Thursday, September 29, 6:00 PM, Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery, Leaders: Donna Keller (269-207-2874) and Susan Schneider
Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery can be reached by driving west on M-43 approximately six miles from US-131. Turn south onto Fish Hatchery Road/County Road 652. Turn right into the second driveway. Meet outside the visitor center at 6:00 PM.
Join us as we explore the varied habitats at Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery in search of fall migrants. We will have scopes with us so participants can get good views of birds on the ponds. We’ll also check woodland edges for any warblers passing through. We will walk 1.5-2 miles
Continuing the years’ long tradition of Tuesday morning trail walks, our weekly Kal-Haven Trail walks will be on Tuesdays at 9:00 AM in September and October, beginning on September 6. We will meet and start at the trailhead on North 10th Street between G and H Avenues. A few of us walk 2.5 miles to the usually very birdy marsh at 8th Street and then back for a total of 5 miles, but anyone can cut that short and turn around at any time. There will not be a “leader” although someone will be keeping a species list.
During the walks, social distancing will be maintained. No spotting or shuttling of cars will be available unless you arrange your own. The Kal-Haven Trail walks are handicap accessible.
If you would like to be in an email group to be notified of the latest status of the walks or to discuss weather conditions, please send an email to Joyce Leppard at joyceannleppard@gmail.com.
Saturday, October 8, 9:00 AM, Kalamazoo River Valley Trail, 856 Commerce Lane, Parchment, Leaders: Kent Martin (256) 751-3358 and Susan Creager
Join us for a leisurely stroll along the Kalamazoo River on the north side of Kalamazoo, as we search for migrating and resident birds. Expected migrant species include later warblers and thrushes, vireos, waterfowl, and sparrows, along with woodpeckers and other residents. Winter Wren and Bald Eagle are also possible. We will stay on concrete sidewalks and paved trail, covering 2 to 3 miles in total. Park along Commerce Lane or nearby streets and parking lots.
Continuing the years’ long tradition of Tuesday morning trail walks, our weekly Kal-Haven Trail walks will be on Tuesdays at 9:00 AM in September and October, beginning on September 6. We will meet and start at the trailhead on North 10th Street between G and H Avenues. A few of us walk 2.5 miles to the usually very birdy marsh at 8th Street and then back for a total of 5 miles, but anyone can cut that short and turn around at any time. There will not be a “leader” although someone will be keeping a species list.
During the walks, social distancing will be maintained. No spotting or shuttling of cars will be available unless you arrange your own. The Kal-Haven Trail walks are handicap accessible.
If you would like to be in an email group to be notified of the latest status of the walks or to discuss weather conditions, please send an email to Joyce Leppard at joyceannleppard@gmail.com.
Sunday, October 16, 9:00 AM, Al Sabo Preserve, 6310 Texas Drive, Kalamazoo, Leaders: Susan Schneider and Kent Martin (256) 751-3358
We will walk about 2 miles as we visit some favorite spots for migrant activity near the trailhead, with late warblers, thrushes, vireos, and sparrows on the menu, along with local species such as Red-breasted Nuthatch. If there is enough interest, we will extend the walk another mile or so to check the upper end of West Portage Creek, where dabbling ducks are a good possibility. Trails will be mostly level, with a mix of hard packed dirt and paved asphalt. Parking is available at the above address, just east of the former Rota-Kiwan Boy Scout camp, 0.9 miles northeast of 8thStreet on Texas Drive or 1.8 miles southwest of the roundabout at 12th Street and West Milham Avenue.
Continuing the years’ long tradition of Tuesday morning trail walks, our weekly Kal-Haven Trail walks will be on Tuesdays at 9:00 AM in September and October, beginning on September 6. We will meet and start at the trailhead on North 10th Street between G and H Avenues. A few of us walk 2.5 miles to the usually very birdy marsh at 8th Street and then back for a total of 5 miles, but anyone can cut that short and turn around at any time. There will not be a “leader” although someone will be keeping a species list.
