JACKSONVILLE, FL --- On Saturday, April 18, Fort Caroline National Memorial will host the 7th annual Explore the Outdoors: World Migratory Bird Day.
Join us from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm for salt marsh spotting scope talks, arts and crafts, and other activities. New this year are the Bird Olympics where visitors will be able to compare their own physical characteristics and abilities to those of birds. Visitor favorite, The Great Migration Obstacle Course, is returning this year with an additional challenge. Families will be able to role play a migrating bird and learn about the challenge birds face during their seasonal flights.
10:30 am Duval Audubon Society’s Bird Walk for Beginners
This is a great way to learn the basics of birding along with learning about the variety of bird species that live within the Timucuan Preserve.
12:00 pm Picnic with a Veterinarian
We invite the public to bring a picnic lunch and blankets to our first ever Picnic with a Veterinarian. Spring time means warmer weather and a lot of storm activity. Sometimes those storms knock baby animals from their homes. Dr. Peggy Shashy of Exotic Bird Hospital, Inc. will present on what community members can do to protect injured or displaced wildlife. She will explain the difference between fledglings and orphaned birds and when you should and should not intervene. Dr. Shashy has practiced veterinary medicine in the Jacksonville area for over 20 years. She is a small animal veterinarian with a special interest in exotics and rehabilitates all types of wildlife.
PBS's Sid the Science Kid will also make an appearance.
This event is co-sponsored by the National Park Service, Florida State Parks, WJCT, and Timucuan Parks Foundation. Find us on the web at http://www.nps.gov/timu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram (TimucuanNPS) and Twitter @TimucuanPreserve. For information on participating partners, visit, www.FloridaStateParks.org, www.TimucuanParks.org, and WJCT- https://www.wjct.org/