The date for the May meeting was originally May 7th, 2025. It was moved to May 13, 2025 due to the unexpected cancellation of the Spring Birding Festival at Tawas Point.
Meeting Information: Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at 5:00 pm, Oscoda Baptist Church 5589 N. US Hwy. 23, Oscoda, Michigan 48750. Pre-Meet for birding with Bill Roth at 3:00 pm at Riverbank Park in Oscoda. This meeting is a Potluck with business meeting and elections. Reminder: bring dinnerware, plate, utensils and a dish to pass.
Hope to see you there.
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AuSable Valley Audubon honored Peggy Ridgeway for 50 years participation in the Christmas Bird Count and 28 years of leadership with the Great Back Yard Bird Count. Her dedication is admired and she is an inspiration to many. Whole-Hearted Congratulations and thanks to Peggy for leadership through the years.
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The 28th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will take place February 14-17. Residents of Iosco and Alcona counties will have an opportunity to submit valuable data to researchers about the numbers and various species of birds located in these regions prior to the massive spring global migrations.
Sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, Birds Canada, and Wild Birds Unlimited, the event is open to anyone. Observers may count one or all four days for at least 15 minutes each day. Participants may tally birds visiting their feeders, in their neighborhoods, woodland area, or along water spaces. New totals are requested for each day or area. Results are then submitted online to bird count.org. Easy to follow instructions guide the observer through the submission process. Help knowing the birds found in your area, or the ability to identify various avian sounds are also valuable clues. When submitting names, just check those possibilities pre-listed online in your area. It’s simple !
“With the aid of modern technology and an increasing number of professional and amateur participants reporting online, scientists are now able to get a quick snapshot of where the various species are located, plus the population status of each prior to the massive movements to spring and summer breeding grounds,” added Peggy Ridgway , local ambassador for this world wide event. Many avians travel thousands of miles to reach nesting grounds which may take two or three months for some.
Therefore, it’s not uncommon for many to begin the journey at the end of February, so that’s why the timing of the GBBC is crucial. Hundreds will also travel in the calm of night when air currents are steadier, temperatures more even, and predators less prevalent.
An online webinar will be held on Thursday, February 6th at 7:00 pm and again on February 12th at 3:00 pm to further explain participation in this event and answer any questions viewers may have. Log onto birdcount.org to register.
During the 2024 annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) a rare winter sighting of a yellow throated warbler (see photo) was documented at a suet feeder in the Oscoda area. Recently is has been observed in Tawas and seems to be moving south. So keep your eyes open for this unusual visitor! Also, be on the lookout for cedar waxwings, as their numbers here are way down this winter.
With over 200 countries participating, we can truly get a bird’s eye view of the populations and locations of the over 11, 000 species that inhabit this earth, and your corner of the globe counts!
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We are sad to inform that the May Bird Migration event is cancelled. Tawas Point State Park is under construction, including the parking lots and the roads leading into the park. If you plan to bird independently, you may want to check the status of the park before you make the trip. See you in 2026.
Their contact information: Tawas Point State Park, (989) 362-5041, Michigandnr.com
The annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) began in 1900. It is an annual winter census of birds across the Western hemisphere. This bird survey is one of the two largest long-term data sets used to estimate bird population trends.
This event is a great chance to meet others and share your bird watching skills or learn more from experienced birders. The AuSable Valley Audubon coordinates two “circles” and we will be out counting birds on Wednesday the 18th and Saturday the 21st.
TAWAS: Christmas bird count is December 18th for the Tawas Circle. The Group will meet at Big Boy at 7:00 am, and at the Lodge for lunch at 12:30.
OSCODA: Christmas bird count is December 21st for Oscoda. Group will meet at Mama’s Kitchen at 7:00 am and at Taits Bill of Fare for lunch at 12:30.
If you want to participate, call Larry VanWagoner at 989-701-5470 to sign up.
More information can be found on our webpage under “initiatives“
This review was provided by AVA Member, Ed Davis, who is also President of the Friends of the Parks Library.
