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Keeping you informed about cool bird stuff in & near central Kentucky.                              February 2019

Owls, Owls, and More Owls
Here's a curious fact: every owl prowl CKAS has advertised has filled up and started a waiting list within days of announcement. Who knew owls were so popular? And so far, everyone who's attended the prowls this year has gotten to either see or hear an owl. We have not had much species variety—only Eastern Screech-owls so far—but we expect that to expand over the next few prowls.

With so much owl interest, we thought it might be a good moment to talk about owl hunting etiquette. So here are some tips to make an owl prowl experience better for everyone (especially the owls!).
– Dress for the weather. You might be outside for hours. Temperatures drop after sunset. Layer your clothing. Bring rain gear just in case.
– Bring the right equipment. Choose binoculars that let in more light.The numbers on the binocular tell magnification x objective lens size. Divide the second number by the first. The higher the number the better; ideally, you want a result of 5+ for low light.
– Research owl calls for your area. It's possible that you never see an owl but only hear one. Know what to listen for. Common owls this time of year in central Kentucky are the Eastern Screech-owl, the Barred Owl, the Barred Owl, and the Great Horned Owl. Then listen closely!
– Keep flashlights pointed at the ground, not into the trees. No one likes lights shined in their eyes, especially owls. Spotlighting can disrupt their night vision and make them alarmed and vulnerable. Best bet: hold your owl prowl close to a full moon and leave the flashlights at home.
– Go easy on the playback of recorded owl calls. The science is still out on whether playing bird calls to lure a species closer is bad for the birds. Err on the side of caution and only use playback sparingly if at all. Always ask the group you're with whether anyone objects and respect both your party and the owls.
– Maybe leave very young kids at home. We get it: kids LOVE owls. And an owl prowl sounds like a great opportunity to introduce them to nature. But if they can't be still and pay attention while your read them a book, they likely won't for an owl prowl either. Owl prowls are hushed, quiet affairs, with a lot of close listening involved. Skittish owls and rambunctious kids generally don't mix. Take the kids out looking for owls solo or bring them on one of CKAS's morning bird walks instead.
  CKAS President Tony Brusate gives a hoot before guiding an Arboretum Owl Prowl.

Upcoming CKAS (& Other) Events    
These and other events can be found on our new CKAS Web Page Calendar and in our CKAS Facebook Calendar. Know of any bird-themed events we missed?  Use our submit events link.
Jan 26th (Sat) 6:00pm-8:00pm: Owl Prowl Raven Run Nature Sanctuary 3990 Raven Run Way, Lexington. Join Raven Run naturalist on an after-hours walk to look and listen for owls. Must RSVP by calling (859) 272-6105.
Jan 27th (Sun) 8:30am-11:30am+: Bird Walk Jacobson Park, 3725 Richmond Road (Coys Drive), Lexington. Join CKAS for a guided walk at Jacobson Park. Meet at the outer parking lot of Lakeside Golf Course. We will likely caravan to a few other locations as well – maybe the other reservoirs or Talon Winery depending on general interest. If you can help us gain access to bird the Lake Ellerslie Fishing Club area, e-mail president@CKAS.org.
Feb 2nd (Sat) All day: World Wetlands Day Celebrate wetlands and the many species that utilize them. worldwetlandsday.org.
Feb 2nd (Sat) 8:00am-1:00pm: Live Raptors at the Fayette County District Science Fair Frederick Douglass High School 2000 Winchester Road, 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 needed to help staff the CKAS table: e-mail here.
Feb 2nd (Sat) 6:00pm-8:00pm: Owl Prowl Raven Run Nature Sanctuary 3990 Raven Run Way, Lexington. Join Raven Run naturalist on an after-hours walk to look and listen for owls. Must RSVP by calling (859) 272-6105.
Feb 6th (Wed) 6:45pm-9:00pm: General Meeting Lexington Public Library, Eastside Branch Drive, Lexington. Small Conference Room. Join CKAS for updates on current projects, walks, advocacy, and fundraising. All members welcome! We usually go to dinner after the meeting.
Feb 7th (Thur) 6:30pm-8:30pm: Build a Better Monarch Waystation St. Michael's Church 2025 Bellefonte Drive, Lexington. Join Wild Ones for a talk by Adam Baker about his research on monarch butterflies.
Feb 9th (Sun) 7:30am-2:00pm: Sandhill Crane Viewing Trip Kentucky 86 Fire and Rescue 2982 Hardinsburg Rd, Cecilia. To carpool/caravan, meet in the parking lot of the Versailles Kroger at 7:30 am. Or meet at the Fire Station at 9:00 am. More info here.
Feb 15th – 18th (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 gbbc.birdcount.org.
Feb 15th (Fri) 8:30am-12:00pm: GBBC @ Trail's End Lodge Floracliffe Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington KY. Join Floracliff for winter bird ID tips, a bird walk to get your GBBC weekend started right, hot tea/cocoa, and good conversation. Limited space. Tickets $10 via this link
Feb 16th (Sun) 9:00am-11:30am: Bird Walk The Arboretum 500 Alumni Drive, Lexington. A brief intro to bird ID and Cornell's free bird ID app Merlin, then a foray onto the trails to practice/count. Suggested Donation: $3/person or $5/family.
Feb 17th (Sun) 4:00pm-6:00am: Owl Prowl Talon Winery 7086 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington. Join us as we search for crepuscular owls (and maybe taste some wine). Please RSVP to President@CKAS.org so we tell Talon how many people to expect.
Feb 23rd (Sat) 8:30am-11:30am: Bird Walk Maine Chance Farm (Spindletop) 2099 Newtown Pike, Lexington. Join CKAS for a guided walk/drive through Spindletop Farm. Meet at the old (closed) Waffle House at Newtown Pike & I-64. Do not be late!
Mar 1st (Fri) 6:00pm-8:00pm: 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 2nd (Sat) 9:30am-4:00pm: Adams County (Ohio) Amish Bird Symposium Ridgeway Lumber Community Building 3735 Wheat Ridge Road, West Union, Ohio. Not Ky, but a celebration of birds that features speakers, live raptors, and a late afternoon walk at Adams Lake State Park. Details: 16th Annual Amish Bird Symposium.
Mar 9th (Sat) 7:45am-2:00pm: Bird Walk Minor E. Clark Fish Hatchery 120 Fish Hatchery Road, Morehead KY. Missed Shorebirds Day? Make up for it by joining us as we look for them at a shorebird hotspot. To carpool, meet at 7:45 am in the parking lot of Eastland Shopping Center (near the Rite Aid). Bring lunch.
Mar 15th (Fri) 7:00pm-9:00pm: 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 16th (Sat) ??? PROW Tube Installation Day We're not sure where we're headed yet or exactly how this day will work, but we NEED to place our PROW tubes before the warblers get back in April.  If you can help (may include using waders and venturing into cold water to hammer in posts), contact president@ckas.org to be kept in the loop.
Mar 30th (Sat) 11:00-5:30pm: Barrel Tasting Run Various central Kentucky wineries. Join CKAS as we survey several wineries for potential Barn Owl nest box placement during the Tasting for the Springs. $20 per person. For info about carpool/caravan, e-mail winetour@ckas.org.

