earthstar - macombaudubon.org
Transcription
earthstar - macombaudubon.org
EARTHSTAR NEWSLETTER OF THE MACOMB AUDUBON SOCIETY http://www.macombaudubon.org Programs Monday, March 4, 2013 - Boxque, Barnegat & Bethel: A Photographer Adrift - Presented by: David Stimac The pursuit of waterfowl photography takes Dave Stimac to far-flung reaches of the northern hemisphere. From fishing villages in Norway to sewage ponds in South Dakota, Dave finds the birds he is looking for, along with a lot of other surprises. Join Dave as he struggles to make sense of it all. Monday, April 1, 2013 - "Dude, Where are you!?!?" Adventures and misadventures chasing Michigan's rarest birds. – Presented by Caleb Putnam Listing: the perennial battle of the competitive birder. Loved by some, and hated by many, few can deny the intense level of adventure this arcane and absurd habit offers its dedicated participants. Caleb Putnam, who chased his first state rarity on May 2, 1997 (a Pacific Loon in Livingston County), and whom still sits a distant 34 species behind first place in Michigan listing, will share some of the more memorable of his personal triumphs and flops to date. This storytelling talk is replete with photos and video clips of Caleb's greatest Michigan rarities, and will have you on the edge of your seat and ready to start listing by its end! Volume 39 number 2 , March –April 2013 Field Trips Dear Macomb Audubon and anyone else able to do help with habitat maintenance, As a volunteer at Stony Creek Metropark, it has come to my attention that the habitat around many of the dozens of bluebird boxes at Stony has become overgrown with invasive plants and is no longer suitable for them. These boxes were placed and maintained for decades by our late founder and past president, Jim Stevens. We (Stony) are organizing a volunteer work group to spend a few hours cutting and removing brush from around the boxes in the late March – early April timeframe. I can think of no better way to honor the memory of Jim Stevens and his hundreds of volunteer hours, than to volunteer for this effort. There are two ways to sign up: 1. I will have a sign-up sheet at the February 4 meeting OR 2. Forward your availability to me at ruthaglass@gmail.com Be sure to include the following information in either case: Name, Phone number, Email address, Available on weekdays? Yes or no, Available on weekends? Yes or no. Thank you so much for your consideration, Ruth Glass, 586-876-0395 Macomb Audubon Society The Macomb Audubon Society is a chapter of the Michigan Audubon society. Meetings are normally held the first Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Sterling Heights Parks and Recreation Center located on the N.E .side of Utica Rd. east of Van Dyke and North of 18 mile Rd. Events of the Society are open to the public. The mission of the Macomb Audubon Society is to: Promote interest in the world of nature and to aid in the conservation of natural resources. Provide an outlet for nature activities via field trips. Provide an opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and experience through lectures, films, discussions and newsletters. Aid organizations that provide people of all ages with opportunities to experience these above given objectives. People can support our efforts by becoming members. To become a member, complete the form on the inside back cover. Members receive this newsletter, the Earthstar. Earthstar Deadline We appreciate relevant information or articles of interest to the Macomb Audubon membership for review for pllublicaton in the Earthstar. If you have material that you wish to submit, please send it by the 12th of the preceding month to: Bill Clark 53253 North Ave Macomb MI 48042. Email: wtclark1@comcast.net Earthstar is published bimonthly.by the Macomb Audubon Society, a non-profit educational organization. Hi everybody , how you doin’? Feb. 17th.: I started writing this column on Fri. the 15th., the first day of the GBBC (Great Backyard Bird Count) and here I am 2 days later. What to write, what to write? I’m in pain (fell and bruised my ribs up at Higgins Lake taking a hike, had a great time regardless and at least I was doing something I love to do when I hurt myself) am having a hard time concentrating - yikes - if I don’t get this in Bill is going to kill me. HELP! Then - tah-dah - a little birdie came to me, literally. HELLO! This morning I noticed a bird with an unusual shaped beak - grab the binoculars, grab the camera, it’s gone, bummer. About an hour later husband says, “There’s your bird that you were all excited about earlier and it does have an unusual shaped beak, seems to be crossed. Binoculars, camera, get out the ID books, cross reference, check, and double check. Holy crap we have a female Red Crossbill. Why am I so excited you ask. I have never seen a Crossbill of any kind and here she is in my own backyard. HOW COOL IS THIS? VERY!!!! In the 25 yrs. that we have lived here we see something new every year and here’s a Red Crossbill. WOW-WOW-WOW!!!! Okay, enough with the exclamations.) BAM!!!! (oops, sorry) John is standing at the kitchen window and spots our first Yellow-bellied Sapsucker of the year. What a super great GBBC this is turning out to be. We’re not here for a long time we’re here for a good time and damned if I’m not having one today. To be inspired by one little bird is what I will remember as one of those awesome little great times. Whoopee! Peace, Colleen 2012 CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT RESULTS Macomb Audubon Society's participation in the 113th Annual Christmas Bird Count was held on December 15, 2012 with 30 people in the field and another 5 at feeders. The weather ranged from 