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

Here Comes the 2nd Annual Bluegrass Birding Festival!
  
     Greg Miller, Keynote on Saturday           Gwyn Hyman Rubio, Sunday

The 2nd Annual Bluegrass Birding Festival & Craft Fair is May 9th-10th at Jacobson Park. Tell all your family and friends!  Post it!  Tweet it!  Whatever!  Our hopes for this festival are to expose as many as possible to the hobby of bird watching and to educate on and advocate for topics of wildlife and conservation. We've gotten a lot more press this year and the weather looks like it will be spectacular -- which all bodes well for strong attendance!

The Festival weekend will kick off on Friday, May 8th, with a free showing of Rio at the Farish Theater in the Downtown Public Library (movie starts at 5:30pm). The story of a pet Spix macaw's mishaps and adventures in Rio de Janeiro, this fun-for-the-whole-family cartoon brims with bird-related themes!

This year's keynote speaker will be Greg Miller, a world-renowned birding expert and the birding consultant for the film The Big Year, which we'll be showing for free at the Farish on Saturday, May 9th (movie starts at 7:00pm). In 1998, Mr. Miller embarked on a "Big Year" competition which was chronicled in the 2004 nonfiction book by Pulitzer Prize winning author Mark Obmascik. He'll be presenting at 5:00pm Saturday in the Camp Kearney rec building, talking about birding, big years, and his work consulting on the film. Mr. Miller will also be co-leading the walk at the Lexington Cemetery on Saturday morning--spaces are still available for this great opportunity to bird-watch with one of the best!

On Sunday at noon, we're pleased to welcome Gwyn Hyman Rubio, a Kentucky author whose first book was picked as an Oprah book club selection, to discuss and sign her latest book, Love and Ordinary Creatures, told from the point of view of a pet sulfur-crested cockatoo. Mrs. Hyman Rubio will also be discussing her interest in parrot reintroduction projects, a passion she developed in her extensive book research.

There will be something at the festival for everyone: bird walks, bird banding demonstrations, informative talks and breakout sessions, kids' activities, a raffle to raise money to convert the old classroom trailer at Raven Run into a bird blind, bird- and nature-themed crafts for sale--plenty to see and do!  We'll have food trucks there, so bring the family and make a day of it!  Check out the full schedule here.

NOTE: Volunteers still needed!  As the 2nd Annual Bluegrass Birding Festival draws nearer, the event's organizers have realized we need a number more hands to make it all work smoothly!  Specifically, we need...

On Saturday, May 9th:
 -- 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. Welcome Table Assistants.
 -- 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. Raffle Table Assistants.
 -- 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. (several) Kids Area Table Assistants.
 -- 12:00 noon. A Bird Walk Leader for the Jacobson Park Walk.
 -- 1:00 pm to 5:50 pm. (several) Kids Area Table Assistants.
 -- 4:00 pm. A Kid's Bird Walk Leader.

On Sunday, May 10th:
 -- 8:00 am. A Bird Walk Leader for the Raven Run Walk.
 -- 9:00 am. A Bird Walk Leader for the Jacobson Park Walk.
 -- 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. (several) Kids Area Table Assistants.
 -- 12:00 noon to 3:15 pm. Raffle Table Assistants.
 -- 12:00 noon to 3:15 pm. (several) Kids Area Table Assistants.

