Just A Chirp

Grosse Pointe Audubon Winter 2010

Hunters of the Sky

When was the last time
you saw a hawk or an owl
from just a few feet away?
Prepare to be amazed, as well
as educated, when Grosse
Pointe Audubon and the
Grosse Pointe War Memorial
present the program
“Hunters of the Sky” at 10
a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6.
Francie Krawcke, a raptor
specialist with the Leslie
Science Center in Ann Arbor,
will explain how these birds
live in a way that non-birders
can understand, while sharing A Cooper’s Hawk
tales that reveal aspects of even though this is intended This is the third time
their behavior that even bird as a children’s program, adults Grosse Pointe Audubon has
experts may not know. And should enjoy it, too. See Winter, Page 2

Winter/Spring Schedule
Jan. 25—Richard Wolinski, a wildlife ecologist for the State of Michigan, will present “Purple Martin
Life History and Managing Purple Martin Colonies.”
Feb. 22— “The Uncommon Loon.” Jeff Lange filmed and produced a film that follows a northern
Michigan loon family throughout the nesting season. Jeff will visit us all the way from Petoskey to
narrate the film and answer questions afterward.
March 15—Mike Fitzpatrick, a member of the board of directors of the Upper Peninsula’s
Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, will present “A Closer Look at Whitefish Point.”
April 19—Pamela Rasmussen, assistant curator of mammals and ornithology at Michigan State
University Museum. The title of this program is to be announced, but this will be a don’t-miss
presentation. Rasmussen is a heavyweight in the world of ornithology, having co-authored the
most authoritative book on the birds of southeast Asia. Rasmussen is also considered a top sleuth
in the world of ornithology after helping to expose the British ornithologist Richard
Meinertzhagen as a fraud. This will also be our annual meeting.
May 8—Our annual field trip to Seven Ponds Nature Center.

