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Austin Audubon will kick off the Austin City Bird Festival on Saturday, Oct. 2, together with Al Batt.

The event will begin at 1 p.m. at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center with “How to Feed Birds” and “How to talk like a Barred Owl and a Black-capped Chickadee” followed by Al Batt at 1:30 p.m., Minnesota’s iconic birdman storyteller.

Families are then invited to take a short self guided bird enrichment hike that begins at 2:30 p.m. to earn door prizes. You are welcome to do the hike without attending the previous programs. You can begin the hike at the welcome circle anytime from 2:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m.

On the same day Oct. 2, the bird seed sale begins at Runnings. Austin Audubon will receive 10% of the retail sales for bird seed and bird-feeding related equipment. sold at Runnings. The bird seed sale will go through Saturday, Oct. 9. Dollars raised from Runnings donation will be used for Nature Center summer adventure youth scholarships, Nature Center programs, and the Native American Chert Quarry near Grand Meadow.