Bird is the word: Dallas County Conservation is hosting two events this weekend to kick off a yearlong celebration of all things avian in nature.

The first program is the “Trumpeter Swan Soiree,” which will be held Saturday at Walnut Woods State Park in West Des Moines. Dallas and Polk County naturalists will help attendees celebrate North America’s largest waterfowl species. The program will be given both indoors and outdoors, with interpretive presentations throughout the day, and people can come and go as they please. It will run between 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., and there is no cost or registration required to attend.

On Sunday, Dallas County Conservation will welcome attendees to Forest Park Museum for their Bird Watching Basics program. The public is welcome to learn the basics of identifying birds through field marks, behavior, and calls. The event will be held from 1-3 p.m., and registration is required to attend the free program. Both of the events are part of Conservation’s 2019 Dallas County Big Year Birding Challenge, which will be running throughout the year.

For more information on these and other upcoming Conservation events, stop in or call Forest Park at 515-465-3577.