Get out your calendar: There are lots of activities coming up over the next few weeks that might interest you.

Tonight is the Pres-cott Audubon Society's monthly membership meeting at 7 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 630 Park Ave. Wayne Fischer, the Animal Care Manager for the Heritage Park Zoological Society, will bring a variety of reptiles to display and discuss. This would be a great meeting to bring the children or grandchildren to! The meeting is free and open to the public.
Saturday, Sept. 29, is the last day to submit photographs for the wild bird photo contest at Jay's Bird Barn (now The Lookout). More than 100 pictures have already been submitted - it is shaping up to be a wonderful exhibit, which opens Monday, Oct. 1.

Sunday, Sept. 30, the Highlands Center for Natural History will host "Wander the Wild," its annual fundraiser and live auction, at Talking Rock. This is a fun event with great food and auction items. Call 776-9550 for details.

Jay's Bird Barn (now The Lookout) hosts free bird walks Saturday, Sept. 29, Wednesday, Oct. 3, Saturday, Oct. 13, Friday, Oct. 19 and Tuesday, Oct. 23. Birding destinations include the Bradshaw Mountains, Granite Basin, Watson Woods, Chino Valley and Copper Basin.

Friday, Oct. 5, The Watershed We Want Coalition presents "The Call of the Wild - Are We Listening?" by Walt Anderson at 7 p.m. in the Prescott Gateway Mall Community room.

Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 6 and 7, the City of Prescott will host the first ever "Prescott's Great Outdoors Festival" at Watson Lake Park. This event is designed to highlight the many outdoor and water-based recreational opportunities, organizations, retailers, equipment and resources in the Prescott area. This is a family-oriented event with music, food, vendors, clinics, demonstrations, recreational activities and displays.

Also on Saturday, Oct. 6, the Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary will host "Taste of the Wild" from 4 to 8 p.m. This fundraising event allows you to sample foods from local restaurants and delicious local wines. There will be a silent and a live auction. For information, call 778-4242, ext. 16.

Saturday, Oct. 6, is the Arizona Highlands Garden Conference presented by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and Master Gardener Volunteers of Coconino, Gila, and Yavapai Counties. This year's conference will take place in the du Bois Conference Center at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Call 928-774-1868, ext. 190.

Saturday, Oct. 13, at 8:30 a.m. the Prescott Audubon Society and the Highlands Center for Natural History will offer a free guided bird walk at The Highlands Center. These guided bird walks are led by experienced birders in an ideal setting for new birders. Call 776-9550.

Saturday, Oct. 27, will be the Jay's Bird Barn (now The Lookout) 9th anniversary celebration and open house in Prescott. Activities include a fabulous free lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., book signing by Jim Burns, author of Jim Burns' Arizona Birds. We will also have live birds of prey on display, and we will announce the winners of the wild bird photo contest and award prizes. Whew!