Email This   Larger Font      Print This   Smaller Font Advertisement   Steven Lane/The Columbian The Vancouver Audubon Society’s Tammy Bjorkman, with bird book, helps John and Jo Ann Donovan of Vancouver identify birds during a guided walk at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Sunday.

Monday, May 12, 2008
By justin carinci, Columbian Staff writer

The national Mother’s Day holiday dates back nearly a century. Millions of families celebrate it.

International Migratory Bird Day started in 1993. It doesn’t make most calendars, or inspire a run on flower store and gift shops.

But supporters of the newer celebration would argue that millions participate. Birds, mostly.

On Sunday, humans also did their part, flocking to the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge for guided bird tours and educational displays.

Tammy Bister of Battle Ground hiked a trail at the refuge’s Carty Unit north of Ridgefield with her husband, son and daughter-in-law. The hike was a Mother’s Day treat, Bister said.

The birds were a bonus.

“It’s kind of cool to be able to identify something you see every day,” Bister said.

While International Migratory Bird Day marks the journey birds make between their summer and winter homes, the most popular birds at the Ridgefield celebration couldn’t migrate at all. Groups of people gathered to gawk at two captive birds of prey.

Skye, a red-tailed hawk, perched on the arm of Cathi Wright, education director with Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The large raptor held still, making few attempts to escape her tether.

Simon, a western screech owl also tethered, was less sociable. The robin-sized hunter made shorter appearances, spooked by the crowds and passing trains.

Long enough, however, for Heather Ratcliff of Battle Ground to take a look with her family. “One of my sons is in love with owls,” Ratcliff said.

The family hasn’t made a point to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day in the past. But Ratcliff said they’ll return to the refuge to celebrate birds whether there’s a holiday or not.

For Kathleen Hawes, the birds made a good day even better. Hawes, who is studying plant identification in archaeology, drove from her home in Olympia for a presentation on native plants at the replica Cathlapotle Plankhouse.

“This is my Mother’s Day present,” Hawes said. Hawes and daughter Sara also checked out the birds — Skye the hawk and some of her wilder cousins on the trail.

Like Mother’s Day, International Migratory Bird Day comes just once a year. But birds, like mothers, are here year-round.

They just don’t always get the same recognition.