ENVIRONMENT – EDUCATION / Migratory Bird Festival: two new books by Fruits de Mer

This Saturday, October 14, 2023 from 9 a.m., the Fruits de Mer association invites the public to participate in the Migratory Birds Festival at the Amuseum Naturalis in Quartier d'Orléans.

The free event is open to young and old as it will include activities and the launch of two new coloring books about birds: Soualiga Birds and Oiseaux Autour de Moi. “We are thrilled to bring back the Migratory Bird Festival with the launch of these two awesome new books,” explained Jenn Yerkes, president of the Les Fruits de Mer association, “each book is the latest coloring book in two popular series on local nature. And they both highlight the birds of Saint-Martin, including many of the birds that migrate here every year.” This Saturday, October 14 from 9 a.m. to noon, children will be able to enjoy the books available free of charge on site, while stocks last. A multilingual book produced by the association and downloadable online (see info), Soualiga Birds is the latest in the Soualiga series. The children will practice writing the names of the birds of Saint-Martin in French, English, Spanish and Dutch. Birds Around Me - from the series of the same name - is bilingual, English and French, and includes a nature journal in which young people can record their own observations and draw local species. In addition to the books produced with the support of the Community and the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion as part of the City Policy, festival-goers will be able to participate in activities and fun games on birds organized in the gardens of Amuseum Naturalis: Caribbean Bird Detective, Local Bird Bingo and Habitat Treasure Hunt. “Migratory birds are truly extraordinary,” adds Mark Yokoyama, co-founder of the Les Fruits de Mer association, “these birds travel thousands of kilometers each year and connect Saint-Martin to the rest of the Americas. We help people learn more about these birds with a MOTUS station at the Amuseum. It uses antennas to track birds equipped with tiny transmitters. It is one of the very first resorts of its type in the Caribbean.” The Migratory Bird Festival, sponsored by Delta Petroleum, will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, October 14 at the Amuseum Naturalis (The Old House) in Quartier d'Orléans. _VX