26 to 42 degrees with fog in the morning, but no snow on the ground. We had a total of 69 species and 16,159 individual birds. New high counts were set for eight species: 366 for Hooded Merganser, 667 for Common Merganser, 104 for Wild Turkey, 7 for Bald Eagle, 1007 for Ring-billed Gull, 104 for Tufted Titmouse, 16 for Brown Creeper and 80 for Pine Siskin. High counts were tied for three species: 2 for Sandhill Crane, 1 for Bonaparte’s Gull and 2 for Pileated Woodpecker. The complete results can be found on our Macomb Audubon Website or the National Audubon website: http://birds.audubon.org/christmasbird-count. Go to Results, Data and Research, continue to Current Year Results by Count and enter Western Macomb County, MIWM. We would like to thank all of the citizen science participants for the time and effort you volunteer each year to make this count a success. Thank you to all of the people who set up the room and hot beverages, contributed soups, chili, snacks and desserts. We would also like Doug Spiller and the Stony Creek Nature Center to know how much we appreciate them hosting the tally. This year's count will be on Saturday, Dec. 14th. Please mark your calendar now and plan to help out. Thanks again, Barb Baldinger, Compiler Tom Heatley, Co-compiler Meetings are held the first Monday of most months at 7:30 PM at the Sterling Heights Parks & Recreation Center located on the NE side of Utica Rd, east of Van Dyke and North Of 18 Mile Rd. The officers and members of the Macomb Audubon Society would like to thank the following members for Joining or renewing on the Contributor Level: Gary Corbin, Elaine & David MacDonald, Margaret Alyea, Frank & Fran Lautner, Patrick & Carolyn Harrington, Bill & Betty Lou Clark, Ward Randol, Loraine Campbell, Alice Forton, Chris Becher, Keith & Barbara Bennett, Thanks to the people who brought refreshments to the meeting. It adds to much to the fellowship. January February Barb Baldinger. Barb Baldinger Alice Forton Alice Forton Colleen Traylor Beverlee Babcock Elaine McDonald Betty Lou Clark Fran Lautner Dione Gurzeck ____________________________________________ Facebook Announcement Macomb Audubon Society now has its own Facebook page! Upcoming activities and current bird sightings are posted on this popular social media. Check it out and "Like" us! While you are there, you may also want to look at another interesting Facebook page: Peregrine Falcons Southeast Michigan. Here you will find updates and photos from Chris Becher, MDNR Southeast Michigan Peregrine Falcon Nesting Coordinator and MDNR volunteer, Barb Baldinger. Macomb Audubon Society is now on Facebook For those of you who are on Facebook, be sure to search for Macomb Audubon Society and “Like” us! Here you will find notices of our activities, as well as photos and recent bird sightings from our members. We would like to hear from you! By Ruth Glass Hello friends! Two weeks ago 17 of us took advantage of some decent weather to observe some of the more exciting birds visiting Stony this time of year, and have some fun. We saw Trumpeter Swans (which typically nest in Alaska and neighboring provinces), Redhead Ducks (also from the north and west), a Hooded Merganser, an Osprey nest (active in spring and summer), Brown Creepers, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and a pair of Bald Eagles, among others. Hopefully you can join me on my next trip Saturday March 9 at 9am. I will be leading trips on behalf of Stony Creek Metropark the second Saturday of every month through November. We will meet at the Nature Center at 9am to register ($2 charge to cover costs), and then depart to where ever the birds happen to be that day and/or explore some of the lesser travelled areas of the park. I hope to include a couple trips to Wolcott as well. Afterward, you are welcome to return to the Nature Center for refreshments. Attached are photos from our January trip, and a promo for the upcoming trips. Seasonal Changes, by Jack Foehrenbach As summer changes into Fall and Fall into Winter, so do the numbers and species of birds we observe on our farm. Some species gradually disappear while others begin to appear. Numbers of a single species range from a single bird to small flocks less than a hundred to a very large flock in the thousands. During the end of September, the Chipping Sparrows gradually disappeared. The last hummingbird at our feeder was October 6th. Canada Geese were seen with their numbers increasing each day, and just before dusk they would come to our ponds to spend the night. An Eastern Phoebe was seen foraging for insects in the sheep pasture for a few days before moving on. Likewise a flock of about 50 robins showed up and stayed for three days. While here, they foraged for worms and grubs and various fruits on the shrubs and vines. A flock of about 30 starlings were seen in the canopy of our trees followed by a large flock of Crackles in the thousands. Both only stayed for a few minutes before leaving. There were a few Redwing Blackbirds mixed in with the Crackles. At the end of October, small numbers of Carolina Chickadees, Juncos and Titmice were feeding actively at the feeders, only one Whitethroated Sparrow was seen. Four Yellow-rump Warblers were on our deck flying into a glass door with no success, chasing insects that were on the inside. We had observed this before. November and December showed large fluctuations in the temperature and a few changes in bird populations and species. During early November, there were freezing temperatures and our ponds froze and the Canada Geese spent the nights on the Chester River. A Redbreasted and Downy Woodpecker made daily visits to the suet feeder. Our summer resident House Sparrows