In San José (Caldas) They have been celebrating learning and conservation through birding for two years.
The hosts of the party are 25 members of the observation club of the La Libertad Educational Institution, in the Paz Baja village. The guests: the community of the municipality and Caldas interested in learning more about these winged animals.
The celebration this year lasts three days, with activities like workshops on basic concepts of sighting and nature photography.
They started on Thursday and end today with the most anticipated event of the year worldwide: the Global Big Day.
The Second Municipal Bird Festival in San Joséwith the motto As a bird fliesis led by the teacher Luz Alba Muñoz, a woman from Tolima who arrived in this town 16 years ago. She received the Pajareando Ando project in 2015 from her colleague Sandra Milena Álvarez, who a year before achieved a first inventory of 26 species with support from the Ondas program.
“You become infected, you begin to admire them and be amazed. The birds stop going unnoticed. I already look at its characteristics, what is its contribution to nature. I try to transmit all that energy to the children so that they also get interested and, since I work in the rural part, it is common to see through the living room window a number of birds that arrive, sing, and greet us,” says teacher Luz. Sunrise.
He says that when he took on the project he had the support by the Manizale ornithologist Jorge Eduardo Botero, who passed away at the end of February of this year. He endorsed a new inventory with 76 species, among them one that had been rarely recorded until then in the area: orange-crowned euphonia (Euphonia saturata).
This bird became his object of research with students from fifth to eleventh grade. For almost eight years they continued to observe it and suggested it as the emblem bird of San José. In 2023 the Council approved the agreement.
to grow
The teacher has been involving other branches of the institution, in addition to the parents. In her intention to involve the community more, she organized the first bird festival last year. “We had ornithologists, biologists and photographers from various places in Colombia”, he comments.
After that first meeting, they achieved a list of 196 species for the municipality; The new inventory is under scientific review the biologist from the University of Caldas Valentina Marín Giraldobecause the goal is to publish the San José birdlife guide.
“In this second party, which had the support of the Mayor’s Office, Pacífico Tres, Corpocaldas“, among other public and private entities, we seek to replicate the project in all institutions, leave the installed capacity with the teachers and students so that they give continuity to the project and grow more every day so that they become aware of conserving birds,” he concludes. Professor Luz Alba.
In favor of conservation
Photo | Courtesy | HOMELAND
Julián Valencia Gonzálezenvironmental administrator and member of the Caldense Society of Ornithology, participated in the Municipal Bird Festival of San José as a workshop leader on topics of initiation to observation and photography. “Birds bring together many people in favor of their conservation and other animals. It is a bet that is growing and you can see that people want to do it, they enjoy it, and there is nothing better than being able to see the passion with which they are doing it.”
With the students*
Jeremy Marín Ríos, fourth
I like their shapes, their colors and their songs.
Miguel Ángel Duque Arias, tenth
Birds are beautiful, but when observing them, that way of how they relate to the environment is the best.
Valery Ramírez Marín, seventh
I love birds for their beautiful colors and shapes, their songs, their trajectories and way of flying. They are something magical that inspires me.
* With information from Valentina Marín.
Let’s go birding on Global Big Day!
Photo | Courtesy Julián Valencia González | HOMELAND
In San José (Caldas) they are like this juvenile Common Chick (Nyctibius griseus), firm with the conservation of birds.
Today, amateur birdwatchers, novices, academics and scientists will observe birds from their windows, farms, reserves, parks or anywhere for 24 hours and upload their lists to the eBird platform, from Cornell University (USA). This day is known as Global Big Day. It has been carried out since 2015 and since that moment Colombia has been the protagonist. The country has occupied first place six times. Last year it led with 1,530 species. Caldas was in fifth place, with 563 birds, after Valle, with 652; Antioch, 622; Meta, 614 and Risaralda, 566.
 leads the municipal festival for birds){kind=link}