Just A Chirp

Grosse Pointe Audubon Spring 2013

You call this spring?

From the President: Looking out my kitchen window this past weekend, it was dicult to believe that its April. Even though the days are getting longer, were not seeing much in the way of sunshine, and the dense cloud cover and a northerly wind has kept daytime high temperatures well below average. If you didnt know better, you might think it was November! Even though temperatures have been well below normal across the northern tier of states, migration is picking up. Just in the last couple of days I have seen fox sparrow, tree swallow, hermit thrush, and eastern phoebe. But because it looks like our weather pattern is not going to change anytime soon, these birds have own into a region that will make it dicult for them to nd food, let alone provide enough resources to raise young. Especially for the insectivores. Were already seeing an impact on the earliest migrants. On April 13, I found an item on the internet that said turkey vultures were falling from the sky in South Dakota after the wings of these birds iced up while they were ying in freezing rain. Even though thats unusual, its an example of what the earliest migrants face every spring. The race is on among males to return to their nesting grounds as quickly as possible in order to be the rst to claim prime sites--and potentially get a prime mate. But with that reward theres tremendous risk, as the migrants are nding out this particular spring. With the temperatures warming up this week, it looks like the impact will be limited. I checked with Julie Craves with Rouge River Bird Observatory, who says that unless we have another cold snap, it appears the worst is over.
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Spring Schedule
Cut out this schedule and put it on your refrigerator to help you remember these important dates. April 15 -- Birding Fiji. Join birder and photographer Kevin Sharp for an exploration of the south sea islands of exotic Fiji. In addition to coconut palm-lined white sand beaches, this western Polynesian archipelago has a fascinating avifauna, including Masked Shining Parrots, Metallic Pigeons, and the elusive and recently rediscovered Long-legged Thicketbird. This will also be Grosse Pointe Audubons election of ofcers. April 30, May 7, 14, 21 -- Bird walks at the Country Club of Detroit. Meet at 6:30 a.m. on the service road near the tall trees. The walks will end by 8 a.m. Dress appropriately for the weather, but be sure to wear waterproof footwear. May 11 -- Annual Field Trip to Seven Ponds Nature Center. More information inside. May 14 -- Bird walk at Patterson Park, Grosse Pointe Park. Meet in the parking lot at 6:30 p.m. Dress appropriately for the weather. This bird walk will last approximately 90 minutes.

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From The President, from Page 1 Nevertheless, damage has been done. The earliest insectivores, including the tree swallows that arrived in Michigan on March 30, likely perished for lack of food. The good news is that there wasn't a big push of early migrants, so there werent many birds around. The other thing that Craves adds is this type of cool spring is probably more historically normal than the early warm spells we have gotten used to, and which are much worse. So, what impact will the cold spring have on the birds yet to come? Craves thinks very little. It will serve to slow the birds progress. As they work there way north, they are likely to nd less food, which will force them to spend more time searching for it. For more information... If you are looking for more information about migration, here are a few sites for you to check: Birdcast.org is a site run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that makes predictions on migration based on radar and the weather. Yes, radar! It is possible to track bird migration on weather radar, and there are several websites devoted to that idea. Here are two to try: nemesisbird.com is Drew Webers site. His site originates from central New York state, but it has a very cool national map. northwoodsbirdar.blogspot.com is Max Henschells site. Because Henschell is a student at Northern Michigan University, this site focuses more on the upper Midwest. Both sites are updated daily, and often by 6 a.m. It takes a little bit of knowledge to be able to read the radar accurately--sometimes its dicult to tell the rain from the birds--but its worth the eort when trying to gure out whether its worth heading out for the day. Birding for Glory Set your calendar now, and join Grosse Pointe Audubon on Monday, May 20, for the seventh annual Grosse Pointe Birding !

