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

Only a Few Days Left in the GoodGiving Guide Challenge!

If everyone who sees this would support CKAS in the GoodGiving Guide Challenge by donating just $10 by midnight December 31st, we could win the Small Non-Profit "Most Individual Donors" Contest and earn a bonus $5,000 from the Bluegrass Community Foundation. We have already had over two dozen generous donors contribute over $1,375 total. This sum does not yet include the $1,000 which Wild Birds Unlimited has also pledged. So our participation in this year's GoodGiving Guide Challenge has been worthwhile, but winning the extra $5,000 would be HUGE! It could cover the rest of next year's budget!  Think of the Birding Festival we could help throw with that sort of funding! To win the Individual Donor Challenge, we don't need to raise the most money, we only need to have the most individual donors. Right now, the "small charity" category leader has a little over 200 individual donors.  That might seem untouchable, but we still have a few days and this newsletter has a reach of over 500 people -- more than enough potential donors to help us take the prize.  So if you can find it in your heart to donate just $10 to CKAS, and then have your spouse or child or grandparent or neighbor or whoever also donate $10 (we need INDIVIDUAL $10+ donations) please do so through the included links. The GoodGiving Guide CKAS donation page will accept tax-deductible donations until midnight, New Year's Eve.

Reminder: for this year's Challenge, everyone who wants to help our cause can easily sign up as a CKAS "social media ambassador." If you believe in what we do and would like to help raise money for our cause, you can help out by adding us to your social media pages. It's easy to set up: just click here to start a personal fundraiser for CKAS. Your support helps us help the birds living in or migrating through central Kentucky.


Warm December Predicts Colder Months Ahead?

My wife tells me, "Anyone raised on a farm knows that this nice weather we're having means we're in for a nasty February." Her fear is that these things tend to balance themselves out -- excessively warm weather now means much colder later. She's not alone in her forecast: news of the record-breaking December temperatures has hit almost every news source, most accompanied by predictions of an upcoming "wintry correction." Indeed, though the calendar may say winter, recently the grasses are greening, trees are blooming, and insects are buzzing. Whether you blame all this on climate change or a strong El Nino caused by warmer oceans, it could all bode poorly for our feathered friends. Last year's early March heavy snow and sharp cold spell left robins hunting for open water, bluebirds freezing in nest boxes, and a general lack of resources for early migrants.

In inclement winter weather -- especially sharp changes after warm spells -- local birds become particularly dependent upon feeders and heated bird-baths.  Just in case we are in for another bad, late winter, CKAS recommends being prepared to help out the local birds. Wild Birds Unlimited sells a number of bird-bath heaters and you can stock up on seed at the annual Winter Seed Sale & Fundraiser at Southern States Co-Op on January 9th and 16th from 8am to 2pm. Proceeds go to support CKAS and ASK efforts to help central Kentucky birds through various projects and educational endeavors.  So stock up!  Be ready to do your part.
        
Will we see deep and sudden snows like last year?  Best get ready!