Please help if you can!  To volunteer, drop an e-mail to the Festival's Contact Us link and let us know your volunteer preferences. Don't know what you want to do?  We can find you something!
Upcoming CKAS (& Other) Events    
May 5th (Tue.) 5:30pm-7:00pm: For the Birds! Plants They Like & You Will, Too! The Arboretum 500 Alumni Drive, Lexington. Jamie Dockery points out plants especially helpful to birds. Come prepared to walk and take photos/notes. Limited space: RSVP to (859) 257-6955. Cost $1.
May 6th (Wed.) 12:00 noon: ABC 36 News at Noon WTVQ Tune is to see Nic Patton, manager of Wild Birds Unlimited, talk up the 2nd annual Bluegrass Birding Festival & Craft Fair.
May 7th (Thur.) 6:00pm-7:00pm: Bird Walk The Arboretum 500 Alumni Drive, Lexington. Led by Carey Tichenor, retired Ky State Naturalist. Limited space: RSVP to (859) 257-6955. Cost $1.
May 7th (Thu.) 8:00pm: Curtains at Eight WUKY 91.3 FM Tune in as Nick Lawrence interviews Gwyn Hyman Rubio and Nic Patton about birds, books, and the Birding Festival.
May 8th (Fri.) 5:30pm-7:15pm: Movie: Rio Central Public Library: Farish Theater 140 E. Main St. Lexington. Join us for a free showing of Rio, the story of Blu, a Spix macaw which never learned to fly, who heads to Rio de Janeiro, embarks on a magnificent journey, and makes some this animated adventure for the whole family. A Bluegrass Earth event.
May 9th (Sat.) 8:00am-5:00pm: Day 1 of the 2nd Annual Bluegrass Birding Festival & Craft Fair Jacobson Park: Camp Kearney 4001 Athens-Boonesboro Rd, Lexington. Birding, banding, exhibits, crafts, and activities for the whole family. Keynote speaker: Greg Miller. Full schedule here.
May 9th (Sat.) 7:00pm-8:45pm: Movie: The Big Year Central Public Library: Farish Theater 140 E. Main St. Lexington. Join us for a free showing of The Big Year, the story of two bird enthusiasts trying to defeat the cocky, cutthroat world record holder in a year-long bird-spotting competition.
May 10th (Sun.) 8:00am-3:00pm: Day 2 of the 2nd Annual Bluegrass Birding Festival & Craft Fair Jacobson Park: Camp Kearney 4001 Athens-Boonesboro Rd, Lexington. Birding, banding, exhibits, crafts, and activities for the whole family. Special presentation & book signing by Gwyn Hyman Rubio. Full schedule here.
May 14th (Thur.) 10:00am-11:00am: Gardening for Pollinators The Arboretum 500 Alumni Drive, Lexington. Jesse Dahl discusses pollinator attraction necessities. Attendees take home two pollinator-favorite perennials. Very limited space: RSVP to (859) 257-6955. Cost $10 (Friends $8).
May 16th (Sat.) 10:00am-4:00pm: Founder's Day McConnell Springs 416 Rebmann Lane, Lexington. Celebrate the founding of Lexington. Historic reenactments, storytellers, musical entertainment, and park tours. Special visit from Kentucky the Owl.
May 16th (Sat.) 7:30am-3:00pm: Bird Walk (w/ASK) Berea Woods Big Hill Rd, Hwy 21E, Berea. Carpools leaving from the outside parking lot of Lakeside Golf Course 3725 Richmond Road (Coys Drive) at 7:30 prompt. DO NOT BE LATE! Bring lunch. Or meet at the old Indian Fort Theater (2047 Big Hill, Berea) at 8:15am.
May 16th (Sat.) to May 31st: 12th Annual Birdhouse Exhibit & Silent Auction The Arboretum 500 Alumni Drive, Lexington. Tour the varied fabulous and functional birdhouses and bid on one for this well-known fundraiser. Come see why May is "for the birds"!
May 23rd (Sat.) 7:30am-3:00pm: Bird Walk (w/ASK) Zilpo Road at Cave Run Lake Daniel Boone National Forest. Carpools leaving from the parking lot at Eastland Shopping Center (near the Rite Aid) at 7:30 prompt. DO NOT BE LATE! Bring lunch.
May 23rd (Sat.) 10:00am-11:00am Little Explorers: All About Birds Raven Run Nature Sanctuary 3990 Raven Run Way, Lexington. Youth K-5th can join to learn about our fine feathered friends.
May 27th (Wed) 7-9:00pm: CKAS General Meeting Good Foods Co-Op: Rochdale Room 455 Southland, Lexington. Topics: Barn Owl Nest Box Planning, Masterson Station Mini-Prarie update, GoodGiving Challenge participation, & that dreaded Constitution. Members and curious non-members welcome. We'll likely go to dinner after.
May 29th & 30th (Sat. & Sun.) 7:00am-2:00pm: Birds of Kentucky Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Rd, Lexington. Beginning to intermediate field-based birding workshop directed by Dr. David Brown. Emphasis on identification by sound. Cost $50; preregistration required. *** NOTE: We're told this workshop has already filled. But you can e-maill info@floracliff.org to be added to the waiting list. ***
May 30th (Sat.) 7:30am-3:00pm: Bird Walk (w/ASK) Red River Gorge Daniel Boone National Forest. Carpools leaving from the parking lot at Eastland Shopping Center (near the Rite Aid) at 7:30 prompt. DO NOT BE LATE! Bring lunch.
May 31st (Sun.) 2:00pm-4:00pm: 12th Annual Birdhouse Exhibit & Silent Auction Finale Reception The Arboretum 500 Alumni Drive, Lexington. Last chance to see and bid on the birdhouses!
June 6th (Sat.) 8:00am-11:30am: Bird Walk (w/ASK) Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park 6614 Danville Rd, Nicholasville. Carpools leaving from the parking lot of Palomar Center near Wild Eggs at 7:30 prompt. DO NOT BE LATE! Or meet at 8:15 at Camp Nelson Interpretive Center.
June 6th (Sat.) 3:00pm-?: Annual Picnic & Pot Luck Masterson Station Park 3051 Leestown Road, Lexington. Join us for our annual CKAS Pot Luck Picnic. Plan on dinner about 6:00pm. BYOB and a dish/dessert to share. Quick board meeting and elections to follow.
June 13th (Sat.) 8:00am-11:30am: Bird Walk (w/ASK) Raven Run Nature Sanctuary 3990 Raven Run Way, Lexington. Meet at the Visitor Center at 8:00am.
June 19th (Fri.) 9:00pm-10:30pm: Creatures of the Night Raven Run Nature Sanctuary 3990 Raven Run Way, Lexington. Join Raven Run naturalists to learn about the habits and folklore of wildlife active at night.
June 20th (Sat.) 10:00am-3:00pm: BioBlitz Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Rd, Lexington. Six teams of naturalists survey the flora and fauna of the preserve. Citizen science opportunities, walks, exhibits, much more. Full details TBA. Reservations likely required.
June 27th (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!!
Join us at
the 2nd Annual
Bluegrass
Birding
Festival
& Craft Fair
May 9th-10th
Jacobson Park
Camp Kearney
Free Films

