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FIRST WORLD BIRD FESTIVAL LAUNCHED AT LA PEDRERA
Barcelona, Spain, Saturday 6 October, 2001 - BirdLife International's first ever World Bird Festival celebrating The Inspiration of Birds and sponsored by Caixa Catalunya's Fundacio Territori i Paisatge was launched at 12 noon on Saturday 6 October at Antoni Gaudi's La Pedrera building in Barcelona, Spain1.
The month-long Festival is the largest ever celebration of birds comprising hundreds of exciting birdwatching and bird-related cultural events in 85 countries that involve more than 170 organisations. The world famous La Pedrera building will itself be part of the Festival as the site of a unique installation of 147 larger than life bird models by Sergi Ricart that will be attached to the facade and roof on Saturday 6th October.
"BirdLife International is proud to launch the first World Bird Festival at La Pedrera and thanks Caixa Catalunya's Fundacio Territori i Paisatge for its generous sponsorship", said Dr Nigel Collar, BirdLife International's Senior Research Fellow at Cambridge University. "The Festival is a global celebration of birds and today we have even more reason to celebrate because we can announce the rediscovery of the Damar Flycatcher Ficedula henrici, a species that has not been seen since the 19th century. The bird was recently found by a BirdLife Indonesia Programme survey of Damar Island."
Among the prestigious international events that are part of the Festival this year:
* A series of seminars, films and an exhibition on Birds and Culture at La Pedrera.
* The Taiwan Bird Fair which is expected to be the Festival's largest single event attracting tens of thousands, organised by Wild Bird Federation Taiwan (BirdLife in Taiwan).
* World Birdwatch and World Bird Count which are the largest birdwatching events in the world (World Birdwatch 1997 holds the existing world record).
* The 17th International Ornithological Film Festival at Menigouite, France, which is one of the largest international wildlife film festivals.
* The largest national British Bird Race, organised by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (BirdLife in UK) and Birdwatch magazine (UK).
* The 5th International Bird Photography Competition organised by DOPPS (BirdLife in Slovenia) and Birdwatching magazine (UK), sponsored by Mobitel.
* An interactive web exhibition on The Inspiration of Birds.
* The issue of four sets of World Bird Festival commemorative postage stamps.
For further information please contact Adrian Long in Cambridge on + 44 (0)1223 277 318 or Michael Szabo on + 44 07779 018 332 (mobile) in Barcelona.
To view the official events list or The Inspiration of Birds web exhibition go to the BirdLife website at www.birdlife.net and click on the World Bird Festival button on the homepage. The events list will be regularly updated with news and photos from around the world.
NOTES
1. BirdLife International is a global alliance of national conservation organisations working in more than 100 countries who, together, are the leading authority on the status of birds, their habitats and the issues and problems affecting bird life.
2. The bird species on display include Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture, Egyptian Vulture,Griffon Vulture,,Golden Eagle,,Bonelli's Eagle,White Stork, Black Stork, Northern Bald Ibis, Eagle Owl, Barn Owl, Red-billed Chough, Alpine Chough, Wallcreeper, Black Wheatear, Rock Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush. All of these species occur either in Catalonia, Spain or the Mediterranean region.
3. SEO/BirdLife is the BirdLife International Partner in Spain.
