Highlights of 2024: Sharing Tracy Aviary’s Impact
“What’s your favorite bird?”
I paused to consider. Was it a trick question? “All of them.”
“Right answer!” the kids squealed and galloped away with their field trip group.
This year you helped over 150,000 people find their favorite bird- whether that’s the Southern Ground Hornbills, or the Chilean Flamingos…. maybe it’s all of them. You’ve been a part of a vibrant urban oasis, a much needed respite from an increasingly stressful world. You’ve instilled curiosity and caring for nature in young and old: a first-time visitor, a longtime bird-lover, a budding photographer, a family with children captivated by the baby ducklings puttering around the pond.
As we reflect on another year at Tracy Aviary full of joy and discovery, we are excited to share the remarkable developments that have unfolded thanks to your generous support. Your support has turned visions into reality, and made a significant impact on our community and on the environment.
We are asking you to consider donating to Tracy Aviary to continue conservation and education efforts that engage young and old alike.
Joining our flock this year have been the beautiful Wattled Jacana, charming Cuban Grassquits, and legendary European White Storks. (We’ll let you know if the storks deliver any human babies!) Did you know that our birds eat over 48,000 mealworms and 12,000 crickets per month? And over 1,500 mice! Now that’s a lot of food. Altogether, this year we took care of over 350 individual birds, representing 129 species.
Our conservation team was super busy this year; a new project was the MAPS bird-banding program: “Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship”. We trap wild birds using “mist nets” and attach small bands to wild birds’ legs so that when they’re caught and identified in a different city or region, we can track where they’ve been. It’s a collaborative project, so we share data with researchers internationally to learn more about these avian adventurers. We even had 8 birds come back to visit; sounds to me like they missed the wonderful growing habitat that is the Nature Center! This year we banded 286 birds, representing 20 species.
Speaking of our second campus, the Nature Center at Pia Okwai’s PHASE TWO officially opened, bringing online a Bird Blind,The ALSAM Foundation Observation Tower, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Amphitheater, and the Emma Eccles Jones Pavilion. Staff and volunteers have planted 700 trees and counting. From gardening and native plant habitat restoration to educational programming like Makerspace and weekly bird walks, this new facility is a hub of activity and engagement. Your support will nurture a love for nature in all visitors and inspire kiddos to play outside, to learn the species name of the finch in the tree, and to marvel at the grand white wings soaring overhead. It’s not a plane…. It’s an American White Pelican!
Will you donate this year to enhance human connection to the natural world and ensure the health of these urban sanctuaries for birds and people alike for years to come?
Thank you for being a vital part of Tracy Aviary’s mission. We’re excited for you to again join us in fostering appreciation for birds, their habitats, and everything that lives in between.