Challenge. Teams will be scouring the Grosse Pointe communities for as many bird species as they can count. Tabulation takes place at noon at Panera Bread in the Village, and the winner takes home a trophy and a feeling of smug superiority. Join a team for the entire morning or just for an hour. Sign up for a team at the April 15 meeting. See the GP Audubon blog for ocial rules. Tuesday morning birders Grosse Pointe Audubons Tuesday morning walks at the Country Club of Detroit will get under way on May 1 and continue every Tuesday until May 22. Well start at 6:30 a.m. and nish by 8 a.m. Enter the Country Clubs driveway, turn left in front of the clubhouse and go down the service road. Well meet at the woods. We will also have an evening bird walk at Patterson Park on May 8. This walk will start at 6:30 p.m. You do not need to make a reservation. Bird Walks at the Ford House Put a spring in your step! Join Rosann Kovalcik for walks on April 20 at 7:30 a.m., May 1-4 at 7:30 a.m. and May 2 at 6 p.m. There is a $7 fee. Call (313) 884-4222 to register. Annual Seven Ponds Trip Our annual trip to Seven Ponds is set for May 11. Meet at the Nature Center at 10 a.m. for a naturalist-led bird walk. We will be gathering data for the North American Migratory Count, which is also being held that day. The walk will be led by Mike Champagne, the centers head naturalist. This is the year that we will have great weather and a huge fallout. After several years of bad weather, were owed big time! Ink cartridges = $ Please bring your old ink cartridges and cell phones to our meetings and deposit them in the box by the front door. Your waste will be recycled for cash that will help keep Grosse Pointe Audubon in the black. Epson and HP cartridges only! PAGE 2

Seven Ponds Nature Center

Call (810) 796-3200 for more information or to register for programs. Invasive Plant Workday Sunday, April 21, 1 p.m. We will spend the afternoon working on removing dames rocket. This is a great opportunity for community service hours and master gardener hours. Bring gloves and water. Spring Bird Walk Wednesday, April 24, 8 a.m. This rst spring bird walk will take us along the centers own trails in search of year-around resident birds and those which have already come back from the south, including sandhill cranes, ducks, swallows, eastern bluebirds, eastern towhees, blackbirds, and others. All bird watching levels are welcome. Bring binoculars, eld guide, and dress for the weather. Fee: $3.00 (no charge for members). Build Your Own Tufa Toad Abode Saturday, April 27, 10 a.m. 2: p.m. From start to nish we will mix and construct a tufa house, covered in moss or pebbles ready for your favorite garden toad. This workshop is for adults and for those 10 years and above (with parent). Bring gloves, plastic bowls, a tray or at heavy cardboard, lunch, and a beverage. Fee $15.00 (members $12.00) includes supplies and instruction. Pre-register by calling 810-796-3200. NatureFest and Native Plant Sale Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m. 5 p.m. Invasive Plant Workday and Wildower Walk Sunday, May 5, 1 p.m. We will spend the afternoon working on removing dames rocket and garlic mustard and looking at native wildowers. This is a great opportunity for community service hours and master gardener hours. Bring gloves and water. ! Spring Bird Walk Wednesday, May 8, 7:30 a.m. For our second spring bird walk well travel by car to the nearby Metamora-Hadley Recreation Area. This state-owned property has a variety of habitats and we will be able to see a nice variety of nesting birds, as well as species which are migrating to more northern locations. Likely sightings include migrating warblers, Baltimore oriole, scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, and indigo bunting. All birdwatching levels are welcome. Bring binoculars, eld guide, and dress for the weather. Fee: $3.00 (free for members). Woodland Wildower Walk Sunday, May, 12, 2 p.m. We should see some lovely examples of wildowers, both inside and outside of the fenced area. Invasive Plant Workday Sunday, May 19, 1 p.m. We will spend the afternoon working on removing dames rocket and garlic mustard. This is a great opportunity for community service hours and master gardener hours. Bring gloves and water. Spring Bird Walk Wednesday, May 22, 7:30 a.m. Today we will meet at the center and travel to both of the nature centers satellite nature preserves, Jonathan Woods and Richie Pond. At Jonathan Woods well look for a variety of breeding warblers, including American redstart, ovenbird, and both northern and Louisiana waterthrushes. At Richie Pond Nature Preserve well nd birds of open habitats, including bobolink, eastern meadowlark, and savannah sparrow. Well also make a short stop along the way to look for rails. All birdwatching levels are welcome. Bring binoculars, eld guide, and dress for the weather. Fee $3.00 (free for members). PAGE 3

JUST A CHIRP!

SPRING 2013

About Grosse Pointe Audubon

Bill Rapai, president, (313) 885-6502 or BRapai@aol.com Sylvia Sanders, vice president, (313) 886-0869 Mark OKeefe, treasurer, (313) 884-7472 or Birds891357@aol.com Joanna Pease, representative to Seven Ponds Nature Center, strixvaria@sbcglobal.net http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grosse-Pointe-Audubon/145490528869148 www.gpaudubon.blogspot.com Grosse Pointe Audubon meets in the Annex of the Pointe Unitarian Church at 17150 Maumee, between St. Clair and Neff in Grosse Pointe. Social hour starts at 7 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7:30. Our meetings are free and open to all, so bring a friend!

Grosse Pointe Audubon 443 St. Clair Grosse Pointe, MI 48230