
You can also register your festival at www.birdday.org for all the people planning to visit the Caribbean during the IMBD.
For more information please contact Anthony Levesque, Caribbean IMBD Coordinator, SCSCB.
Visit the CEBF webpages for more ideas on celebrating the festival - click here.
International Migratory Bird Day 2008 webpages - click here.
Learn about the amazing migration of Whimbrels, tracked by satellite, to the Caribbean - click here and here.
IMBD Celebration in the Dominican Republic:
