Birds and Nature Photography Workshop

Nine fortunate people signed up and attended Bob Paetchows's Birds and Nature photography workshop this last Saturday at the Lake Bluff Audubon Center. This was during a very snowy day and some of us had to plow through deep drifts to make it but it was worth it.

In addition to learning about all the settings on the digital cameras and techniques to get great bird shots we had a practice session taking advantage of the audubon center's excellent feeders to get photos like the Carolina Wren pictured here. The birds were cooperative and we were able to photograph Cardinals, Hairy and Downy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Chickadee, Tree Sparrow, Junco, and Blue Jays in addition to the Wren. Thanks for the great program Bob. Stay tuned here for the next workshop.

We Survived. That was the consensus for the field counters on Manistee's Christmas Bird Count. With temperatures in the teens and winds at 30mph along with snow squalls it was much more pleasant for those that sat inside and watched their feeders. No wonder the feeder counters did so well seeing a total of 31 of our 66 species. Good birds at the feeders were Carol Pasco's White-throated Sparrow Gloria Savory's Eastern Towhee
along with Rich Krieger's Carolina Wren at the Lake Bluff Audubon Center and Sharon Taylor's Evening Grosbeak, a bird that used to be common here but has declined supposably due to spruce budworm spraying control in the Canadian boreal forests.

Highlights for field counters were newcomer Chris Lipps's Lesser Black-backed Gull
Don Stroup and Kurt Schindler'sRed-headed Woodpecker and Tim Granger's Northern Harrier. Common Snipe is now almost an annual bird on the count but Brian Allen now greatly appreciates the effort Carl Freeman goes to to find them in the marshes at the east end of Portage Lake.

This was a down year for Red-breasted Nuthatch (4) and most ducks as we only had 10 species due to the complete freeze of Portage Lake and Manistee Lake. Barred Owl was the only owl out, as we could not do effective owling in the gale force winds.

See the link on the National Christmas Bird Counts on the right side of this blog to see our 2011 results.

Next year can only be better, thanks again to all that helped!

CHICKADEE CHRISTMAS at Lake Bluff

Join us Saturday December 4th for Chickadee Christmas:
Michigan Audubon gift & bookstore...buy some presents!
Local artist Carl Freeman...purchase an outstanding watercolor or print!
Nature photog Bob Paetschow...pick-up a great bird or butterfly picture!
Chocolate items for sale...homemade brownies and more :)!
Kids origami crafts....make a paper crane or swan!
Silent auction...unique items, something for everyone!
Michigan Loon Preservation Association meeting...public welcome!
Manistee Audubon president Brian Allen and other birders on hand, answer questions, leading forays into the yard.

10am to 2pm at the Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary, 2890 Lakeshore Rd, Manistee, 231-723-4042
[0.5 mile north of Orchard Beach State Park]

December Meeting!!

Manistee Audubon & Spirit of the Woods Conservation Club
Joint Christmas Meeting
Wednesday, Dec 8, 2010, 7pm at the Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary, 2890 Lakeshore Road, Manistee, 723-4042.

Program: A YEAR IN ALASKA. Join Jeff Pullen, Planning and Resources Staff Officer for the Huron-Manistee National Forest, for an exploration of the 49th State, Alaska. He’ll take us up the Inland Waterway by ferry, along the Alaska Highway, to the state capi-tol, Juneau, and nearby Mendenhall Glacier. We’ll foray inland along old gold-miners’ paths over frigid passes, and experience fascinating views, historic cabins, fish, eagles, bears, moose and other intriguing wildlife in the Land of the Midnight Sun.Join us for an exciting view of our largest state through a naturalist visitor’s eyes, as Jeff shares his family’s year living in Alaska.
Public Welcome. Refreshments.

Programs for Fall 2010..

Green Point Nature Area looking south towards Manistee County.


Programs located at Lake Bluff unless noted otherwise.
Call Sanctuary at 231.723.4042 for more info.


Aug. 21 Butterfly Hike program 2:30-4pm

Sept. 7-10 Migration Week. Sanctuary tours, bookstore open to 9pm, film screenings, hikes.

Sept. 8. Manistee Audubon Meeting 7PM. Program Native Plants given by Plant-It-Wild.

Sept. 11 Migration Celebration. 9am - 2pm. Displays, programs, kike, free lunch.

Sept. 25 Fall Mushrooms, program 9-11 am.

Sept. 25 Second option! Fall migrants at the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy grassland preserve near Arcadia in Manistee County. Join members of the conservancy and Benzie Audubon for this joint field trip to explore the grasslands a unique Michigan preserve. Meet at 8am at the kiosk and parking area on Keillor Rd. about 1 mile north of Glovers' Lake Rd. between US 31 and Arcadia.

Oct. 13 Manistee Audubon, 7PM Film: Hummingbirds.

Oct. 23-24 Trail Maintenance Workshop inManiste National Forest. Requires pre-registration.

Nov. 6 Gull Identification Program.

Nov. 10 Manistee Audubon , 7pm . Program Soils. Annual Potluck Dinner and elections of officers.

Nov. 20. Basics of Bird Feeding program 10-11:30.

Shorebird Field Trip

photo by Barb Graf

Shorebird Trip

A field trip for anyone interested in seeing shorebird migration is set for Saturday morning August 7, 2010. Meet at the First St. Beach parking lot in Manistee at 8:00 AM. We will check the beach and pier for shorebirds then carpool to the Ludington Waste Water Treatment Facility, one of the better shorebird sites in Michigan, and return to Manistee about noon. If anyone is interested we may be able to finish up at the new Onekama Waste Ponds if it isn't too warm by then. Please call me at 231-510-9380 and leave a message if you are interested.

June Audubon Program, Butterflies with Steve Mueller

Karner Blue Butterfly, an endangered Michigan specie.

Ranger Steve Mueller, consummate naturalist,park ranger,consultant and researcher will present a program on butterflies Wednesday, June 9, 7pm at the Lake Bluff Audubon Center, 2890 Lakeshore Rd., Manistee. Mueller, current president of the West Michigan Butterfly Association and a Michigan Audubon Board mamber, is the discoverer of a new specie of moth and a nationwide traveler. His enthusiasm for the outdoor world is infectuous and his programs are always spell binding. For more information call the center at 723-4042 or email lakebluff@michiganaudubon.org .