World Migratory Bird Day – Frick Environmental Center

World Migratory Bird Day is back! This international awareness-raising campaign highlights the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. Come to the Environmental Center for a morning of bird-related hikes and activities for all ages and abilities.

Registration for the main event is not required. The theme for World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2026 is “Every Bird Counts – Your Observations Matter.” Check out our landing page here: World Migratory Bird Day – Pittsburgh’s Parks | Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

Agenda:

• Hands-on family activities with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Pittsburgh Park Rangers, and National Aviary will be happening in the Frick Environmental Center Classrooms and Outdoor Discovery Space. Test your knowledge of bird feathers and eggs, investigate bird beaks, decorate a warbler, and more!  

• Community partners tabling with Allegheny Goatscape, Building New Hope, DarkSky International, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, and Three Rivers Waterkeeper will be located along the allee.  

• Virtual bird banding with Nick Liadis and the bird banding crew at Bird Lab will be on zoom in the Frick Environmental Center Living Room! As birds migrate across the continent each spring, they encounter a wide range of landscapes along the way. Bird Lab studies these seasonal movements across local habitats, including their suburban site in Upper St. Clair. During this live Zoom session, Nick will talk through the banding process with birds that they catch and answer audience questions, offering a unique opportunity to compare which bird species are present at urban and suburban sites across Allegheny County. Banding is weather-dependent and may be canceled in stormy or excessively hot conditions. 
• Explore Visual Bird Sounds in the Frick Environmental Center Living Room with John Rice from Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Explore the wonders of bird vocalizations and see how technology helps us see bird sounds. Test your ability to match a spectrogram (graphed wave form) to a bird’s song or call. Birds make sounds primarily to communicate for survival and reproduction, such as attracting mates, defending territory, warning of predators or other dangers, and coordinating with their flock. 
• Birds of Prey Family Program – 9:30 AM and 11:00 AM

  Join Nick Stahlman from the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania for a family program on the birds of prey found in Pennsylvania. This one-hour program will be held in our amphitheater at 9:30am and 11:00am and will include hands-on touchable items in addition to live birds of prey.  

Please see individual events on calendar for early-morning events that require registration.