World Migratory Bird Day will be marked for the first time in Delta this weekend.
The initiative began in 2006 with the aim of raising awareness about the need to protect migratory birds and their habitats.
"It's getting to the point where our environment is really not very friendly to migratory birds," said local organizer Ursula Easterbrook, highlighting the proposed Terminal 2 at Roberts Bank and the under construction South Fraser Perimeter Road as examples.
Networking for migratory birds is the theme of this year's event.
"Migratory birds travel huge distances along their migration routes, some-times even tens of thousands of kilometres," the World Migratory Bird Day website states. "These connected sites act like 'stepping stones' and are used by birds to migrate."
Easterbrook said this area is the most important stopover on the West Coast for migratory birds.
A local event will take place Sunday at Boundary Bay Regional Park. A welcome will be held at 1 p.m. at Cammidge House, followed by nature walks, refreshments and visual presentations from naturalist Anne Murray.
There will be a choice of two nature walks: an inter-tidal/shoreline walk with Bird Studies Canada's Catherine Jardine or an upland walk with Tom Bearss from the Delta Naturalists' Society.
Pre-register for the walks by e-mailing [email protected].
