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Kalamazoo Junior Audubon  The NEW Kalamazoo Junior Audubon Club The Kalamazoo Junior Audubon Club is a NEW partnership between the Kalamazoo Nature Center, the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo and Pierce Cedar Creek Institute. This exciting program is designed for kids and their parents to learn about birds and where they live. Don't worry if you are a first time birder, this is about kids birding together. This program does not require that everyone be at the same level of experience.  One of the club's major goals is just to have fun while finding and learning about the birds of Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan. Although identifying birds by sight will be a big part of our trips we will also learn about bird songs and habitats, bird migration, bird ecology, where they spend the winter, how scientists study birds and how you can study birds. Binoculars and field guides will be available for those who don't have them and your club membership will come with many other goodies to help you on your way to becoming an expert birder!   The meetings will be spent mostly in the field. Many of our field trips will be at the best Kalamazoo birdwatching places, but occasionally we will go farther afield to pursue more specialized species, as we want to find and see a variety of birds. After a year or two of Jr. Audubon you will be on your way to becoming an expert birder and have the solid beginning of a life list. The leaders will be experienced birders and/or naturalists and have the ability to teach and help develop your birding skills and knowledge. While we will definitely be focused on birds, we may sneak in a peek at other fun things in nature such as if a frog shows itself or starts calling or if a beaver announces its presences at one of our field trips.  Nature is a great place to explore and we'll surely make the most of our time outdoors! Membership in The Kalamazoo Junior Audubon Club will include a name badge, membership card, Michigan bird checklist, journal for keeping records, and a binder full of information. The meetings will generally be held on the 4th Saturday of the month and will be about 2 hours long. Location of the monthly meetings will vary from month to month and for the most part will be held in the morning when birds are most active. Fees:  $15 for the first child and $10.00 for each additional child per year. Parents are free and pre-registration is required. The club is geared towards children ages 8 to 16 and their parents. Club members will be responsible for their own transportation to and from the various meeting sites.  To join contact Jen Wright at the Kalamazoo Nature Center at (269) 381-1574 ext. 27 for a membership form. 2008 Schedule March 21st (Friday Evening) - Dance of the Woodcock Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, 701 West Cloverdale Rd, Hastings, MI 49058 (Meet in the main parking lot) 7:30pm - 9:00pm o Evening hike to look and listen for Woodcock o Other things that we might see/hear:  Wilson's Snipe, Spring Frogs, Owls April 18th (Friday Evening) - Marsh Birds By Car Meet at the Kalamazoo Nature Center parking lot to carpool to Sheriff's Marsh in Ross Township 7:00pm - 9:00pm o Rails & Spring Migrants o Other things that we might hear: Frogs  May 17th - Spring Migrants Asylum Lake Preserve, Drake Rd. & Stadium Dr.  8:00am - 10:00am o Warblers, Orioles, Thrushes, Sparrows, Rails June 28th - Prairie Birds Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N. Westnedge Ave, Kalamazoo, MI  49009 9:00am - 11:00 am o Meadowlarks, Sparrows, Hawks o Other things that we might see/hear:  butterflies, summer insects sounds July 26th - Woodland Bird Walk West Lake Nature Preserve, S. Westnedge Ave, Portage, MI 8:00am - 10:00am  o Blue Gray Gnatcatchers, Flycatchers, Indigo Buntings August 23rd - Michigan Hummingbird Festival River Lake Inn, 767 Ralston Rd, Colon, MI 49040 8:00am - 10:00am for hummingbird banding, festival runs from 9am - 2pm o Lots of Hummingbirds up close! o Hummingbird banding o Other neat things about hummingbirds o Lots of activities for kids and families September 27th - Bird Banding at Kalamazoo Nature Center Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N. Westnedge Ave, Kalamazoo, MI  49009 9:00 am - 11:00 am o Live bird banding demonstrations o Hike to see how researchers remove birds from nets and record data on birds before releasing.