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This is why there's a giant bird banner under the Granville Street Bridge

The Vancouver Park Board is celebrating the spring migration of our local feathered friends by installing a "bird banner" under the Granville Street Bridge.

The Vancouver Park Board is celebrating the spring migration of our local feathered friends by installing a "bird banner" under the Granville Street Bridge.

The "Birds of False Creek" banner is being installed today ahead of the United Nation's World Migratory Bird Day on May 12. Banquet Workshop produced the banner and the Park Board says it will welcome delegates to a major international ornithological conference in August. The first ever Vancouver International Bird Festival will also be held from August 19-26.

Local fowl, such as geese, heron, crows, cormorants, a bald eagle and the city's official bird, Anna's Hummingbird, make an appearance against a pink background.

 Photo courtesy of the Vancouver Park Board. The banner is 17 metres long and 3 metres wide.Photo courtesy of the Vancouver Park Board

"Birds are a vital component of biodiversity in Vancouver. From feeding on insect pests and filling our neighbourhoods with their melodic songs, birds are also a barometer of the ecological health of our city" says Vancouver Park Board Chair Stuart Mackinnon in a release.

The Park Board supports several bird-themed initiatives including a Backyard Bird Garden at VanDusen Botanical Garden and a live streaming Heron Cam featuring the Pacific Blue Heron colony at Stanley Park with the first chicks expected in the nest this week.

Free all-ages bird walking tours will be held in six locations across the city to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day.