Dubai: Dubai Municipality will celebrate the World Migratory Birds Day, which falls on 9 th October.
Observing this international occasion is part of strengthening the Municipality’s leading role in
raising environmental awareness for the emirate's community and its quest to preserve
biodiversity and ecosystems in the emirate.
Environment Department of Dubai Municipality will organize various awareness programs in an
interesting and attractive way for all segments of society with the aim of educating them about the
importance of migratory birds and their different types, the threats they face and how the
community can contribute to mitigating them.
This year's global event, with the theme, “Sing, Fly, Soar, like a Bird,” focuses on the phenomena
of the birds' voices and flight as a way to inspire and connect people of all ages in their shared
desire to celebrate migratory birds and unite in a joint global effort to protect birds and the habitats
they need to survive.
World Migratory Bird Day has a global reach and is an effective tool for sharing best practices in
contributing to the protection of migratory birds from the threats they face on their journey in
search of food, temperate climate or escape from predators.
The Environment Department is organizing various environmental events on Saturday, 9 th October
2021, at Creek Park – Gate No. 1, from 4 pm to 6 pm. This occasion is an opportunity for all family
members to participate in environmental workshops that will be presented in cooperation with
various private companies.
The workshops include environmental messages related to migratory birds and how to preserve
them. One of the most prominent educational workshops offered by the Environment Department
is how to make bird nests that the participants will be able to place in their homes to attract birds,
specifically migratory birds, that they will take as a resting place before completing their journey.
The public can enjoy unique experiences, including getting to know some of the birds that will be
present at the event site, such as falcons. Visitors can take photos with them, with the need to
adhere to all precautions during their visit to the event.
One of the most prominent projects that will be presented to the public is the program for tracking
migratory birds by satellite, where a tracking device will be installed, equipped with a satellite
positioning device, to follow the movement of the bird without the need to catch it again and study
its migration path, which contributes to programs for the protection and proper management of
these birds. In addition, everyone will be able to participate in the various environmental
competitions that will be organized and an environmental Yoga workshop in which participants will
be able to enjoy the birds singing while exercising. Art enthusiasts will be able to showcase their
creativity by coloring a 15-meter long environmental painting of migratory birds, and watch the
environmental art exhibition in which 15 artists of different nationalities will participate to embody
the importance of birds through their paintings.
Bird migration is a natural miracle. Migratory birds fly hundreds and thousands of kilometers to find
the best environmental conditions and habitats for feeding, breeding and raising their young. When
conditions at breeding sites become unfavorable, it is time to travel to areas where conditions are
better.
The Emirate of 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. The country also
represents one of the favorite resting places for many migratory birds due to the abundance of
food sources and the availability of natural reserves within the country. The coastal shallow
waters, inland waterways, mangroves and salt marshes are among the main important elements
for birds escaping from the frozen icy areas in the Asian and Siberian poles during their quest for a
warmer climate in Africa.
The UAE hosts annually large numbers of migratory birds, due to its location and the nature of its
climate, in addition to the availability of suitable havens for birds, where two important paths of bird
migration overlap, the path of bird migration from East Africa to West Asia, and the path of Central
Asia, while birds of northern Europe and Asia visit the UAE as a breeding area to avoid harsh
climatic conditions due to the extreme cold in the northern breeding areas which are associated
with lack of food supply.
Reserves distributed in various regions of the Emirate of Dubai constitute important habitats for
hundreds of species of migratory birds annually, such as Socotra cormorants, sooty gulls, white-
cheeked terns, crested cats, black grouse, and yellow-necked sparrows, in addition to wading
birds and birds of prey, such as the osprey and the peregrine falcon and small birds, in addition to
types of storks, such as the beak, heron, and flamingo that are found in coastal areas and
swamps, as well as different types of ducks.
Reserves provide safe havens that reduce the pressures on migratory birds and provide them with
maximum protection in order to preserve biodiversity and enhance environmental sustainability.
There are eight nature reserves in the Emirate of Dubai as protected areas to preserve wildlife
within the emirate, covering approximately 1,297,82 square kilometers and representing various
ecosystems – desert, marine, coastal and mountainous habitats, which are teeming with many
types of plants, animals, fish and birds. Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary is also one of those key
areas that provide a safe place for migratory birds and are of international ecological importance
due to their unique biodiversity.
Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1985 and declared by Local Order No. 2 of
1998 as a protected area. In December 2003, His Highness the Ruler of Dubai issued Law No. 11
of 2003 to define the regulations related to nature reserves. Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary was
added to the list of wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention in 2007,
thus becoming the first nature reserve in the UAE to be recognized globally according to the
Convention. It is also an important destination for birds for breeding and migration according to the
Birdlife International.
The most beautiful thing that can be seen in Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary is the flamingo birds,
especially when these migratory birds come to spend the period between autumn and spring,
where many of these birds can be seen, and even when most of them return to Central Asia to
spend the summer months. A group of them remain here to inhabit this area throughout the year.
Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary is characterized by mangroves, which play a major role in the UAE
ecosystem and are home to many living creatures and many resident and migratory birds. A large
variety of organisms live and reproduce within the mangrove ecosystem. Therefore, the
preservation and growth of mangroves is necessary to preserve these living creatures, especially
the resident and migratory birds, because they provide a safe haven for life and reproduction in
which food sources are available from small fish and mollusks.
The Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai annually hosts thousands of migratory birds that
reside temporarily on the banks of salt flats, mud flats, mangroves and swamps that are
widespread there. The reserve includes hundreds of species of birds, and is characterized by the
richness and diversity of plant and fungal life, especially seabirds of various types and shapes,
including flamingoes, which migrate to the UAE with the onset of winter and abound in January,
preferring shallow waters.
The Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve also receives many migratory birds, with an area of more
than 40 hectares of virgin shrubs. The reserve includes 204 species of local birds and 158 species
of migratory birds. The Marmoom Reserve is considered the first unenclosed desert reserve in the
country open to the public that combines the concepts of eco-tourism and nature protection and it
has the highest concentration of big Alventer flamingoes in a desert area with a population of 500-
2000 birds. The reserve has eight bird watching towers distributed in its lake areas, which include
thousands of migratory and local birds for bird lovers and enthusiasts for watching. A bird watching
platform is also built in the form of interlocking straps.
