Wild bird club postpones meeting

PALMER - The September meeting of the Mat-Su Birders, originally scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 10, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 24.

The meeting will still feature a great horned owl and a presentation by The Bird Treatment and Learning Center. The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the Palmer Public Library.

The date of the meeting was changed because organizers felt many members of the club would also want to attend a public meeting on coal-bed methane drilling, an event slated for the same night of Sept. 10.

"We would like to have as man people as possible be able to attend the Mat-Su Birders meeting," club president Bob Winckler said in a press release.

Ma-Su Birders organizes a variety of activities throughout the year, including the annual Christmas Bird Count, a "hawk watch" on the Palmer Hay Flats and smaller bird-watching excursions.

September through May, the club usually meets at the Palmer Public Library at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month. At the meetings, members discuss the species and numbers of birds they've seen.

In addition to discussing bird sightings, the Mat-Su Birders also invites special guests to its meetings such as naturalists, biologists, representatives of the Bird Treatment and Learning Center and falconers.

For the $3 annual membership fee, members say the club is one of the best deals in town.

People who are interested in getting involved can either call Winckler at 376-8594 or attend an upcoming meeting.