Chickadee Christmas at Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary

Chickadee Christmas - Lake Bluff
Event Time: December 5, 2009

Additional Info
Don't miss this winter's Chickadee Christmas at the Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary. The fun filled event will take place from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Decemeber 5th. Take part in guided nature walks around the property, make a bird feeder from pine cones, or place a bid on an evergreen wreath or other items during the silent auction. Work of local wildlife artists will be on display and there will be homemade chocolates for sale.

Chickadee Christmas is part of Manistee's annual Victorian Sleighbell Parade and Old Christmas Weekend. For more information on that event and its numerous activities,visit the Manistee County Chamber of Commerce website at Manistee Chamber of Commerce. For more information on Chickadee Christmas contact Wendy Tatar.

Double Digit Sparrow Species Field Trip

On Saturday September 26 Brian Allen of the Manistee Audubon Society led a field trip of about 12 participants from Benzie Audubon and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy to the grasslands at the Arcadia Dunes Preserve along Keillor Rd. in Manistee County. The trip was billed as a concentration on migrating sparrows and the conditions of sunny skies and light winds made it a great day. We saw eleven species of sparrows including: Savannah, Song, Vesper, Swamp, Field, Chipping, Clay-colored, Lincoln's, Grasshopper, White-crowned, and White-throated. Other birds seen including fly-overs were Golden Plover, American Pipits, Lapland Longspurs, Orange-crowned Warbler, Palm Warblers, Sandhill Cranes, and a Harrier.

BA

Help Save Arcadia Marsh

Volunteers of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy Host Harvest Dinner
Benefit to raise needed funds to protect the Arcadia Marsh


(Traverse City, MI) – A group of dedicated community volunteers are hard at work cooking up a Harvest Dinner to support efforts of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy to protect the Arcadia Marsh. They’ve recruited volunteers, sponsors, donors of services, and have secured a dozen special items to auction at the event. Kristine Harvey, one of the organizers, states “this project is bringing together people who have some of the same loving thoughts towards the marsh. We are getting to know each other, and we are learning things from each other.”

Arcadia Marsh is located at the mouth of Bowens Creek and drains into Lake Arcadia. The health and viability of Arcadia Marsh has significant impacts on maintaining and improving the water quality of Lake Arcadia. “Fresh water estuaries like Arcadia Marsh have the second-most productive ecosystems per unit area—even more productive than tropical rainforest” says Chris Sullivan, Land Protection Specialist for Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, “We have a unique opportunity to purchase, restore, and create a nature preserve on 155 acres of the nearly 400-acre Arcadia Marsh.”

Since 1991, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has protected over 32,000 acres of significant natural, scenic, and farm lands and nearly 100 miles of irreplaceable shoreline in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Manistee counties. As part of their ongoing commitment to protecting the Lake Michigan Coast, the Conservancy has protected over ¼ of the approximately 16,000 acre Lake Arcadia Watershed, mostly within the Arcadia Dunes project,which protects the northern headwaters area.

The Harvest Dinner will be held Saturday, October 10th, at 6:00 p.m. at Camp Arcadia,
3046 Oak Street, Arcadia. Tickets are $100, and only 200 tickets will be sold. Chef Kurt Harvey is "planning to prepare pot roast using beef supplied by Rice Farm, roasted and steamed vegetables from Manistee and Benzie County, naturally-leavened bread from Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery, and a great deal of volunteer labor and love. Desserts will not disappoint. It will all add up to a fantastic meal for a great cause."

For information or to purchase tickets, visit the Conservancy’s website: www.gtrlc.org or call them at 231-929-7911. Tickets are also available at Camp Arcadia, 231-889-4361.

'Migration' open house at Lake Bluff

On Saturday, Sep 12 there will be hikes in morning and afternoon with experienced birders, a hot dog lunch and exhibits/lierature from local and regional environmental angencies and organizations.

Audubon August Meeting

Last night's program was sparsely attended (only 8 attendees) but was excellent nonetheless as Mark Mantych discussed the work of Manistee's Ducks Unlimited work. Most of Mark's program consisted of answering questions from the group regarding work on the Manistee Marsh, Arcadia Marsh, landowner wetland conservation and waterfowl migration.

It was a great evening to hear about the history of the Manistee River delta and all the changes resulting from Lake Michigan water levels, the changes in the Tippy Dam outflow, and the impact of Mute Swans and increasing Canada Geese populations. From Mark's work and efforts of Ducks Unlimited, the DNR, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy it looks like the Manistee and Arcadia Marsh lands may again be productive for everything from turtles to Black Terns, Green-winged Teal and River Otters.

It was fascinating hearing about the vast migrations of waterfowl on Lake Michigan including sightings of the eider pictured above and the movements of ducks determined by the full moon.

Serrania de las Quinchas

Manistee/Benzie Audubon Conservation project: Serrania de las Quinchas in Colombia South America.

For an update on our project see

http://www.worldlandtrust-us.org/index.php?page=magdalena_rainforest

Phoebe on North Manitou island

My wife, granddaughter and I spent several days on North Manitou Island helping to monitor the piping plover nesting area.

During free time we explored what we could of the island. The plover area is remote and not connected to any trails but we did locate a spur trail to the old Bournique homestead. Up under the roof of the rear porch was a ball of grass with several hungry mouths popping out of it. Then something flew by in an excited blurr and landed on a nearby out building. It was this concerned Eastern Phoebe. Amazingly, I got a decent foto before it buzzed me again! We also noted many cedar waxwings.

North Manitou is part of Sleep Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and is managed as a wilderness and will give anyone a good feel for what that means. You'll need a permit to backpack/camp but it's well worth with. -Rich Krieger/ Lake Bluff