Join BLM on a ‘Mission’ to celebrate migratory birds

Have you looked out your window this spring and smiled seeing an old friend wing by? Maybe it was a newly-returned hummingbird investigating the pinkness of this year’s flower crop, or a bobolink filling the air with its bubbly song?

To raise awareness of migratory birds and the public lands they call home, this week the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a new Junior Ranger Mission called ‘Celebrate Migratory Birds.’ Junior Ranger Missions are virtual games featuring BLM science and heritage information that can be played on digital devices for free by anyone, anytime. They encourage children to move, play, and explore their public lands by completing virtual “Adventures” and tackling educational challenges through observation and exploration.

As a national feature mission (similar to ‘Discover Dinosaurs’ released by BLM in 2023), Celebrate Migratory Birds is available in English and Spanish and can be played by users anywhere in the world. It’s also available on-site at the 20 BLM field sites that host Junior Ranger Missions.

The release of ‘Celebrate Migratory Birds’ coincides with the lead up to World Migratory Bird Day on May 11, 2024. World Migratory Bird Day is a global campaign that aims to raise awareness of migratory birds and the need for cooperation to conserve them. The critical role of insects as a food source for migratory birds is the theme for this year’s celebration.

“BLM lands are home to countless insects that help to fuel the journeys of millions of migratory birds each year,” says BLM Wildlife Biologist Renee Chi. “Enabling kids to have fun playing a Pokémon-style game while learning about the role of public lands in protecting bird and insect habitats is a win-win for all involved.”

The BLM Education Team collaborated with BLM Wildlife, Environment for the Americas, and Agents of Discovery to develop the Celebrate Migratory Birds Mission. The Mission is being featured in these organizations’ newsletters and websites from late April through mid-May 2024.

To play the game, download the Agents of Discovery app from your preferred app store, search for “Celebrate Migratory Birds (Virtual, Play Anywhere!),” and enjoy helping Agent Kestrel protect migratory birds on public lands near you! Make sure to select the “Virtual, Play Anywhere!” version, as the other versions are geolocated to particular BLM field sites. 

Find more information on the webpage here.