For the Birds

It’s hard enough getting through winter even when you have a heated home and clothes to wear. What if you wore only feathers and had to forage through snow and ice for your food and shelter? That’s life (particularly challenging during the coldest season) for wild birds. The flocks that live in the woods of the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens (8909 West 179th Street) are a little more fortunate. A whole committee of Friends of the Arboretum is devoted to helping them out by distributing bird food and birdhouses and generally keeping an eye on the flying creatures. Today, the bird fund gets a little boost from dollars raised during a 2 p.m. concert at the arboretum by a quartet of jazz musicians led by Roger Wilder. The performance is part of the monthlong Music for the Birds concert series. Admission is $5 and includes refreshments. See opabg.org or call 816-820-7499 for reservations, which are suggested but not required.

Sun., Feb. 21, 2-3 p.m., 2010