When is National Audubon Day?
April 26th is National Audubon Day.
What is National Audubon Day?
It’s for the birds. It’s also for us. Earth has 10,000 species of birds, and the work of avian conservationists preserves them from extinction threats. National Audubon Day celebrates the life work of one such bird watcher, French-American naturalist John James Audubon, one of the most well-known ornithologists.
Audubon studied American birds and illustrated them in their natural habitats. The cream of the crop in ornithological texts is his book The Birds of America, a magnum opus of 435 life-sized and hand-colored prints of 497 kinds of birds.
Audubon left an enduring conservation legacy. The National Audubon Society appeared in 1905 in his honor to promote and protect the habitats that support the world’s birds.
Thanks to Audubon biologists, for example, the last wild California Condor was captured in 1987 in hopes that captive breeding would save the species from extinction. Mission successful so far. The first chick was born in 1988, and numbers grew from 22 captive birds in 1987 to the 2017 count of 463 condors in captivity and in the wild.
Fun facts about National Audubon Day!
Audubon introduced bird-banding to the Americas. This process lets biologists monitor the migrations of birds.
A first edition of The Birds of America sold in London for $11 million in 2010.
Audubon was an exceptional taxidermist. At one particular demonstration of his methods, Charles Darwin sat in the audience as a student.
How to celebrate National Audubon Day:
Study the birds in your local park or your own backyard. Take the binoculars, and bring a sketch book if you’re feeling adventurous.
Create bird-friendly spaces in your backyard. Plant native shrubs, trees, and groundcover, and install a pedestal birdbath for decreased predator risks. Like songbirds? Raking fallen leaves underneath shrubbery can create a mulch rich in earthworms, spiders, and insects, just for the birdies.
What’s the hashtag for National Audubon Day?
Share your love for birds on social media by using #AudubonDay or #NationalAudubonDay.