Bird lovers can enjoy a Migration Celebration in May at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon. 

From May 1-31, a variety of fun and fact-filled programs and activities will be offered to celebrate the birds that stop by Will County on their way to and from their ultimate destinations in spring and fall and those that travel back home to our area each year. 

These tiny travelers use forest preserves as stopover spots to rest and refuel, and that journey is what is being celebrated in May, said Jess McQuown, a program manager at Four Rivers. 

“Spring far surpasses every other season in terms of migratory bird numbers, and mating plumage is on full display,” she said.

During Migration Celebration, new activity station will be offered each week that will feature crafts, family friendly activities, and hands-on exploration of feathers, beaks and other bird related items. 

Migration Celebration also includes these free, complementary programs: 

• Where Feathers Meet the Flash photo contest. This photo contest also lasts the entire month of May. Visitors to the preserve are encouraged to snap bird photos and enter them by scanning the QR code at photo submission stations along the trails and within the visitor center. Prizes include a Cornell Lab Academy gift certificate and bird feeding supplies from Wild Birds Unlimited Joliet. There will be two age categories, 18 and older or 17 and younger. 
• Feathers at Four Rivers from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Sunday, May 12. Join a naturalist for a hike to see migratory birds making their way through the preserve and summer resident birds returning home. Ages 10 or older. 
• Breakfast with the Birds: 8 to 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 22. Enjoy breakfast with a naturalist to talk about the visitors to the feeding station at Four Rivers. Ages 18 or older. 

Migration Celebration is supported by funding from Alliance Pipeline, a joint venture of Enbridge and Pembina, and through the assistance of The Nature Foundation of Will County.