It's that time of year again: flowers blooming, temperatures warming and  migratory birds are returning from their winter retreats. Celebrate their arrival during International Migratory Bird Day on April 12 at the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area.

The free celebration begins at 8 a.m. with guided bird walks, demonstrations and lectures from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The family-friendly event offers fun children's' activities including face painting, story-telling, birding activities and crafts. An art contest for students in grades 1-6 will also be offered, and children can win festival t-shirts and other prizes. Participants will be treated to Liberty Wildlife Rehabilitation Center's free flight raptor demonstration, as well as to bird photography tips from experts. In addition, avian biologists and wildlife rehabilitators will be on hand to answer questions and display live critters.

International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) is an annual event to celebrate and support migratory bird conservation. The theme for IMBD 2008, "From Tundra to Tropics," focuses on long distant migrants, the habitats they depend on, and the people who are important to the conservation of birds - all of us.

Located in south-central Phoenix, The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area is a bird habitat success story. The project to revitalize the dewatered Salt River streambed began in1998. Today, more than 200 species of birds, many of them migratory, have been reported in the project area. The IMBD festival will be held at the project's center at 2439 S. Central Ave. in Phoenix.

Event partners include the City of Phoenix, Audubon Arizona, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Liberty Wildlife, Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center Auxiliary, and Environment for the Americas.

For more information on the festivities, visit www.phoenix.gov/riosalado.