Crossroads Announces Bird of the Year and Offers Holiday Programs

In 2011, the Crossroads Bird of the Year was the Northern Cardinal. In fact, most years the Bird of the Year is the Cardinal, with the Black-capped Chickadee usually the runner-up. In 2012, the early front-runner is the Dove.

What is this Bird of the Year? Crossroads schedules a family activity in the morning and afternoon on Christmas Eve, and offers a multimedia presentation called “Holiday Card Birds.” The greeting cards Crossroads receives are collected and sorted (cards with birds are sorted by species). The lecture focuses on facts about the most popular five birds of the year.

For families with restless children, the family program, “Do Animals Talk on Christmas Eve?” will be presented at 10:30 am on Dec. 24. This free program, intended for children 4 – 10 years old, was inspired by Scandinavian legends. Children will learn about animals at Crossroads’ animal exhibit and decorate animal cookies.

The Holiday Card Bird lecture is free and open to the public and will also be held on Christmas Eve at 2 pm. The naturalist will reveal the Crossroads Bird of the Year.

Join the members of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society on Dec. 22 at 7 pm for “Introduction to the Night Sky.” This free class teaches the basics of stargazing, such as locating constellations and reading a sky map. Dress warmly. A planetarium presentation will be offered if the skies are cloudy.

The Collins Learning Center at Crossroads, located at 2041 Michigan Street in Sturgeon Bay, is open daily 2 – 4:30 pm, but will close on Dec. 24 at 4 pm. Crossroads will also be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

For more information visit http://www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org.