used a stand of vines as their winter roost growing close to the chicken coop. They went into the coop as well as the sheep barn to feed. Spilled corn around the storage bin was also used. They used these sources more than the feeders. Is this a trait of a city bird? The weather moderated during December as several 50 degree days occurred. What was very noticeable was the reduced activity at our feeders. The woodpeckers abandoned the suet feeder, and the number of song birds at our feeders was way down. Apparently. birds liked to feed in the wild over manmade feed sources. The ponds were ice free, but the geese never returned. The Christmas Bird Count did show the usual number of birds in the area. During the first week of January, a cold front came and with it a light snowfall. Activity at the feeders increased dramatically. A Song Sparrow was seen and to my surprise an Eastern Towhee also showed up. Several White-throated Sparrows finally joined the Juncos in about equal numbers making them the most abundant species at the feeders. They were joined by small flocks (5-1O) of Carolina Chickadees, and Titmice. Cardinals and Blue Jays, whether singularly or in pairs added color o the area. - I look forward to the spring when the birds start their breeding cycle. Introducing Mr. Chapman Have you ever taken part in a Christmas Bird Count? Have you ever visited a National Wildlife Refuge? If you answered yes to both of these questions the person to thank is Frank Chapman (18641965) He was born and grew up in suburban West Englewood, New Jersey. From his mother he got a love for the outdoors. From his father he developed an ability to see projects through to the end. A small inheritance allowed him to quit his job at a bank, and he went to work at the American Museum of Natural History. He built their collection into one of the largest in the world displaying birds as an integral part of their environment. He was among a small group of birders who realized that many species would become extinct. People’s hearts had to change and public opinion had to be galvanized. Chapman in 1899 created a popular magazine called Bird Lore so the various Audubon societies could communicate with one another. Concerned about the breeding birds of Florida's Pelican Island he went to his friend President Theodore Roosevelt and he declared the island a bird sanctuary, the first of 53 refuges. In the December 1900 issue of Bird Lore, Chapman suggested to counter the practice of shooting birds, bird lovers go out and count birds. Twenty-seven birders in the Boston and New York area began the Annual Christmas Bird Count. Thank you Mr. Chapman for your contributions to the activity we all love. Wade Leonard (The above is condensed from the article Meeting Mr. Chapman Bird Watchers Digest (Nov/Dec 2008 Pages 44-49 by Norma Siebenheller We’re Proud Supporters of Lake St. Clair Nature Center Sterling Heights Nature Center, Seven Ponds Nature Center, Stony Creek Nature Center, Burgess Shadbush Nature Center, Wild Life Recovery Association, Michigan Nature Association, Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy. Michigan Audubon RRBO ______________________________ For the best bird seed At the best prices Uncle Luke’s feed store 6691 Livernois Troy Michigan _______________ To contact the Macomb Audubon Society by e-mail the address is macombaudubon@gmail.com To join the Macomb Audubon Mailing list please send an e-mail To: macombaudubon -subscribe@ Yahoogroups.com Macomb Audubon Society Board Members & committee Chairs President Colleen Traylor (248) 627-6872 st 1 VP (Programs) Christine Becher (810) 796-3505 nd 2 VP (Member Ship) Beverlee Babcock (586 ) 263-7666 3rd VP (Field Trips) Colleen Traylor & Charles Smart Recording Secretary Laura Barbour (248) 853-5465 Corresponding Secretary Micki Smith (586) 791-9623 Treasurer Frank Lautner (586) 791-7913 Committees Car Pool Coordinator Frank Lautner Christmas Bird Count Barb Baldinger (586) 263-6530 Environmental & Conservation Vacant Historian Michael Mroz (586) 596-2776 Hospitality (Refreshments) Betty Ebert & Alice Forton Hospitality (Door Prizes) Denis & Laura Barbour Earthstar Newsletter Editor Bill Clark--------- (586) 749-5523 Michigan Audubon Rep. Ray Lalonde Members-at-Large (2 positions) Vacant Newsletter Production, Mailing Denis & Laura Barbour Seven Ponds Representative Dave & Elaine McDonald Web Editor Paul Messing Volunteer Coordinator Vacant Macomb Audubon Society Dues Please make checks payable to Macomb Audubon Society and send to: Beverlee Babcock Macomb Audubon Membership 50229 Pepper Tree Dr. Macomb Mi, 48044. Your name and the names of family members (Please Print) __________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Address_________________________________City_______________________________________ State_____________ZIP_____________Phone_____________________________ New Member_______Renewal______ Check One _______Family Membership $17.00 Total Amount enclosed $________ ______Individual Membership $14.00 Amount of donation over membership $_____(optional) _____Student Membership $ $10.00 Contributor----up to $49.99 ______Senior Membership $10.00 Supporter------$50 to $99.99 (single or couple over 60) Donor-----------$100 and over Each year Macomb Audubon makes a membership list available to members. Check here if you wish to have your telephone number left off the list _____ Email Address_________________________________________________________(opitional) Check here to receive the Earthstar by Email only_____ Check here if a Michigan Audubon member_____ Check here if a National Audubon member _____ I (we) are interested in becoming a Macomb Audubon volunteer. Please contact me____