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Keeping you informed about cool bird stuff in & near central Kentucky.

When Art and Science Collide: Hitnes' "The Image Hunter"
Any day now, the Italian muralist Hitnes will arrive in Kentucky, still painting his way across the south, loosely following the path of John James Audubon. He will stop in Owensboro first and aims to arrive in Lexington--the last official stop on his The Image Hunter quest--in about a week. CKAS has arranged to take him birdwatching and with luck we will get some good looks at some good local or migrant bird species; this is important because Hitnes is only going to paint murals of the birds he sees on his trip. Several of our members are hoping he sees Peregrine Falcons and Kentucky Warblers, and we will do our best to "load the bird deck" for an interesting mural. If you have not had a chance to look at the work Hitnes has already done and what we can expect for the murals in Lexington, take a minute to follow this link: short project video then poke around in the completed projects. His work is beautiful and we can't wait to watch it come to life here in central Kentucky.

We should take a moment to thank everyone who contributed to the PRHBTN group via their Kickstarter campaign--they raised over $13,000 towards four murals, all of which will be complete by mid-October. Some are already started: you can drop by the Chase Brewing Co and see MrDHEO and Pariz One at work right now. Hitnes will be starting his Audubon-themed mural on October 9th and finishing by the 12th -- an amazing feat given he'll be painting the large wall above the Starbucks across from Triangle Park and Rupp Arena. (Don't worry: we have requested he not paint a cardinal!) We encourage you to take some time during those five days and head down to Triangle Park to watch him paint.

CKAS has also arranged for Hitnes to give a talk called "When Art and Science Collide" at the UK Ecological Research and Education Center on October 13th at 7:00pm. This free lecture will investigate the sometimes conflicting, sometimes complimentary relationship between art and science, with special emphasis on Hitnes' large-scale mural work. Wrapping up his stay in Lexington, Hitnes will hold a two-day Master Mural Class covering the history of muralism and mural-making techniques. Thanks to the generous support of the University of Kentucky Student Sustainability Council, CKAS will be able to provide full workshop scholarships to many UK students. Though we have not been able to arrange painting a mural on the outside of the EREC/PIMSER facility, it does look like the class will be able to help Hitnes complete an extensive mural to greet people just inside as they enter the building.  We will know more about this mural's placement by the start of Hitnes' talk; we hope to see many of you there!
 
