St. LOUIS, Mo.—On a cold winter’s morning, there is nothing like having a breakfast of black oil sunflower seeds, or maybe a hot cup of coffee and a sweet roll. That would, of course, depend upon whether you are bird or human.

The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) presents a virtual Breakfast with the Birds, Saturday, Jan. 23 from 9:30-11 a.m. This is a free program open for all ages. Participants will enjoy a comfortable real-time view of the many birdfeeders outside the wildlife viewing gallery at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center.

“While the birds feed outside, participants can have the breakfast of their choice in the comfort of home as we learn how to identify birds,” said MDC Naturalist Shelly Colatskie. “We will discuss common winter birds in Missouri such as woodpeckers, sparrows, and other birds that visit backyard feeders,” she explained.

The program will feature a live viewing of birds at the nature center feeders and Powder Valley naturalists will describe the common winter birds using them. They will also discuss irruption years, which include large numbers of red-breasted nuthatches and pine siskins. Rare Missouri winter birds such as the snowy owl, saw-whet owl, evening grosbeak, and red crossbill will also be covered.

“We will finish up the presentation by discussing the Great Backyard Bird Count, a citizen science opportunity to report the birds in your backyard,” Colatskie said.

Breakfast with the Birds is a beginner’s guide to backyard winter birding, but bird enthusiasts of all levels are welcome to attend. Advanced online registration is required at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZEr.

This is an online event. Attendees will receive an invite to the WebEx event 24 hours prior to the program. It will come from DoNotReply_MOEvents@S3Gov.com. Participants are encouraged to check their spam or junk folder if they do not see the invite.

MDC offers many free educational programs in the St. Louis region to help people discover nature, fishing, hunting, and the outdoors. Stay informed by going to the MDC St. Louis reginal events page at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZP6.