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

PROW Nest Tube Assembly Project this Sunday!
Want to help assemble Prothonotary Warbler Nest Tubes? CKAS aims to assemble up to 100 of them, so we could really use your help!  Nic and Angela have generously offered their basement (1260 Keeneland Court) for our assembly project. We'll gather at 11:00am on Sunday, January 31st, and play with PVC, silicone, and spray paint, hopefully completing all the nest tubes in three to four hours. The design KDFWR developed is based on a Wisconsin project that had over 40% Prothonotary Warlber acceptance rates in the first placement year;  we hope to get our tubes to KDFWR by early next month so Prothos can find them as they migrate back to Kentucky. With luck, we can help provide shelter for over 100 baby birds. Please join us for the build!  Sodas provided; feel free to bring snacks; we'll probably break for lunch at some point.

Audubon Action Center Alert: Plum Island

National Audubon provides e-mail alerts with links to letter-to-your-representatives templates in order to make it easy for you to keep abreast of and voice your concerns about important legislative issues which could affect birds and their habitats. One of the National Audubon Society's 2016 goals is to become "the most effective conservation network in America." Your voice can help make that happen. Through the Audubon Action Center Alerts program, members can receive e-mails whenever a critical issue affecting birds is raised on Capital Hill and then easily add their voices to the voices of thousands of Audubon members. A fine example of this was last June when the "Bird Killer Amendment" was tacked on to the Appropriations Bill; an Audubon Alert quickly generated tens of thousands of letters to the Congressman who proposed it, leading him to withdraw his rider. 

Right now, one of the most pressing alerts regards Plum Island, key undeveloped bird habitat along the highly-developed Long Island Sound coastline. Plum Island provides vital habitat for threatened and endangered birds such as Piping Plovers and Roseate Terns, along with thousands of migrating birds. The island has been protected from development for decades because it has been the site of a federal research facility. But the federal government is preparing to move its research facility—and sell this Important Bird Area to the highest bidder. Your letter to our representatives can help stop the sell-off of this vital bird habitat. Please help now!

If you would like to sign up to receive Audubon Action Center Alerts, you can do so via this link. The alerts are sent from National Audubon only when something critical needs our attention, and alerts come with pre-composed letters you to which can add your name or (even better) personalize and send.  It's an easy way for CKAS members to make sure their voices are heard regarding important birding issues. We encourage you to sign up!
Upcoming CKAS (& Other) Events    
NOTE:  Some events listed below have been rescheduled due to weather and other conflicts. Disregard last month's posted dates.

