Photos by Rog Imaging

These four birds have been at the top of my local bucket list since I first got interested in birding. And I was able to spot all four within the last week! YAY!!!
Painted Bunting
Indigo Bunting
Scarlet Tanager
Summer Tanager

People all throughout the Baton Rouge region. Yes, I mean you. This coming weekend is a really wonderful annual opportunity for you to have a more immersive and meaningful experience in nature, actively participate in helpful ecological science research, and directly compete in one of the largest competitions (it’s literally global!) available to you as an everyday person, and (most importantly, in my opinion) get familiar with a really cool app that makes it super easy to identify all kinds of organisms around you wherever you may live or roam.

(And for those living anywhere else on the planet, here ya go: https://www.citynaturechallenge.org)

https://www.brnaturechallenge.org

City Nature Challenge: BR Region The City Nature Challenge is a four-day friendly nature competition that goes on across the globe April 24 to April 27, 2026.

WOW! This is truly amazing, inspiring, and encouraging! Seriously - I want to be a part of creating micro-forests. WOW!

Microforests Are Taking Root Across the Country, Making Urban Spaces Better for Birds and People In pockets as small as a few parking lots, miniature forests can help cool cities, quiet streets, and give birds a place to land.