During the walks, social distancing will be maintained. No spotting or shuttling of cars will be available unless you arrange your own. The Kal-Haven Trail walks are handicap accessible.
If you would like to be in an email group to be notified of the latest status of the walks or to discuss weather conditions, please send an email to Joyce Leppard at joyceannleppard@gmail.com.
| A first of its kind, Bird Buddy uses a wifi-enabled camera and proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize bird species at the feeder and gamifies the experience with a fun mobile app. Bird Buddy debuted on Kickstarter and has raised over $17m in pre-sales in a year and a half, making it one of the most successful crowdfunded projects ever created. Having pre-sold over 70,000 feeders, Bird Buddy at launch will be the largest AI-powered wildlife camera network in the world, generating a massive data set that will be shared freely to help migration and conservation research efforts. Bird Buddy’s mission is to help people reconnect with nature by making fun, engaging experiences with the wildlife in your backyard. Their offices are located in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Kalamazoo, Michigan.
This presentation will cover how Bird Buddy came to be, the creative process of developing, manufacturing, and shipping a new product with an international distribution of designers, suppliers, fabricators, and customers. Integrating real-time video, AI visual bird identification, and a distributed software application with an outdoor bird feeder presented some unique engineering challenges. Kyle Buzzard is the Co-Founder and Chief Hardware Officer of Bird Buddy. With a background in industrial design, Kyle spent 12 years as a consultant and design lead with a client list including Google Chromecast, Logitech, Nest, and more. In 2018, Kyle co-founded Prota Ventures, a venture studio and capital network focused on early-stage startups. He is also a co-founder of Stix Golf. Over his career, Kyle has worked with a wide range of startups and entrepreneurs in a variety of categories, bringing new products to market through both manufacturing and licensing paths. Kyle’s work has been recognized with over two dozen international design awards, and he holds over a dozen design and utility patents. We hope you’ll join us on Monday, October 24, at People’s Church, 1758 North 10th Street, Kalamazoo. Our program starts at 7:30 PM and is preceded by a social time with light refreshments at 7:00 PM. Beverages will not be provided. Masks are recommended but not required in the church. We will have a simultaneous Zoom link to the meeting for those who can’t make it or feel uncomfortable as yet to attend in person. This link will be emailed to members shortly before the meeting. We will also be recording the meeting for later viewing. Guests and the general public are encouraged to attend. Handicap parking and access is at either the front or rear entrance of the building. |
|
Continuing the years’ long tradition of Tuesday morning trail walks, our weekly Kal-Haven Trail walks will be on Tuesdays at 9:00 AM in September and October, beginning on September 6. We will meet and start at the trailhead on North 10th Street between G and H Avenues. A few of us walk 2.5 miles to the usually very birdy marsh at 8th Street and then back for a total of 5 miles, but anyone can cut that short and turn around at any time. There will not be a “leader” although someone will be keeping a species list.
During the walks, social distancing will be maintained. No spotting or shuttling of cars will be available unless you arrange your own. The Kal-Haven Trail walks are handicap accessible.
If you would like to be in an email group to be notified of the latest status of the walks or to discuss weather conditions, please send an email to Joyce Leppard at joyceannleppard@gmail.com.
Sunday, October 30, 10:00 AM, Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery, 34270 County Road 652, Mattawan, Leaders: Kent Martin (256) 751-3358 and Susan Creager
Late fall is a great time to check the hatchery for a variety of ducks, with dabblers and diving ducks both likely to occur. We will have spotting scopes available as we survey the ponds for activity. This is a good opportunity for extended viewing of slower moving targets, and popular for family groups. Trails are level, wide, packed dirt/gravel, and we will cover a mile or two in total. Hatchery parking is accessed from County Road 652, just south off of M-43 in Van Buren County.Hot chocolate will be served in the visitor center afterward.