Jan. 31st (Sun.) 11:00am-4:00pm?: Protho Nest Box Build Nic & Angela's house, 1260 Keeneland Court, Lexington. Want to help assemble nest tubes for our Prothonotary Warbler project? We could use all the help we can get. Nothing complicated -- mostly glue/assembly and some fun with spray paint! Questions? Call 859-229-9421. Sodas provided, feel free to bring snacks; we may break for lunch at some point.
Jan. 31st (Sun.) 1:30-5:00pm: Movie: Cowspiracy (w/ Phoenix Institute) Central Public Library: Farish Theater 140 E. Main St. Lexington. Not directly about birds. Cowspiracy: a documentary discussing the beef industry's responsible for greenhouse gases, global warming, habitat loss, species extinction, topsoil erosion, and ocean dead zones. More info at LexPubLibrary.org.
Feb. 2nd (Tue.) All day: World Wetlands Day Celebrate wetlands and the many species that utilize them. worldwetlandsday.org
Feb. 6th (Sat..) 6:00am?: Bird Walk (w/ASK) Western Ky. Looking for ducks and gulls! If interested, e-mail ASK for details.
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 wanted to help staff the CKAS table: e-mail here.
Feb. 9th (Tue.) 1:30pm-3:00pm: Bluegrass Birding Festival Planning Meeting McConnell Spring 416 Rebmann Lane, Lexington. If you would like to help with the planning of the 3rd Annual Bluegrass Birding Festival, here's your chance. Bring your great ideas! Can's make the meeting but want to help? E-mail the planning committee.
Feb. 12th-15th (Fri.-Mon.) All day, each 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.) 8:30am-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. 13th (Sat.) 11:00am-12:30pm: 2nd Saturday Seminar (Program TBD) Wild Birds Unlimited 152 N. Locust Hill, Lexington KY. Always something fun and educational!
Feb. 20th (Sat.) 10:00am-11:30am: Jr. Naturalist - Invaders McConnell Spring 416 Rebmann Lane, Lexington. For Youth K-5th. Learn about plants and animals from other parts of the world that invade our parks and yards. Please call (859) 225-4073 to register.
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. 24th (Wed.) 7:00pm-9:00pm: Pollinator Protection Plan Public Forum Kentucky Department of Agriculture,109 Corporate Drive Complex, 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.
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.
Mar. 2th (Wed.) 7:00pm-8:30pm: CKAS General Meeting Location & topics TBD. We will likely head someplace for dinner after.
Mar. 4th (Fri.) 7:00pm-10:00pm: Woodcock Watch Raven Run Nature Sanctuary 3990 Raven Run Way, Lexington. An after-hours evening walk to look and listen for the peenting aerial display of the elusive American Woodcock. Please RSVP by calling (859) 272-6105.
Mar. 5th (Sat.) 11:00am-2:00pm: ASK Annual Luncheon and Business Meeting Kentucky Horse Park, 4089 Iron Works Pkwy, Lexington. Reservations required by February 16th.
Mar 9th (Wed.) 6:30pm-9:00pm: Movie: The Messenger  Central Public Library's Farish Theater 140 East Main St., Lexington. Join CKAS and Bluegrass Earth for a free showing of The Messenger, a highly-acclaimed documentary which explores our deep-seated connection to birds and warns that the uncertain fate of songbirds might mirror our own. Movie starts at 7:00pm. Volunteers needed: e-mail CKAS to help.
Mar. 12th (Sat.) 11:00am-12:30pm: 2nd Saturday Seminar (Arts Showcase Weekend Special Edition!) Wild Birds Unlimited 152 N. Locust Hill, Lexington KY. Always something fun and educational! Keep your calendar free.
Mar. 19th (Sat.) 10:00am-11:30am: Jr. Naturalist - Birding McConnell Spring 416 Rebmann Lane, Lexington. For Youth K-5th. Learn the basics of birding. Limited number of binoculars available. Please call (859) 225-4073 to register.
Mar. 19th (Fri.) 7:30pm-9:30pm+: Earth Hour Woodcock Watch Raven Run Nature Sanctuary 3990 Raven Run Way, Lexington. Celebrate Earth Hour with an after-hours evening walk to look and listen for the peenting aerial display of the elusive American Woodcock. Please RSVP by calling (859) 272-6105.
Mar. 20th (Sun.) 8:00am-10:30pm: Bird Walk (w/ Kentucky Audubon Council) Rough River State Park 450 Lodge Road, Falls of the Rough. Come help us explore this seldom e-birded but beautiful and bird-rich area.
Mar. 20th (Sun.) 11:00am-1:30pm: Kentucky Audubon Council Spring Meeting Rough River State Park 450 Lodge Road, Falls of the Rough. Open to all Audubon members.
Mar. 30th (Wed.) 10:00am-12:00pm: Birds, Birds, Birds! Raven Run Nature Sanctuary 3990 Raven Run Way, Lexington. For Youth K-5th. Learn all about birds! Please RSVP by calling (859) 272-6105.
The above nest box tube may not look like much to you, but it could become a much-needed home for Prothonotary Warblers!
We wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who donated to CKAS during the 2016 GoodGiving Guide Challenge.  Your generosity helped us net a total of $1,779.46 to use toward our work helping birds in central Kentucky.  We will be continuing our work with Barn Owls and kicking off other programs like the Prothonotary Warbler box projects. If you have ideas for other ways we can help birds, please send us suggestions.
 
Extra special thanks to
Wild Birds Unlimited
who volunteered to match $1,000 worth of GoodGiving donations, bringing our total raised to $2,779.46!  Be sure
to thank them next time
you shop there.
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."

 
FAYETTE COUNTY
DISTRICT SCIENCE FAIR

February 6th, 8:00am to 1:00pm


This will be the eighth year CKAS has sponsored the live raptor exhibit at the Fayette County District Science Fair. If you would like to see what birds RROKI brings this year, stop by our table at Tates Creek High School. Or better yet -- you can volunteer to help field questions. We'll have our Barn Owl and Kestrel boxes, as well as one of the Prothonotary Warbler nest tubes on display.


KENTUCKY AUDUBON COUNCIL

SPRING MEETING
CAMPING TRIP
MARCH 19th - 20th
 
It's been several years since the Kentucky Audubon Council went on a Spring Meeting Camping Trip. But the current KAC Board would like to try arranging such a trip for this year's gathering. They have planned a bird walk for 8:00 am Sunday morning, followed by the Spring Meeting & lunch at 11:00.  The group is still working on discounts for cabins/ rooms, but if you know you would like to attend, e-mail Angela Myers, KAC President, so she can keep you in the loop. CKAS can send four official voting delegates to the meeting, but anyone who is a National Audubon Society member can attend. It's our opportunity to hear reports of what all the other Audubon chapters in Kentucky have been getting accomplished for all our resident birds.


www.centralkentuckyaudubon.org
524 Rosemont Garden | Lexington KY 40503
You have received this e-mail because you are a member of the National Audubon Society (and its local chapter, the Central Kentucky Audubon Society, formerly the Buckley Hills Audubon Society) or because at some point in the past you have expressed interest in keeping informed about the goings-on of our chapter. If you have received this post in error and/or no longer wish to receive information about the Central Kentucky Audubon Society, please let us know and we'll strike you from the list; conversely, if you know anyone who would appreciate getting these updates, feel free to forward this to them and have them let us know as we'd be glad to add them!  
 
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