Wildebeest by John Gerber At Audubon Community Nature Center’s September 6 First Friday, area residents can join professional photographer John Gerber to follow along on the experiences wildebeest have as they traverse their African territory.

Professional photographer John Gerber has chronicled the Great Migration, documenting the wildebeest in their 1,100-mile seasonal journey crossing the Mara River, following them from Kenya to their calving grounds in Tanzania.

Join Gerber for “The Great Migration: Following the Wildebeest” at Audubon Community Nature Center’s First Friday, Sept. 6, from 11 a.m. to noon. Based in Mayville, Gerber is a world-class international photographer of nature, wildlife, and more, whose photo adventures have taken him from Africa and India to Brazil and Patagonia, and everywhere in between.

“The Great Migration,” a photography exhibit featuring images from his new book Songs of the Serengeti, Meditations on Wildebeest, continues at The Sheep Barn Gallery, 5155 Morris Road, Mayville, through Sept. 8. Open gallery hours are Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, visit JohnGerberPhotography.com.

Those attending are welcome to bring a packed lunch and visit with Gerber after the program. The fee is $8 or $6 for Nature Center members and children ages 9 to 15. Reservations are appreciated by calling 716-569-2345 or online through Programs and Events at AudubonCNC.org. Walk-ins are welcome.

The Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. Visit the nearly 600-acre nature preserve, check in on the live birds of prey, enjoy the native tree arboretum and gardens, and hike more than five miles of trails dawn until dusk daily for free.

The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the Hellbender exhibit, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Nature Center members and SNAP/EBT cardholders have free building admission daily. Building admission is also free every Sunday for non-Nature Center members.