PAGE 1
 Winter, continued from Page 1
presented a children’s program at the War
Memorial, and the first two times it has been a
big success. Get there early!
MiBCI seeks sponsors
The Michigan Bird Conservation Initiative
is seeking sponsors for its 2010 Ornithological
Congress, which will be held April 7-10 in
Petoskey. The organization is seeking
sponsorships to pay the travel costs of speakers
and pay for the registration fees of college and
high school students who want to attend.
Grosse Pointe Audubon is a member of
MiBCI, and I’ve attended two of their
previous meetings. Grosse Pointe Audubon is
also active in MiBCI’s initiative to create
birding and wildlife viewing trails in Michigan.
For more information about sponsorship
opportunities, contact MiBCI chair Keith
Harrison at pcinc@prodigy.net or 517-694-9394.
MAS Trip to Texas
Join Michigan Audubon on a week-long
birding tour of south Texas, Dec. 28, 2010 -
Jan. 3, 2011. The trip will be led by Michigan
Audubon guide Skye Haas, who will be looking
for a wide variety of birds ranging from
wintering water birds along the coast to Rio
Grande sub-tropical specialty birds that are
typically only found north of the border in
south Texas. Expect to see more than 200
species. For more information, contact Wendy
Tatar at 517-886-9144.
Bird Walks at the Ford House
Bird walks are scheduled for Jan. 16, Feb.
20 and March 20. As usual, there is a $7 per
person fee, and you will need to call
313-884-4222 to register in advance. All walks
start at 7:30 a.m.
Grosse Pointe Birding Challenge
Join the team from your town in the annual
contest to see who can find the most species of
birds in one morning. This year’s challenge will
be held on Saturday, April 24. See the spring
newsletter for official rules.
Annual field trip to Seven Ponds
While we’re looking ahead to spring, plan
now to attend our annual field trip to Seven
Ponds Nature Center on Saturday, May 8.
Director Mike Champagne is looking forward
to showing us the center’s new Schemm-Naish
Interpretive Building. The building is partially
named after Grosse Pointe Audubon member
Patty Schemm, who along with her late
husband, gave much of the land to start Seven
Ponds.
We will be counting birds for the annual
North America Migratory Count that day, and,
frankly, we need your help. Lapeer County has
come in dead last of all the counties that have
been covered the past two years. And although
this is not a competition, it’s clear to me that
there are far more birds in Lapeer County than
we’ve had a chance to count in the past.
Even if you don’t feel like walking the trails to
look for birds, come to see the new building
and watch the birds come and go from the
feeders right outside the windows. Let’s show
our continued support for Seven Ponds by
having a big turnout this year!
Evidence of beaver at the Ford House
While birding at the Ford House in the fall,
I found a medium-sized tree that I believe had
been gnawed on by a
beaver! I know it’s
tough to tell, but the
photo to the right
shows teeth marks on a
tree trunk. Beavers
haven’t been seen in
Detroit for more than a
century before one was
seen on Connors Creek
in early 2009.
--Bill Rapai,
president
PAGE 2
 Seven Ponds Nature Center
Call (810) 796-3200 for more information or to
register for programs.
Sunday, Jan. 10, 2:00 p.m. -- A Berry Good Year.
It is a bountiful year for berries. Let’s find and
discover just how these berries are used by
animals and humans alike.
Saturday, Jan. 16, 1:00 p.m. -- Winter Blues Craft
Day. Come to the nature center and chase away
the winter blues with an afternoon of crafts and
candle making.
Saturday, Jan. 23, 8:00 a.m. -- Snow Birds.
Travel some of the back roads adjacent to the
nature center in search of winter birds. We’ll
see the common winter residents and look for
less common species such as eastern bluebird,
winter wren, robin, and golden-crowned kinglet.
We will also hope to see some birds that are
not regular winter visitors, including common
redpoll, grosbeaks, northern shrike, and rough-
legged hawk. Dress for the weather, some
participants may be asked to drive. Fee: $3.00
per person (members free).
Sunday, Jan. 24, 2:00 p.m. -- Winter Wetlands.
Traveling through several wetlands, we will
discuss who lives there and how they survive
under all that ice!
Saturday, Jan. 30, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. --
Winterfest. Join us for our annual good old
fashioned winter fun day. Included is ice cutting
and snowshoe lacing demonstrations, mammal
tracking, snowshoe walks, children’s crafts, cross
country skiing, and ice skating. Bring a t-shirt,
sweatshirt, or pillowcase to decorate with
animal tracks. Includes lunch of a hot dog, chips,
and hot chocolate. Bring your skates and cross
country skis or try out the center’s snowshoes.
In case of snow and/or ice shortage, alternate
activities will be planned. Please sign in and get
stamped upon arrival.
Saturdays, Feb. 6, 13, & 20 -- Snowshoe Making
Workshop. 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. In this three-
session workshop, participants will each make a
pair of Huron-style snowshoes for hiking
through deep snow or hanging over the
fireplace. Participants will receive the
snowshoes in kit form and will be guided
through the process of lacing the sections,
finishing the snowshoes, and attaching bindings.
Along the way, we’ll learn about the different
types of snowshoes and their long history. Fee
includes snowshoe frames, lacing, bindings, and
all instructions. The workshop is limited to 10
participants. Pre-registration is required. Fee:
$150.00 ($140.00 member).
Saturday, Feb. 13, 10:00 a.m. -- X-Country Ski
Tour of the Trails. Bring your skis and glide the
trails looking for signs of winter animals with
naturalist Lois Rheaume.
Sunday, Feb. 21, 2 p.m. -- Natural Resources of
the Woodlands Indians. The Native American
people who historically lived in Michigan
harvested everything they needed for survival
from their surrounding woods, prairies, and
wetlands. Naturalist Lois Rheaume will display
some of the center’s artifacts and replicated
tools, materials for clothing, food items and
many other necessary elements for living off the
land.
Sunday, Feb. 28, 2 p.m. -- Orchids of Michigan.
Come learn what makes orchids unique in the
flowering plant world with Don Drife. This talk
will highlight the diversity of orchid species that
occur in Michigan. This program will chase away
the winter while you look at and learn about
some of the most beautiful and diverse plants
found on this planet.
PAGE 3
JUST A CHIRP

AUTUMN 2009

About Grosse Pointe Audubon

President -- Bill Rapai, president, (313) 885-6502 or BRapai@aol.com
Sylvia Sanders, vice president, (313) 886-0869
Mark O’Keefe, treasurer, (313) 884-7472 or Birds891357@aol.com
Joanna Pease, representative to Seven Ponds Nature Center, strixvaria@sbcglobal.net
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