The Audubon Society of the Capital Region is offering a week’s stay at what it bills as “a private birding paradise in Rensselaerville,” and is giving it away on Sunday, April 26, John B. Audubon’s birthday.

Local Audubon chapters, including the Capital Region’s, must fund their own activities and educational efforts. Most people think, when they donate to the national Audubon, that their money trickles down and supports local efforts, according to a release from the Capital Region chapter. “But only pennies arrive with barely enough to keep the basic volunteer organization going,” the release says.

The local Audubon Society is one of the larger geographic chapters in New York State.

“Our Audubon chapter is at a crossroads; we only had a handful of volunteers about five years ago and we were in danger of becoming an extinct chapter,” said John Loz, the Capital Region chapter’s president in the release. “With a small group of dedicated people, we’ve been able to sustain our chapter and watch it grow slowly. Recently, we’ve attracted a flock of wonderful young and energetic volunteers who want to make a difference, but we need more resources.”

The drawing for the one-week getaway will be held April 26; tickets cost $25. The winner can choose any week in the spring through the fall this year. May and June is best for birding, the release notes.

“The simple, small cabin is fully equipped for overnight camping or day use, for a unique birding experience or simply to enjoy a peaceful unplugged week in the country,” the release says. More information about the cabin fundraiser is online at: http://www.capitalregionaudubon.org/cabin-getaway.php.

Audubon has a 119-year history of protecting nature and connecting with others using the combination of science, education, and the restoration of local wildlife habitats.

Coming events

Upcoming local events include:

— April 19, Earth Day “Saving Bird Habitat” at Schodack Island State Park: Volunteers will cut invasive oriental bittersweet that is threatening the nesting and breeding habitat of the cerulean warbler. Schodack Island is one of only a very few places in the Capital Region where this bird migrates back to annually from South America.

The ‘ species as noted by September 2014's National Audubon Climate Change Report. After many years of dedicated work, the bald eagle population in New York has been restored, but the number of cerulean warblers has declined 70 percent since the 1960s. There are only about 500,000 birds left in the world;

— April 25, Bird Walk "Avian Haunts” in Albany’s Washington Park: The guided tour will help birders and non-birders track down urban migrating and resident avians of Albany's premiere park; and

— May 2, Migration Celebration! International Migratory Bird Day at Albany Pine Bush: This event includes an early morning birdwalk, a bird-banding station of songbirds caught in mist nets and released, and lectures and interactive children’s activities. Exhibitors include a bird woodcarver, an author of non-fiction bird books, a wildlife photographer, a bird painter, and a nesting-box builder.

Accomplishments

Recent accomplishments include:

— Local volunteers recording a sighting of a golden eagle, a federally protected bird of prey and the largest in North America in Austerlitz, New York. The eagle was recorded on one of the chapter’s camera traps while participating in the Appalachian Eagle Project, which is aimed at determining if wintering-over golden eagles are present in this area;

— Hiring rehabilitators to do educational public awareness talks in support of their care of injured birds. Some birds were caught in improperly disposed of fishing lines;

— Free programs including the third Annual Raptor Rapture event at the State Museum;

— Educational outreach to children in rural and urban areas, including educator-led presentations and instruction at the Fonda-Fultonville Environmental Education days and a program with Troy City Schools: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Urban-birding-soars-for-Troy-pupils-3557898.php. The capstone of this project was installing bird-friendly gardens on the school campus in in the spring of 2013; and

— Guided bird walks; the current schedule is online at www.capitalregionaudubon.org.

What’s next?

Plans, if additional funds are raised, include:

— Purchasing more camera traps for the budding golden eagle research project; the golden eagle is a “threatened species” in New York;

— Continuing in-school programs to meet a high volume of requests from area schools, starting with Green Tech High in Albany, as well as the Schenectady city schools and the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central Schools;

— Continuing volunteer conservation efforts, such as expanding grassland bird habitats in Niskayuna; and

— Buying equipment and support items, to make a broader impact on important Capital Region bird habitats.