World Migratory Bird Day is May 11, and UWindsor sustainability officer Nadia Harduar has a few suggestions for how to observe the occasion.

Rodrigo Lopez Valdes, founder of the Central West Mexico Birding Society and a board member of the Sociedad Audubon de Mexico, will give two addresses on the rose-bellied bunting, struggling to survive in its native habitat on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, buffeted by global warming, wind farms, and an interoceanic railway.

Lopez will speak at the Ojibway Nature Centre at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, and reprise his presentation at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 9, at Café Amor, 1464 Ottawa St.

Olivia Maillet, an assistant bander with the Pelee Island Bird Observatory, will discuss what she has learned from dowitchers, a wading shorebird, in a webinar at 7 p.m. Friday, May 10.

The events will culminate in the Urban Birding Challenge, a race to spot the most birds in Windsor during a 24-hour period. The contest will introduce new birders to this form of natural discover, while challenging experienced birders in an unfamiliar environment.

Get details on all these activities through the observatory’s website.

Harduar suggests individual actions that can help protect our feathered friends, including creating habitat for birds and avoiding the use of pesticides. She also reminds the campus community to report any collisions by birds into windows by filling out this form and submitting a photo of the bird and the surrounding area.