Here's the line up for our winter 2014 meetings.
Jan. 27 -- Madagascar — The Eighth Continent. Madagascar’s flora and fauna are so different from anywhere else on Earth that it is often referred to as the eighth continent. Join Rosann Kovalcik as she takes us on her photographic journey across this strange and wonderful island.
Feb. 24 -- The Michigan Natural Features Inventory — Biodiversity Information for Decision Makers. Brian Klatt, director of the MNFI, will be here to tell us how the organization’s mission of biodiversity monitoring, conservation research, and educational outreach helps decision makers conserve Michigan's natural heritage.
March 17 -- Restoring the Rouge River Watershed. Sally Petrella presents a brief history of the Rouge River, its past and current challenges and restoration efforts, and will tell us how Friends of the Rouge is working to promote restoration and stewardship and how people can get involved.
Look for the winter newsletter soon!
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Grosse Pointe Audubon's Fall Schedule
Grosse Pointe Audubon will soon be back from our summer layoff. Here is our Fall 2013 schedule:
Sept. 16 -- Annie Crary: Exploring Saipan's Avifauna and Natural History
Oct. 21 -- Michelle Serrin: A Walk on the Wild Side: Native Plants I Have Known and Loved
Nov. 18 -- Bryn Martin: The Birds of Hawai’i
Grosse Pointe Audubon meets in the Annex behind Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church, 17150 Maumee in Grosse Pointe, Mich. Social hour starts at 7 p.m., and the meetings start promptly at 7:30. All meetings are free and open to the public, and you do not have to be a member to attend.
Come back soon for the fall newsletter.
Sept. 16 -- Annie Crary: Exploring Saipan's Avifauna and Natural History
Oct. 21 -- Michelle Serrin: A Walk on the Wild Side: Native Plants I Have Known and Loved
Nov. 18 -- Bryn Martin: The Birds of Hawai’i
Grosse Pointe Audubon meets in the Annex behind Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church, 17150 Maumee in Grosse Pointe, Mich. Social hour starts at 7 p.m., and the meetings start promptly at 7:30. All meetings are free and open to the public, and you do not have to be a member to attend.
Come back soon for the fall newsletter.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
A Swift Night Out
As fall migration grows near, the Driftwood Wildlife Association is again asking for volunteers to monitor chimney swift communal roosts.
Here is how it works: Between now and Aug. 9-11, keep your eyes to the skies at dusk and watch for areas where swifts are feeding. Look for a tall shaft, chimney or similar structure to locate where Chimney Swifts go to roost at sunset.
On one night over the weekend of August 9-11, observe the roosting site starting about 30 minutes before sunset and estimate the number of swifts that enter. When you have your number, email the Driftwood Wildlife Association at kyle@chimneyswifts.org with your results. Your observations will be posted on www.ChimneySwifts.org.
Grosse Pointe Audubon President Bill Rapai annually monitors two roosting sites--Maire Elementary School and the Grosse Pointe school administration building. All other sites in the Pointes are available, including a large chimney swift roost at the Punch and Judy Building on Kercheval in Grosse Pointe Farms. A few minutes of your time will be helpful in monitoring this species of special concern!
Here is how it works: Between now and Aug. 9-11, keep your eyes to the skies at dusk and watch for areas where swifts are feeding. Look for a tall shaft, chimney or similar structure to locate where Chimney Swifts go to roost at sunset.
On one night over the weekend of August 9-11, observe the roosting site starting about 30 minutes before sunset and estimate the number of swifts that enter. When you have your number, email the Driftwood Wildlife Association at kyle@chimneyswifts.org with your results. Your observations will be posted on www.ChimneySwifts.org.
Grosse Pointe Audubon President Bill Rapai annually monitors two roosting sites--Maire Elementary School and the Grosse Pointe school administration building. All other sites in the Pointes are available, including a large chimney swift roost at the Punch and Judy Building on Kercheval in Grosse Pointe Farms. A few minutes of your time will be helpful in monitoring this species of special concern!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Results of the 2013 Grosse Pointe Birding Challenge
For the fifth straight year, the Grosse Pointe Woods team has won the annual Grosse Pointe Birding Challenge.
The competition, which was held May 20, pits teams from the Grosse Pointes in a seven-hour race to find as many bird species as possible between 5 a.m. and noon in their respective communities. At noon, all teams gather to tabulate results, declare a winner and swap stories of the day. Each team reports their sightings on the honor system. The Challenge has become a fun spring tradition for members of Grosse Pointe Audubon. The event is held in the spring because of the tremendous variety of birds that migrate through our community this time of year.
The Woods team won the Challenge by seeing 77 species of birds. The Grosse Pointe Farms team finished second with 55 species. The Grosse Pointe team finished third with 49 species, and the Grosse Pointe Park team finished fourth with 48 species. Each team received one point for each species they saw, and five points for the year’s “Bonus Bird,” which was the Warbling Vireo.
Both the number of individuals and number of species were up considerably from the previous year. In 2012, the Woods team saw only 67 species. In 2013, the teams combined to see 91 species, including 19 species of warblers. Participants in the birding challenge were in agreement that the warblers are behind schedule in migration because of the cold spring.
The Woods team of Rosann Kovalcik and Annie Crary started the day finding Common Nighthawk calling from their nesting site on the roof of nearby Ferry Elementary. They also picked up another nocturnal bird—an Eastern Screech-Owl roosting in the thick ivy growing on the side of a private residence. The team also birded the grounds of the Lochmoor Club, Lake Front Park and Ghesquiere Park.