Upcoming CKAS (& Other) Events    
Dec. 31st (Thu.) 11:95pm: GoodGiving Guide Challenge Finale. Your last chance to donate to CKAS this year. Special thanks to Wild Birds Unlimited for again offering to be our matching donation sponsor.
Jan. 1st (Thur.) 9:00am-11:30am+/-: 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!
Jan. 1st (Thur.) +/- 11:30am-2:00pm: Bird Walk (w/ASK) Maine Chance Farm (Spindletop) 2099 Newtown Pike, Lexington. At some point in the morning, the group from the Lexington Cemetery walk will migrate and regroup at the McDonald's at Newtown Pike & I-64 to continue birdwatching at Maine Chance. If 9:00 was too early for you but you'd like to catch this half of the morning's walk, please e-mail David before the walk so we can call you when we leave the cemetery and you can meet up with us in the McD's parking lot.
Jan. 5th (Tues.) All Day: National Bird Day A day not only to appreciate the native birds flying free outside our windows, but also to reflect on how we treat the native birds of other countries and to "think outside the cage." Support for efforts to protect birds in their natural habitat like those undertaken by World Parrot Trust makes a great holiday gift!
Jan. 6th (Wed.) 7:00pm-8:30pm: CKAS General Meeting Good Foods co-Op: Rochdale Room 455 Southland Drive, Lexington. Come prepared to make some plans for 2016! We will likely head someplace for dinner after.
Jan. 9th (Sat.) 8:00am-2:00pm: Winter Bird Seed Sale Day #1 (w/ASK) Southern States Co-Op 2570 Palumbo, Lexington. Do you have enough bird seed to make it to Summer? 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.
Jan 9th (Sat.) 11:00am-12:30pm: 2nd Saturday Seminar (Program TBD) Wild Birds Unlimited 152 N. Locust Hill, Lexington KY.  Always something fun and educational! Keep your calendar free.
Jan. 16th (Sat.) 8:00am-2:00pm: Winter Bird Seed Sale Day #2 (w/ASK) Southern States Co-Op 2570 Palumbo, Lexington. Missed us last week? This is your last chance to stock up enough bird seed to make it through the winter. 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.
Jan. 20th (Sat.) All day: Penguin Awareness Day A day set aside to celebrate Penguins and take a moment to learn more about them. 21 Penguin GIFs you can share.
Jan. 20th (Sat.) 7:00pm-9:00pm: Pollinator Protection Plan Public Forum Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension, 400 E. Main Street, Frankfort. Join Tammy Horn, Kentucky State Apiarist, for the unveiling of statewide plans to reduce the loss of the Commonwealth's pollinators. Pollinator advocates encouraged to attend and comment.
Jan. 23rd (Sat.) 9:00am-1:00pm: 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. We may finish the day with a stop at the causeway between Reservoirs #2 & #3.
Jan. 24th (Sun.) 1:30-5:00pm: Movie: Coespiracy (w/ Phoenix Institute) Central Public Library: Farish Theater 140 E. Main St. Lexington. Not directly about birds. Cowspiracy: a documentary discussing the industry responsible for more greenhouse gases and global warming, habitat loss, species extinction, topsoil erosion, and ocean "dead zones" than any other. More info at LexPubLibrary.org.
Jan. 31st (Sun.) 11:00am: Protho Nest Box Build Location TBD. Want to help assemble nest tubes for our Prothonotary Warbler project? We could use all the help we can get. Drop an e-mail to be added to the info & update list.
Feb. 2nd (Tue.) All day: World Wetlands Day Celebrate wetlands and the many species that utilize them. worldwetlandsday.org
Feb. 6th (Sat.) 8:00am-1:00pm: Live Raptors at the Fayette County District Science Fair Tates Creek High School 1111 Centre Parkway, Lexington. Join us as we welcome Raptor Rehab and their education birds. Which birds will they bring this year? Drop by the CKAS table to see! Volunteers wnated to help staff the CKAS table: e-mail here.
Feb. 6th (Sat.) 8:30am-11:30am+/-: 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!
Feb. 12th-15th (Fri.-Mon.) All day: Great Backyard Bird Count Your backyard. An annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. More info on counting and to register your count at birdsource.org.
Feb. 13th (Sat..) 8:00am-4:00pm: Bird Walk (w/ASK) Join us as we look for gulls! Location TBD
Feb. 21st (Sun.) 1:00pm-4:00pm: 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. We may finish the day with a stop at the causeway between Reservoirs #2 & #3.
Feb. 27th (Sat.) 10:00am: Movie: The Island President (w/ One World Film Festival) Kentucky Theater 214 E. Main St., Lexington KY. Free. Ok-- so this is not directly about birds either. The Island President covers Mohamed Nasheed's first year in office as President of the Maldives, an island nation whose very existence is threatened by rising sea levels caused by climate change. More info at Lexfilms.org.
 
WINTER SEED SALE
JANUARY 9th & 16th
8:00 am to 2:00 pm

 
The Winter Bird Seed Sale at Southern States Co-Op on Palumbo Drive will take place January 9th anf 16th form 8 to 2. Proceeds help support CKAS and ASK. Now's your chance to stock up on seed to get you through to the summer. Purchased seed can be taken with your or stored at Southern States for up to one year and picked up as needed. Volunteers are still needed to help with the sale; shifts from 8-11 & 11-2:  seedsale@ckas.org. Can't make these dates but still want to get seed? You can request a seed sale flier here and mail it with a check.
As of the end of December, CKAS has raised a little over $1,300 in the GoodGiving Guide Challenge. Last year this was our biggest fundraiser, raising over $3,400. If you would like to be a social media fundraiser to help our cause, click here to find out how to add a badge to your social media account and help us help central Kentucky's birds. We (and the birds) could use your help getting the word out.
  
Special thanks to our matching gift donor: Wild Birds Unlimited.
Help support CKAS by shopping like you normally do!  Kroger gives millions of dollars to Kentucky non-profits through its Community Rewards® Program. If you shop at Kroger and have a Kroger Rewards® card, you can help us qualify for these funds by linking your Kroger Rewards® card to the Central Kentucky Audubon Society under the Community Rewards section of your Account Settings. Doing so 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. Check the bottom of your Kroger receipt  for: "At your request we are donating to Central Kentucky Audubon Society."

 
YOUNG BIRDERS
CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS
AVAILABLE FOR
SUMMER 2016

Each year, the Kentucky Ornithological Society offers the Virginia and Wendell Kingsolver Scholarship for Kentuckian birders between the ages of 13 and 18. The scholarship funds tuition to one of the young birder summer camps offered by the American Birding Association. Applications are now being accepted and are due by April 1st, 2016. Next summer, the ABA will run three camps:
 
July 16-22: Camp Colorado
Estes Park, Colorado
July 25-31: Camp Colorado
Estes Park, Colorado
July 30-Aug. 5: Camp Avocet
Lewes, Delaware

Applications and additional information can be found on the KOS website, and on the ABA website.
PROTHO WARBLER
NEST TUBE PROJECT
JANUARY 31ST, 11:00am

Want to help assemble Protho Nest Tubes? We aim to assemble up to 100 of them, so could really use your help! And actually, we could also really use your place. We're still looking for a spot where we can gather to assemble the boxes. We can bring all the necessary stuff (drills, glue, tube parts, etc.) but we need a place that can house up to fifteen or twenty volunteers (like a clean basement or heated garage). We can rent space, but we're trying to avoid adding cost to this project. If you have some free space that we could use for assembly, please let us know. Or if you would just like to volunteer to help, let us know that too and we'll keep you informed about the event's location. Send an e-mail to president@CKAS.org to be added to the info list.


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524 Rosemont Garden | Lexington KY 40503
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