MOSES LAKE — Birds, bird habitat and birdwatching will be among the subjects of “Bird Friendly Day,” sponsored by the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center as their Free Family Saturday program for May.

The day’s activities are all built around birds and appreciation for birds. The day begins with a bird-themed story time at 10 a.m. at the Moses Lake Public Library, 418 East Fifth Ave. That’s followed by wildlife-related crafts and activities at the museum, 401 South Balsam, and in Civic Park between the library and the museum.

Blue Mountain Wildlife, Pendleton, Ore., will bring live raptors (birds of prey) to the Civic Center Auditorium. The raptor program begins at noon.

Bird-related crafts are part of the program, including a backyard bird feeder from a tuna can. Kids will learn what makes good bird food – and food that will attract birds to a feeder – and what kind of plants make a yard bird-friendly.

Blue Mountain Wildlife cares for birds of prey – owls, hawks, falcons and eagles (among others) – and will bring some of the birds that can’t be released into the wild for their presentation. Kids will have a chance to get a close-up look at the animals.

The idea is to encourage kids and families to get interested in watching birds and other wildlife, said Margaret Schiffner, a volunteer with the local Audubon Society chapter, in an earlier interview.

The Free Family Saturday program is sponsored by the museum and is paid for entirely by donations through the museum membership program, sponsorships and the annual Feed The Mammoth fundraiser.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.