Mark O’Keefe, the lone member of the Grosse Pointe Farms team, birded the Country Club of Detroit, the Piney Woods and Pier Park and found 55 species, including a Black-billed Cuckoo. Golden-winged Warbler was the best bird of the day for the Grosse Pointe Park team of Mike and Judy Florian and Trina Bresser Matous. They spent the majority of their morning birding Patterson Park.
Bill Rapai, the lone member of the Grosse Pointe City team, found a Green Heron and Eastern Screech-Owl near Neff Park and a Common Nighthawk calling from the sky over The Village.
More information about the challenge and Grosse Pointe Audubon can be found at the organization’s website, gpaudubon.blogspot.com.
The competition, which was held May 20, pits teams from the Grosse Pointes in a seven-hour race to find as many bird species as possible between 5 a.m. and noon in their respective communities. At noon, all teams gather to tabulate results, declare a winner and swap stories of the day. Each team reports their sightings on the honor system. The Challenge has become a fun spring tradition for members of Grosse Pointe Audubon. The event is held in the spring because of the tremendous variety of birds that migrate through our community this time of year.
The Woods team won the Challenge by seeing 77 species of birds. The Grosse Pointe Farms team finished second with 55 species. The Grosse Pointe team finished third with 49 species, and the Grosse Pointe Park team finished fourth with 48 species. Each team received one point for each species they saw, and five points for the year’s “Bonus Bird,” which was the Warbling Vireo.
Both the number of individuals and number of species were up considerably from the previous year. In 2012, the Woods team saw only 67 species. In 2013, the teams combined to see 91 species, including 19 species of warblers. Participants in the birding challenge were in agreement that the warblers are behind schedule in migration because of the cold spring.
The Woods team of Rosann Kovalcik and Annie Crary started the day finding Common Nighthawk calling from their nesting site on the roof of nearby Ferry Elementary. They also picked up another nocturnal bird—an Eastern Screech-Owl roosting in the thick ivy growing on the side of a private residence. The team also birded the grounds of the Lochmoor Club, Lake Front Park and Ghesquiere Park.
Mark O’Keefe, the lone member of the Grosse Pointe Farms team, birded the Country Club of Detroit, the Piney Woods and Pier Park and found 55 species, including a Black-billed Cuckoo. Golden-winged Warbler was the best bird of the day for the Grosse Pointe Park team of Mike and Judy Florian and Trina Bresser Matous. They spent the majority of their morning birding Patterson Park.
Bill Rapai, the lone member of the Grosse Pointe City team, found a Green Heron and Eastern Screech-Owl near Neff Park and a Common Nighthawk calling from the sky over The Village.
More information about the challenge and Grosse Pointe Audubon can be found at the organization’s website, gpaudubon.blogspot.com.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
References for natural plant phenotypes
Our March 18 meeting with John DeLisle of Southeast Michigan Chapter of Wild Ones was a great success. However, many people wanted the list of references that DeLisle posted at the end of his presentation.
Here are the references DeLisle cited:
Nursery catalogs: Prairie Nursery, www.prairienursery.com
Native Connections, www.nativeconnections.net
Packard Stephen, and Cornelia Mutel, eds. 1997. The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook for Prairies, Savannas, and Woodlands. This book is the bible of restorationists, but it's accessible to beginners.
Prairies and Savannas of Michigan, Cohen, et.al
WOODLANDS
Darke, Rick. 2002. The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest
WETLANDS
Cwikiel, Wilfred. 1996. Living with Michigan's Wetlands: A Landowner's Guide.
WILDLIFE
Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy and Birdscaping for the Midwest, by Mariette Nowak.
Resources on the web
How to:
Restoringthelandscape.com
Michigan Native Plant Producers: http://www.mnppa.org
Michigan Butterfly Association: sembabutterfly.com
Detroit Audubon: http://detroitaudubon.org/media/landscaping-for_birds.pdf
Rain gardens -- SOCWA: http://www.socwa.org/documents/nature/RainGardenBrochure'09.pdf
Native Plants at Home: Wildones.org
Michigan Natural Features Inventory: mnfi.anr.msu.edu
Native Plant Profiles, University of Michigan Herbarium: wildflower.org or michiganflora.net
Native Plants for Pollinators, Ecosystem System Services and Sustainable Sites: native plants.msu.edu
Let's spread the word about the benefits of planting natives!
Here are the references DeLisle cited:
Nursery catalogs: Prairie Nursery, www.prairienursery.com
Native Connections, www.nativeconnections.net
Packard Stephen, and Cornelia Mutel, eds. 1997. The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook for Prairies, Savannas, and Woodlands. This book is the bible of restorationists, but it's accessible to beginners.
Prairies and Savannas of Michigan, Cohen, et.al
WOODLANDS
Darke, Rick. 2002. The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest
WETLANDS
Cwikiel, Wilfred. 1996. Living with Michigan's Wetlands: A Landowner's Guide.
WILDLIFE
Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy and Birdscaping for the Midwest, by Mariette Nowak.
Resources on the web
How to:
Restoringthelandscape.com
Michigan Native Plant Producers: http://www.mnppa.org
Michigan Butterfly Association: sembabutterfly.com
Detroit Audubon: http://detroitaudubon.org/media/landscaping-for_birds.pdf
Rain gardens -- SOCWA: http://www.socwa.org/documents/nature/RainGardenBrochure'09.pdf
Native Plants at Home: Wildones.org
Michigan Natural Features Inventory: mnfi.anr.msu.edu
Native Plant Profiles, University of Michigan Herbarium: wildflower.org or michiganflora.net
Native Plants for Pollinators, Ecosystem System Services and Sustainable Sites: native plants.msu.edu
Let's spread the word about the benefits of planting natives!
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