Click on the movie banners below for more info on each of these films, offered free in conjunction with the 2nd annual Bluegrass Birding & Craft Festival:

 
Festival Raffle

Be sure to check out all the cool things you can win at this year's 2nd annual Bluegrass Birding Festival Raffle Table. All proceeds will be donated to the Raven Run Nature Sanctuary to be used toward converting the old classroom trailer into a bird blind. It's for a great cause, and you can win some really neat bird- themed  swag  by  donating!

 
WALK ETIQUETTE

Rule #1 of the American Birding Association's (ABA) Principles of Birding Ethics is Promote the welfare of birds and their environment.  This matches closely with National Audubon's stated mission: to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.  But how do we do this as birders and bird lovers? What can we as single individuals accomplish?

Each of us probably has a different answer to these questions. That's OK. There is no "right answer." But it is important for each of us to think about how we can best accomplish this goal. Whether you participate in the citizen science of e-bird, take and post pictures of birds on birdwatching trips, advocate for Barn Owls or Sage Grouse, write letters to the editor or your elected officials, landscape with native plants and avoid pesticides and lawn chemicals, or simply volunteer to help children make bird puppets and collages at the Birding Festival--these are important activities which help "promote the welfare of birds and their environment."  Keep  up  the  good  work!  Better yet: think about how to take it one step further!

It was decades ago President Theodore Roosevelt (himself well-known as an avid and skilled bird-watcher), speaking about the value of wilderness and biodiversity, asserted, "We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his (or her) part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune." Let's be sure that we birders are living up to his challenge.
You can help support us by simply shopping like you normally do!  CKAS has been added to Kroger's Community Rewards® Program charity list. Each year, Kroger gives millions of dollars to Kentucky non-profits through its free 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 Central Kentucky Audubon Society under the Community Rewards section of your Account Settings. (It's easier than it sounds -- just a few clicks!) 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 cut of Kroger's charitable donations. You can make sure you have activated your Community Rewards® sponsorship by checking the bottom of your next Kroger receipt: it should say "At your request we are donating to Central Kentucky Audubon Society."
                                                
Want to keep up with
what CKAS is doing?
These and other events
can be found on our
CKAS Events Calendar.
 
                                             


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