New Meeting Location
for February 6th
7:00pm to 9:00pm:
Eastside Branch

 
In an effort to make attendance easier on CKAS members, we're moving the location of our next bi-monthly meeting to the Eastside Library Branch located at the corner of Palumbo & Man-o-War. We had complaints about the traffic, parking, and limited number of vegetarian restaurants near the downtown location. Hopefully, the Eastside branch will prove a better choice. Hope to see you there.

 
Birding by Ear Class
June 7-11th
Highlands  Sancturary Bainbridge, OH
Looking to brush up on your bird song ID skills? This 4-day class at Highlands Nature Sanctuary in Bainebridge, Ohio, will do just that. (We realize it's not central Ky, but it's only 2.5 hours from Lexington and some CKASers are likely interested). $450 per person, includes meals. Lodging at the Sanctuary available.


PROW Tube Installation Day

March 16th

 
CKAS still has several dozen Prothonotary Warbler tubes to place along lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. We missed the chance to get them out by the time the birds returned last year, so we thought that this year we'd set a day specifically for PROW tube installation. Please plan on joining us. Watch for more details in the next newsletter.

We need to come up with good processes to distribute, install, monitor, and maintain the tubes. Ideally, we might come up with a set of guidelines—maybe even a brochure—for people who 'adopt' tubes on their property. This can be a topic for our February 6th meeting. Hope to see you then.
Your Kroger Plus card and your participation in Kroger Community Rewards helps you help CKAS and our local birds every time you shop. In your Kroger account, select Central Kentucky Audubon Society (Org. #65224) as your Reward Charity of choice. Doing so will NOT affect your fuel point savings, but will help CKAS increase its share of Kroger's quaerterly donations. We currently earn about $200 a year with this program; more families linking their Kroger Plus cards to our cause would greatly help us help birds. Check the bottom of your next Kroger receipt to make sure it says: "At your request we are donating to Central Kentucky Audubon Society."
 
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What if you don't receive Audubon Magazine? Then you're probably not an official member of the National Audubon Society. You don't have to be to get our newsletter or attend CKAS events, but you can join NAS for only $20 annually and help support CKAS in the process by following his link. Please select "KY | Central Kentucky Audubon (J51)" under the Chapter Donation Designation menu to automatically return your first year's dues directly to our chapter so we can do that much more to help local birds.
     
"If you take care of the birds, you will take care of most of the problems of the world."   — Dr. Thomas Lovejoy
www.centralkentuckyaudubon.org
524 Rosemont Garden | Lexington KY 40503
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