Jamestown, NY – It’s that time of year again!  Fill your bird feeders.  See who shows up.  Some will be feathered friends -- some may be bird watchers with binoculars.

This year marks the 117th Annual Christmas Bird Count held by National Audubon Society. 

Saturday, December 17, in Warren and Sunday, December 18, in Jamestown are the days when bird watchers will take to the roadways and the woods to see how many birds and how many species they can observe in the defined birding Circle. Others will watch their bird feeders. 

Jamestown, NY – Winter Lights at Audubon opens this year with an Adults Only night featuring the exciting regional favorite live band Smackdab.

After walking a luminary-lit trail of interactive lights, you can listen to music and enjoy snacks and a beer or glass of wine at the Audubon Community Nature Center on Friday evening, December 16, 2016. Soda, hot chocolate, and coffee will also be available for designated drivers and those not interested in beer or wine.

The 5:30-8:30 p.m. event features 14 lasers and more than 10,000 LED lights, a merger of nature with cutting edge technology where YOU get to control your experience. Interactive LED lights, including a drum that changes lights in the building, firefly lasers and animal quiz boards, create a new twist on light shows.

You can warm up at the fire at the midpoint of the half-mile walk on a paved and ice-free trail, and gasp at the finale at the Blue Heron Overlook.

The Western New York Land Conservancy conducted a prescribed burn on Nov. 7 at the Niagara Escarpment Preserve on Leete Road in Lockport. The preserve contains a beautiful 10-acre grassland — one of the most threatened natural communities in New York State. This grassland is very healthy and brimming with tall native grasses, giving wildlife a place to hide, eat, rest and nest. One of the best ways to keep a grassland healthy is to burn it periodically.