Migratory Bird Center Tour at the National Zoo, AM Session

The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center is the only scientific institution dedicated solely to studying migratory birds. The center is located at the Bird House at the National Zoo, reopened after a six-year, $69 million remodel. We’ll tour the facility with ornithologist Dr. Brian Evans to learn about the current understanding of threats to bird populations, how to be better environmental stewards for birds, and how the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Bird House use science to inform conservation. The tour will highlight how birds respond to the environment in the metropolitan Washington, DC region.

We will also participate in a bird banding demonstration and check out the newest arrivals to the aviary, including turquoise tanagers, black-throated blue warblers, and black-and-white warblers.

Our visit will include:

• Introduction to the Bird House/Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the core mission of conserving migratory bird species.
• A lesson on how to bird like a pro.
• Guided tour of the Bird House’s walk-through aviaries, which include a re-creation of the habitat of Delaware Bay full of shorebirds, the Prairie Pothole region breeding grounds with waterfowl, and a bird-friendly coffee farm featuring neotropical migrants, including warblers.
• Bird banding demo, which is weather-dependent (requires temperatures to be less than 90 degrees).
• Coffee tasting featuring Bird-Friendly Coffee, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s certification program that conserves the wintering habitat of neotropical migrant birds.
• Tour of the Bird House gardens and closing conversation.
• Appropriate for ages 10 and up.

You are welcome to explore the zoo on your own for the remainder of the day, either before or after our tour.  Your registration with NHSM gets you one zoo pass entry ticket into the National Zoo at 8 am. Parking is not included. Parking passes are the participant’s responsibility and are released one month in advance, on June 25. Passes may sell out: claim yours early. Public transportation is also available.

Click here to reserve a parking pass: Reserve Parking Pass. Click the middle box labeled “PARKING + ENTRY PASS.” You do not need to add an entry pass. Cost is $30 per vehicle. No re-entry, standard-sized parking spaces only, and refundable up to one day before the ticket date.

• The exact meeting location will be listed in your confirmation email after registration has been received.
• Bring binoculars, if you have them.
• Dress for hot weather and bring a refillable water bottle.
• Anticipate traffic when determining your departure time. Leave enough time to park and walk to the Bird House.

NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.