Roma San Basilio, Opera di Hitnes.    ... No, the Lexington murals probably won't have any sharks.
Upcoming CKAS (& Other) Events    
Oct. 2nd to 4th (Fri-Sun.): American Birding Expo Grange Audubon Center 505 W. Whittier Street, Columbus OH. Hosted by Bird Watcher's Digest, this biggest and best showcase of products for bird watchers is well worth the weekend trip.
Oct. 3rd (Sat.) 8:00am-2:00pm: Fall Bird Seed Sale Day #1 (w/ASK) Southern States Co-Op 2570 Palumbo, Lexington. Do you have enough bird seed to make it through the Fall migration? Now's the time to stock up. You can take your seed with you or leave it at Southern States to pick up as you need. NOTE: All stored seed must be picked up within twelve months! A portion of the proceeds goes to supporting CKAS. Volunteers needed from 8-11 & 11-2: e-mail seedsale@ckas.org.
Oct. 4th (Sun.) 10:00am-12:00pm: The Raven 10K Trail Run (w/Raven Run) Raven Run Nature Sanctuary 3885 Raven Run Way, Lexington. Join the Friends of Raven Run and Lexington Parks and Recreation for the inaugural 10 kilometer trail run “The Raven.”
Oct. 10th (Sat.) 8:00am-2:00pm: Fall Bird Seed Sale Day #2 (w/ASK) Southern States Co-Op 2570 Palumbo, Lexington. Missed us last week? Here's your second chance to stock up. You can take your seed with you or leave it at Southern States to pick up as you need. NOTE: All stored seed must be picked up within twelve months! A portion of the proceeds goes to supporting CKAS. Volunteers needed from 8-11 & 11-2: e-mail seedsale@ckas.org.
Oct. 10th (Sat.) 11:00am-12:30pm: Bird Behavior in Your Backyard Wild Birds Unlimited 152 N. Locust Hill, Lexington KY. Join WBU in welcoming Dr. Becky Fox, animal behaviorist and ornithologist with Transylvania University who has studied everything from Mountain Chickadees to the benefits of toys for pet parrots, for a discussion of "What the heck are those birds at my feeder doing, and why?"
Oct. 11th (Sun.) 3:00pm-?: Hitnes Mural Painting (w/PRHBTN) Triangle Park 400 W Main St, Lexington. Care to see history in action? Join us in Triangle Park to watch Italian muralist Hitnes painting a HUGE Audubon-inspired mural as part of The Image Hunter.
Oct. 13th (Tue.) 7:00pm-9:30: "When Science and Art Collide" Lecture UK/Lexmark Center for Innovation 1737 Russell Cave Road, Lexington. Join us for a free lecture by Italian muralist Hitnes covering the relationship between art and science with special on his large-scale mural work, which has taken him to over four continents. Part of The Image Hunter project.
Oct. 14th & 15th (Wed. & Thur.) 10:00am-4:00pm: Hitnes Master Mural Class UK/Lexmark Center for Innovation 1737 Russell Cave Road, Lexington. Participants in this two-day workshop will receive Hitnes' instruction on basic mural-making techniques, then have the chance to practice what they've learned as they help Hitnes paint a large-scale mural. Fee: $75 plus materials. Scholarships available for UK students, preregistration required. E-mail MuralClass@CKAS.org for more information. Last stop on The Image Hunter project.
Oct. 16th (Fri.) 6:30pm-9:00pm: Owl Prowl (w/Shaker Village) Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill 3501 Lexington Road, Harrodsburg KY. Learn about owls, then take a walk as the naturalist guides try to call them in. $5 After Hours Admission; meet at the Trustees Office.
Oct. 17th (Sat.) 8:00am-11:30am: Bird Walk (w/ASK) Maine Chance Farm (Spindletop) 2099 Newtown Pike, Lexington. Meet at 8:00am at the McDonald's on Newton Pike & I-64 in the overflow parking area on the far side of the building. BE PROMPT!!
Oct. 17th (Sat.) 9:00am+: Biology of Autumn (w/Venerable Trees) Lexington Cemetery 833 W. Main St., Lexington. Improve your tree ID skills while learning why leaves change color and what role birds and other animals play in a tree's life. Meet at the Henry Clay Monument. Registration required, suggested $10 donation. Repeats October 24th.
Oct. 17th (Sat.) 10:00am-4:00pm: Forest Foray Workshop Life Adventure Center 1305 Germany Road, Frankfort. Join KDFW biologist Joe Lacefield and other experts in a hands-on workshop covering edible mushrooms and native plants. Broaden your knowledge of local trees and wildlife along the way. Fee: $25. Preregistration required: call 859-873-3271.
Oct. 19th (Mon.) 7:00pm-9:00pm: Birds & Climate Change (w/Sierra Club) 2nd Presbyterian Church 460 E. Main Street, Lexington. Join the Bluegrass Sierra Club monthly meeting where  Tony Brusate presents the "Audubon Climate Report: The Future for North American Birds."
Oct. 24th (Sat.) 8:00am-1:00pm: Bird Walk (w/ASK) Griffith Woods WMA 2001-3499 Leesburg Pike, Cynthiana. To carpool/caravan: 8:00am DEPARTURE from the McDonald’s on Newtown Pike & I-64 in the overflow parking area on the far side of the McDonald’s building. BE PROMPT!
Oct. 24th (Sat.) 9:00am+: Biology of Autumn (w/Venerable Trees) Lexington Cemetery 833 W. Main St., Lexington. Improve your tree ID skills while learning why leaves change color and what role birds and other animals play in a tree's life. Meet at the Henry Clay Monument. Registration required, suggested $10 donation. Repeat of the October 17th program.
Nov. 4th (Wed.) 7:00pm-9:00pm: CKAS General Meeting Good Foods co-Op: Rochdale Room 455 Southland Drive, Lexington. Topics: Audubon's hemispheric reach, Hitnes results, native grass restoration projects, Barn Owls boxes, long-term planning.
Nov. 7th (Sat.) 8:00am-11:00am+/-: Bird Walk (w/ASK) Lexington Cemetery 833 W. Main St., Lexington. Meet/park around the first right turn after coming in the gate. Do NOT park in the gatehouse spaces!
Nov. 11th (Wed.) 7:00pm-9:00pm: Urban Forestry Seminar Series (w/Urban Forestry) Fayette County Extension Office 1140 Red Mile Place, Lexington. Urban Forestry presents Professor Kathleen Wolf, city tree and human health researcher from The University of Washington.
Nov. 12th (Thu.) 7:00pm: Movie: PlantPure Nation Kentucky Theater 214 E. Main St., Lexington KY. Ok-- so it's not about birds. PlantPure Nation investigates the benefits of plant-based diets and tells the story of KY House Bill 550, which mandated a pilot program that would document the health benefits of such a diet, presented by State Rep. Tom Riner (D-Louisville). Well worth supporting.
Nov. 13th (Fri.) 7:00am: GoodGiving Guide Challenge Kick-Off.  CKAS is one of only 100 local charities selected to participate in this year's Challenge. More details to come. Start getting excited! This is your chance to have donations to CKAS matched; there will be several points during the Challenge when your gift can do more good for central Kentucky's birds. Special thanks to Wild Birds Unlimited for again offering to be our matching donation sponsor.
Nov. 21st (Sat.) 9:00am-12:30pm: Bird Walk (w/ASK) Lake Ellerslie: Reservoir #4 3725 Richmond Road (Coys Drive). Meet at the outer parking lot of Lakeside Golf Course. BE PROMPT!  Gates for the fishing club will be locked once we gain access.
Nov. 21st (Sat.) 10:00am-11:00am: Junior Naturalist: Birds of Prey (w/ McConnell Springs) McConnell Springs 416 Rebmann Lane, Lexington KY. For grades K-5. Join the Spring naturalists as they get face-to-face with live raptors. Call 859-225-4073 to preregister.

