We have flight! Rebecca is giving flying lessons to the chicks. Yesterday and this morning two of the three chicks were flying. One chick is strong enough to fly around the 5th/3rd bank and back to the Gilmore tower roost. The male is still there but not as interactive as Rebecca. Rebecca brings the chicks … Read more

Read the latest news of Kalamazoo’s Peregrine Falcons.

This report and photo from Audubon Society of Kalamazoo member Dave Chmielewski about his observations on June 22, 2014. This morning I was able to verify (from one vantage point) 2 adult and 3 juvenile Peregrines. The male was perched on the metal rail one floor down from the roof on the SW corner of … Read more

For stories on Kalamazoo’s Peregrine Falcons nesting and hatching young see the links: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/06/kalamazoos_peregrine_falcons_h.html http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/06/kalamazoos_peregrine_falcon_ch.html#cmpid=nwsltrhead Below a couple of reports from observers of the first fledgings on June 20th: 1. Bill Heyd: Carolyn and I visited the Kazoo peregrines this morning, and one young was already on the floor of the sixth level upon our … Read more

Purple Martin landlords in Michigan are in the beginning stages of forming a state-wide organization dedicated to the welfare and management of this native swallow with very specialized needs. Anyone interested in becoming involved in the founding of this new group should contact Jackson Audubon President and Purple Martin landlord Connie Spotts at 517-529-9031 (bflylady27@nullnetzero.net) … Read more

By Penny Briscoe The passenger pigeon officially became extinct on September 1, 1914.  A lonely pigeon named Martha at the Cincinnati Zoo died on that day and was the last of her kind. She now stands mounted in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C., a symbol for humankind that it is possible for … Read more

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/03/take_a_rare_look_at_ducks_that.html Photos in the article by Audubon Society of Kalamazoo members Kent Martin and Timon Tesar.

View the NEWSCHANNEL 3 report on the latest of the downtown Kalamazoo Peregrine Falcons. http://www.wwmt.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wwmt_rare-peregrine-falcons-nesting-kalamazoo-highrise-19080.shtml#.UyGB9V6ppIu      

Andy Bacon, the Stewardship Coordinator for MNA spoke to the Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones on Wednesday, February 26 to talk about MNA’s Conservation Priorities for Southwest Michigan.  One of MNA’s largest projects is at Dowagiac Woods which has been enlarged to the north.  Some of the new property contains farm fields which are now being … Read more

Snowy Owls live in the treeless tundra of the Arctic. This winter they are turning up in seemingly unprecedented numbers in Michigan, the Great Lakes region and the East. This movement is driven because their food supply in the Arctic is very low and when they can’t find enough food they are forced to move … Read more

If you missed the September 2013 Audubon Society of Kalamazoo monthly meeting with the presentation by Dr. David Karowe on how climate change will affect birds, he has graciously made available a file of his PowerPoint presentation for viewing.   Dr. Karowe is an environmental activist who is attempting to make a difference through education.  … Read more

ASK has been slowly but surely moving into the electronic communications world. But don’t worry, we won’t do away with the hard copy of the newsletter. So where have we been and where are we going? Our first attempt at a web page was about 15 years ago, but it was not until seven years … Read more

A water footprint is the total volume of fresh water used to produce a certain good. Many people live in dry regions that cannot support the production of goods requiring a lot of water, so they effectively consume water in the form of imported goods. The water footprint of a cup of coffee is 140 … Read more

By Bridget Stutchbury Though a consumer may not be able to tell the difference, a tomato from Florida is often not the same as one grown in Mexico. The imported fruits and vegetables found in our shopping carts in winter and early spring are grown with types and amounts of pesticides that would often be … Read more

Natural Resources Defense Council: A Shopper’s Guide to Home Tissue Products Canada’s boreal forest is one of the largest unspoiled forests left on earth. It provides breeding grounds for up to three billion birds each spring, and nearly half of all the bird species in North America depend on the boreal for survival. Boreal bird … Read more

By Russ Schipper As far as coffee refreshments go at ASK meetings, an apt description could be wrapped in a single word, “decaf,” and our wise and responsible Hospitality Committee reliably has good decaf coffee available. Now that coffee has gotten even better. For the past ten years, we have tried to offer a good shade-grown, … Read more

By Russ Schipper This information is from Tom Dietsch. Tom was one of the graduate students whose research in Central American coffee plantations was supported by ASK several years ago. He is still very much involved in the shade coffee issue. I saw him recently and he explained that the issue of good organic shade-grown … Read more

ASK invites you to join us in our effort to keep both cats and wild birds safe. We have distributed brochures to area pet stores, veterinarians, and shelters that encourage people to keep their cats indoors. We could use your help! We have “Cats Indoors!” brochures available at our meetings for you to pick up and take … Read more