COLUMBIA, S.C. — Around the nation, environmentalists are honoring the fall bird migration season by taking steps to be kinder to nature.
It comes as part of World Migratory Bird Day, happening this weekend.
Columbia Park Ranger Bailey Parker and her husband Clay spent part of Sunday searching for birds at the Saluda Riverwalk on Candi Lane.
"So, we don't see large flocks of birds flying through the sky," Bailey Parker said. "They are hanging out in trees, catching insects."
Columbia is just a rest stop, she says, as various bird species travel south toward warmer climates.
"We've seen American Redstarts, Magnolia Warblers, Cape May Warblers," Bailey Parker said.
"You might see something totally different from day to day," Clay Parker added. "Being outdoors is kind of what brought us together as a couple."
Skylar Ackerson was at the park with a friend Sunday. While she wasn't as familiar with all the bird species as the Parkers, she said seeing new birds was still a fun experience.
"I just moved here actually a week ago," Ackerson said. "I'm actually from Virginia. So, when I'm out in nature and seeing the Red Cardinals and the Blue Jays and hearing them all the time, it's really peaceful."
There are ways to help the birds on their path.
"We are encouraged to turn our lights off at night," Bailey Parker said. "Putting up screens on the outside of the windows. There are stickers or applications that you can put on your windows so that the bird knows that it cannot fly through it and that would limit the amount of deaths caused by window strikes."
She says the migration period will last for at least a few more weeks in South Carolina.
For those interested in learning more about birding, the Columbia Audubon Society has a free bird spotting trip planned for Wednesday, Oct. 12 at the Saluda Riverwalk at 650 Candi Lane, near Riverbanks Zoo starting at 7:30AM.