 
Fall Seed Sale(s)

Do you have enough bird seed to make it through the Fall migration? This year's Fall Seed Sales will be held on October 3rd and 10th at Southern States. Now's the time to stock up on everything for your feathered friends! You can take your stock with you or leave it at Southern States to pick up as you need. NOTE: All stored seed must be claimed within twelve months.

A portion of the proceeds go to supporting CKAS and the Audubon Society of Kentucky. Special thanks to Southern States for once again being gracious enough to host/help with this event.

Care to volunteer? We could still use a few more folks for shifts from 8-11 & 11-2 both days.  seedsale@ckas.org.
You can help support CKAS by simply shopping like you normally do!  Each year, Kroger gives millions of dollars to Kentucky non-profits through its free Community Rewards® Program. If you shop at Kroger and have a Kroger Rewards® card, you can help us qualify for these funds by logging on at Kroger.com and linking your Kroger Rewards® card to the Central Kentucky Audubon Society in the Community Rewards section of your Account Settings. Doing this will not affect the way you accrue fuel points in any way; you still keep all your rewards and gas savings. But your points will also count as our points, helping us to a bigger share of Kroger's charitable donations. To make sure you have activated or renewed your Community Rewards® sponsorship, check the bottom of your Kroger receipt  for: "At your request we are donating to Central Kentucky Audubon Society."



 
WALK ETIQUETTE

Learning the names of a few key plants--especially the more common local species of trees--will make your bird watching experience more rewarding and enjoyable. If you spot a bird in a nearby tree and the best description you can give to your fellow birders is "that big tree over there," you will be in for a long day. It is much better to be able to say "in that sycamore, halfway up, near the trunk where you can see the thick white bark mottling."  Now that's a description which can help someone find the bird!

Anyone who was at the Urban Forests talk by Doug Tallamy this last week knows that native trees attract more insects than non-native trees. The birds know this, too, so with regards to your bird walk tree identification, you can be more or less selective in your knowledge. If the trees with the most "bird activity" are going to be the trees with the most insects in Spring and the best nuts and fruit in Fall, though it might be nice to be able to identify a ginkgo tree, this non-native doesn't attract many species of caterpillars nor does it have very bird-friendly fruit; thus, a gingko doesn't attract many species of birds. If you don't know any trees, a gingko sin't a good one to learn for bird watching! Start by learning to recognize oak, cherry, willow, birch, and poplar trees. These trees will naturally attract more birds. Missed the Tallamy talk and now you're tree-curious?  A list of Doug Tallamy's "best trees" can be found here.
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