Photos: Dubai Municipality celebrates World Migratory Birds day

Seagulls flying over Dubai Sky. Seagulls are the migrating wild birds that come to the UAE shores every winter. As part of the World Migratory Birds Day celebrations, Dubai Municipality's Environment Department organized workshops, symposiums, exhibitions, field visits, competitions and other awareness-raising events.

The theme of the World Migratory Birds Day 2020 was “Birds Connect Our World,” which focused on modern tracking systems and methodologies used to track birds during their migration around the world and take advantage of this data to be an aid to provide protection and stability to them. Above, the Al Qudra Lakes is fast emerging as the perfect habitat for migratory and resident birds with nearly 180 species thriving in the popular picnic destination.

A Terek Sandpiper and a Greater Flamingo feeding at the Ras al Khor Sanctuary as Dubai serves as a wintering spot for a lot of migratory birds. To protect migratory species of birds, the Environment Department implements many activities and programs such as a satellite tracking of wild birds, which aims to determine the migration paths of birds to understand their behaviour to protect them during their movement between different countries.

To mark the World Migratory Birds Day, Dubai Municipality held a virtual symposium with the participation of speakers from different countries of the world focusing on different topics such as local bird tracking systems and the systems used in other countries of the world, sharing the methods for tracking birds and monitoring their migration line, human relationship with birds and etiquette to deal with them, challenges and risks that birds face during their migration, and the contribution of the society in protecting migratory birds.

Dubai Municipality’s concern in migratory birds comes among the priorities of the country’s environmental work in general and the Emirate of Dubai in particular. Above, Migratory birds flock at Deira in Dubai.

A dozen Arabian Green Bee-eater has taken residence at Dubai Safari. Dubai Safari, which has opened its doors to the public last week, is not only home to the wildlife of the world for conservation breeding, but it has also become a hub for receiving migratory birds and some of the local UAE birds.

Egret at Ras al khor wildlife sanctuary. The symposium witnessed the participation of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, represented by Maitha Al Muhairi from its Biology Section, who highlighted the ministry’s efforts to protect migratory birds and birds that fall within the Red List and the important areas in the country for migratory birds, and the Fujairah Municipality, represented by Dr. Ali Hassan Al Hamoudi, Director of Wadi Al Wurayah National Reserve, who talked about bird watching methods - a mechanism to overcome the challenges facing the migratory bird sector.

New migratory bird species find a haven at Al Qudra lake. Clamorous Reed Warbler in Al Qudra Lake. Eng. Alia Al Harmoudi, Director of the Environment Department at Dubai Municipality, said: “Awareness on the World Migratory Birds Day is an effective tool to contribute to raising awareness about the threats faced by migratory birds, their importance, and the need for international cooperation to preserve them.”

The bird migration maps that were monitored via satellite revealed the size of the extent covered by birds at the local, regional and global levels to reflect the interconnectedness between these components and environments to show the world as a small village in which birds move freely and connect all its aspects in a wonderful scene. The Environment Department counts the birds periodically in the natural reserves and important sites in the Emirate of Dubai to be evaluated later on the numbers, types and potential impacts of developing protection methods and precautionary measures. Above, Common Snipe in Al Qudra Lake.

The nature reserves play an important role in providing safe and suitable environments for migratory birds that fulfill the life requirements such as water, food and shelter in addition to protection, as the nature reserves receive annually during the winter thousands of migratory birds of various kinds. Above, Flamingos at the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in Abu Dhabi.

Dubai and the UAE in general represent a major habitat for many migratory birds due to the availability of a safe haven for these birds during their migration, and the country also represents one of the favorite rest breaks for many migratory birds due to the abundance of food sources and availability of natural reserves within the country. Above, Goliath heron at the Wasit Wetland in Sharjah.

Black-winged Stilt at Ras al Khor sanctuary. The black-winged stilt, common stilt, or pied stilt is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family. The scientific name Himantopus comes from the Greek meaning “strap foot.”