During Bird Days, you can participate in 12 different events throughout Latvia

• On April 4, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., in the courtyard of the Vangaži Art and Music School (Gaujas iela 2, Vangaži), a Bird Days creative workshop will be held – getting to know and drawing birds. Everything you need will be provided, in case of bad weather the event will be held indoors.
• On Friday, April 5, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., at the Ludza Local History Museum (J. Kuļņeva iela 2, Ludza), the head of the Rāzna National Park Nature Center, Regīna Indriķe, will talk about the birds of Latvia, their migration, places important to them and bird protection. By playing, solving tasks and talking, everyone will be able to get to know the variety of bird nests and cages, including bat and shrew cages. In suitable weather, the participants will go for a short walk in the open-air territory of the museum and observe the birds and listen to their voices.
• On April 5, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., an evening of bird games will be held in the nature center of the Ķemeri National Park (Meža māja, Ķemeri). The participants of the activity will be able to get to know and play various board games dedicated to birds, including the game “Winged”. Game night suitable for participants aged 10 and over.
• On Saturday, April 6, 9.00-11.30 a.m. in the Ķemeru National Park there will be a bird watching excursion “Birds in the Ķemeru resort”. On the excursion, everyone will learn about the history of the Ķemeri resort, together with a specialist, they will hear and recognize the various birds living in the Ķemeri National Park, talk about their lifestyle, feeding and occurrence. For the convenience of the tour participants, the start time is adjusted to the arrival of trains at the Ķemeru station, the meeting place is at the Ķemeru railway station near the Ķemeru National Park stand.
• On April 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the 2 km Bird Days hike will start at the Salacgrīva beach parking lot (Jūrmalas iela 2, Salacgrīva). Walking through the dune forest, its participants will get to know and listen to the birdsong of the bay and estuary and observe coastal waterfowl. Everyone will learn about the adaptations of birds to obtain food, nesting sites, care for the new generation, as well as get to know the birds in the urban environment. We encourage you to bring your personal binoculars and bird spotters.
• On April 6 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the nature center of the Rāzna National Park (Skolas iela 3, Lipuški) you will be able to learn about Latvian birds, their migration, habitats and homes, important places for birds and their protection, as well as about cages for bats and buzzards. Those interested will be able to take part in the “Bird voices quiz”. In suitable weather, there will be a short walk along the Rāzna lake, watching and listening to the birds.
• On April 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., in the nature trails of Līgatne, in addition to nature walks and animal watching, everyone at the owl house will be able to get to know the biggest secrets of owl life, listen to stories about Līgatne owls, which will be revealed by bird watcher and veterinarian Arno Klevinskis. On the other hand, in the square near the bee exposition, the first 70 visitors will be able to make their own birdcage. Entrance to the event with Līgatne nature trails entrance tickets, which can be easily purchased in advance at “Biļešu paradīze”.
• On April 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., in the Ķemeri National Park, next to the nature center (Meža māja, Ķemeri), you will be able to go on a bird trail with tasks in the open air, understanding what migration challenges birds face when traveling hundreds or even thousands of kilometers of migration routes.
• On April 6, from 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., a 9 km owl hike “In the footsteps of the breech owl” will take place in Ances parish. Under the guidance of Ritvars Rekmanis, a nature protection authority specialist, nature guide and ornithologist, hikers will get to know nature at night and learn to recognize Latvian owls. Meeting place in Ierciem, Ances parish, near the Lonaste river.
• On Sunday, April 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., there will be a hike along the nature trail of Klaņui purva. During the hike, everyone will get to know Latvian forest and water birds and natural processes in spring. Meeting place in the village of Muižnieku near Klaņui purva.
• On April 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., visitors to the Ķemeru National Park will be welcome at the bird tower of Lake Kanieri to see and recognize the diverse bird population found in Kanieri together with biologist Viesturas Vintulis. At the foot of the tower, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., there will be educational activities about birds “Where will you go, you birds?”.

Participants of outdoor events are invited to dress in comfortable clothing suitable for outdoor activities and the weather. If participants have access to birdwatching binoculars and bird detectors, we encourage them to bring them with them.

Bird Days, an annual initiative to learn about birds, has become almost an annual festival, which not only allows you to gain new knowledge, but in a sense also heralds the arrival of spring. This year, the Latvian Ornithological Society invites you to observe and report on bird sightings, especially on nesting sites of white storks. Everyone is invited to register bird sightings on the nature observation portal or mobile app Dabasdati.lv.

Bird days were started almost a century ago, when in the spring of 1928, during the Forest Days, a campaign to place bird cages was organized. In time, the events were held in all Latvian forest offices and attracted a lot of interest and participation of students and young people.

During the Soviet years, the tradition of holding separate spring Bird Days dedicated to getting to know and helping wild birds was adopted. Starting from 1952, the Ministry of Public Education of the LPSR included spring Bird Days in the school program as mandatory events for students. In the same year, the book “Bird observation in nature” by the legendary bird popularizer Kārļis Griguļis was published, which promoted the interest of children and young people in the world of birds.

Since 1995, the Ornithological Society of Latvia started organizing Bird Days. For more than 10 years, the Nature Protection Board also joined this initiative, organizing various educational events in nature and in nature centers.