6/11/2015 One of the chicks graduated from being an eyas to being a fledgling at 38 days of age this morning at 7:17 AM.  The first flight looked successful.  After a brief moment of free fall, she knew what to do with those wings.  All that practice did pay off.  Rebecca and Kewpee stayed close … Read more

Please sign on to this National Audubon Action Alert to prevent the gutting of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. http://www.audubonaction.org/site/News2?abbr=aa_&page=NewsArticle&id=6324&pgwrap=n&autologin=true&utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2015-06-11-advisory#skip_interests

On June 3rd, without a recorded vote, the House of Representatives included a rider, offered by Congressman Duncan (R-SC), in the Department of Commerce’s and Department of Justice’s budget appropriations bill that would prohibit the federal government from prosecuting anyone from violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Here is the exact language: This is from … Read more

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2015/05/kalamazoo_peregrine_chicks_ban.html?ath=5aa0f443f078a414c0e1619aaf9c8a9e#cmpid=nsltr_stryphoto

Why Your Garden Matters with renowned author and sustainable gardening expert Doug Tallamy Pierce Cedar Creek Institute Saturday, April 18 11:30 am – 2 pm Tickets are $40. Includes Tapas Lunch, Program, and Book Signing. All proceeds will support the Institute’s Grow Native! Campaign. For more information or to register for the event, visit cedarcreekinstitute.org … Read more

The Audubon Society of Kalamazoo is pleased to announce that the www.KalamazooFalcons.org peregrine cam website is up and running! Thank you to the many people who helped to make this happen.

For an updated report on Kalamazoo’s Snowy Owl named Prairie Ronde see MLive link below. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2015/02/snowy_owl_released_near_school.html#incart_gallery

After being in a cell tower “dead zone” for a few days (we’ve all been there), Alma, the Snowy Owl whose transmitter was funded by Alma College, has reconnected and the data has been downloaded to an updated map on the Project SNOWstorm website. He is still in the Chelsea area. Since my last update … Read more

Michigan’s First SNOWstorm Snowy Owl is named Alma.  He was trapped in Grand Rapids near the airport and was fitted with a transmitter and released near Lansing. ASK’s own Brenda and Rich Keith were there to participate and for training. Michigan’s second transmitter, the Michigan Audubon-sponsored transmitter, will be deployed this weekend in the eastern … Read more

Kalamazoo County has a Hazadous Waste Collection Program. See below for what is accepted and for contact information on where and when this service is available.   Paint Products Oil-based paints, stains and varnishes only Mineral spirits Paint thinner/stripper, turpentine Automotive Products Used motor oil and oil filters Antifreeze Batteries Brake fluid Gasoline Transmission fluid … Read more

Last winter, Snowy Owls moved south in numbers greater than they had in perhaps 50 years. A group of researchers in the northeastern U.S. saw an opportunity to study these birds better than they had been studied before, and quickly put together Project SNOWstorm (http://www.projectsnowstorm.org/). They raised funds to purchase satellite transmitters, which were attached … Read more

ASK member Dave Chmielewski reports that on November 11, 2014 at 10:30 AM Rebecca was on her favorite Gilmore tower perch and seems in really good shape. We thank Dave for checking on “our” peregrines periodically and the great photos he is sharing.    

The laboratory at Vanderbilt University is looking for birders of all levels of experience to participate in a project examining how perception and memory for birds differs between beginners and experts. They really do mean all levels of experience, from the true beginner to the expert with decades of study and everything in-between. These experiments … Read more

On a sad note,  an MLive article by Rosemary Parker about the necropsy report on the young Peregrine Falcon found dead in August. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/10/distracted_flying_after_fight.html#cmpid=nsltr_strybutton On a happy note, the parents are around and appear to be in great shape. This report and photos from Audubon Society of Kalamazoo member Dave Chmielewski from his visit to … Read more

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/09/passing_of_passenger_pigeon_10.html

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/08/young_peregrine_falcon_found_d.html

Every year many people think Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are in serious decline and not nearly as many are at their feeders as the previous year.  That’s probably because they are remembering last September when all the adults and the young of the year were eating them out of house and home.  From that peak of population … Read more

This announcement from MLIve/Kalamazoo Gazette. Not only is the name very appropriate but the winning entry came from Audubon Society of Kalamazoo members. On Friday July 25th, Fifth Third Bank’s naming committee selected “Promise” as the official name of the falcon that was released to the wild Thursday, July 3, after it fell from its … Read more

This past Thursday (July 17) I recaptured a Ruby-throated Hummingbird at a home near Waterloo, Jackson County, that I had banded there on June 8, 2006. She was an adult when banded, so was hatched in summer 2005 or earlier, making her at least 9 years 1 month old (using the Bird Banding Lab’s standard … Read more

Peregrine Falcon, female (AKA Rebecca). Kalamazoo, MI Spring 2014. This female has just started to hunt again after successfully incubating and rearing four chicks. The chicks were about two weeks old when she started to hunt again. Until then the male was providing all the meals. He is about 40% smaller and could not bring … Read more

Here is the latest update on the Kalamazoo Peregrine Falcon family from Dave Chmielewski with two of his great photos. Getting there at 7 AM on a Sunday morning is dedication. Fair light this morning for photography. Roof top was empty. I guess everyone else was still in bed. I wanted to be BUT. When … Read more

Check out these articles on the release of the Peregrine Falcon chick that was returned to downtown Kalamazoo after spending a week in rehab. Please copy an paste these links into your browser if the links are not live. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/07/hold_young_falcon_rejoins_kala.html#cmpid=nwsltrhead http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/07/kalamazoo_name_your_falcon_ban.html#incart_related_stories   Karen Tindall, who works downtown and has been very helpful in keeping the … Read more

Here is another update and photo of the Kalamazoo Peregrine Falcon family by Audubon Society of Kalamazoo member Dave Chmielewski. What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, Sunday 6-29-2014, the light for photography was terrible but the birds were super active. All kinds of action shots (mostly throw-always because of the poor light). Today, Monday … Read more

This update was provided by Audubon Society of Kalamazoo member Dave Chmielewski who also provided the photos. We thank Dave for the updates and allowing us to post his photos. I arrived at Gilmore parking ramp roof about 7AM. Lighting was poor at best for photography but I gave it a go. Quiet at first. … Read more