WHEN CULTURES CLASHED
By Ed Davis
Rack it up to being in the right place at the right time. I’m a member of AuSable Valley Audubon, and as a recent AVA program was ending, someone at our table happened to mention that a meet-the-author event co-sponsored by the District Library and featuring an endangered species biologist was scheduled for two days later at the Iosco County Historical Museum. Being an incurable book lover who enjoys meet-the-author events, that caught my attention. Then too, the program sounded like a chance to learn about Michigan wildlife, another interest of mine. I juggled my calendar and made arrangements to attend.
I’m glad I did. Manoomin, The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan by Barbara Barton, is the little-known history of the aquatic plant revered by the Anishinaabek which was nearly destroyed by non-indigenous people, especially loggers and industrialists. Barton’s book travels through time, beginning with the pre-Columbian period, into European colonization plus American settlement, and concludes with recent attempts to protect and restore Manoomin. Along the way, she discusses various rice beds that once existed in Michigan and why so many of the wetlands where the sacred plant grew were degraded and even eliminated.
Beds of wild rice limited farming, slowed transportation, impeded logging, and compromised aesthetics. Beginning in the 19th century, lakes were drained (such as the ironically named Rice Lake in Newago County), ditches dug, and dams built. For several decades, in a misguided attempt to combat malaria, kerosene was dumped into waterways. The fact that the ties of the Asishinaabek to creation, spiritual as well as material, were being destroyed rarely mattered. It was only years later that the descendants of the non-indigenous settlers began to recognize the consequences of earlier actions.
Barton’s presentation at the Historical Museum was especially poignant because she made clear that Michigan’s non-indigenous settlers, though not bad people, simply viewed Manoomin as a block to “progress.” For the Anishinaabek, wild rice was a life-sustaining food and a revered connection to the land. For the settlers, it was a problem to be solved.
Barton’s book, the first of its kind, won a 2018 Michigan History Award in the University Press category, and her heartfelt presentation at the Historical Museum was both unsettling and enlightening. As an Iosco County resident, it was interesting to learn that the Manoomin on Tawas Lake (which I previously thought of as simply a big weed) is the largest remaining bed in Michigan. Barton closed her talk by noting that tribal and nontribal people have joined in common cause more and more in recent years to protect Manoomin. Knowing what I do now—following the tipoff by an AVA member– I can understand why..
On October 20, 2024, AuSable Valley Audubon hosted an owl calling campfire for members. In general, interactions with our wild feathered friends helps strengthen our resolve towards conservation of their habitat; it reminds us of ‘who’ we represent in our stewardship activities.
Fifteen members participated in this light-hearted and fun evening. The evening was a bit breezy, which is not great for owl calling. Three members at the fire heard a “hoo,” which may have been from a Great Horned Owl. Usually if a large predator is around smaller birds won’t call so it is likely we had a Great Horned Owl watching us. Otherwise, the night was quiet.
Notable outcomes:
Strengthening of friendship/camaraderie
Demonstration of ethical owl calling by an expert
Good food (thank you to Dawn H. for the delicious scotcharoos)
Clear sky – we watched a ladder type satellite fly over
It is worthwhile to mention the ethics of bird calling. As with all recreational activities, there are right and wrong ways to engage because wildlife harassment needs to be avoided. If you are not familiar with ethical bird calling, then consider going with a group that is led by a guide or an expert. It is especially important to learn from an expert because bird calling should not be done under the following conditions:
During breeding season, because it can disrupt courtship
When birds are rearing and raising young, so the birds can focus on their offspring (especially woodpeckers)
For threatened or endangered birds
For rare birds that are somewhat celebrities (like snowy owls)
Loud calling can scare the birds — so call quietly
Frequency, no need to keep calling if no response; birds can hear from far away so be patient after the call
Keep your speaker away from the group for good viewing and safety, some individual birds can be aggressive towards a speaker
What a perfect evening. Thank you to everyone that participated. Since the group consensus was a very positive experience, this could be the first of an annual event.
