AuSable Valley Audubon

Black Tern

One of the summer field trips that the AVA intended to host in July was a visit to Tawas Lake to try to view the Black Terns there. Unfortunately, the low lake level has prevented getting anywhere near them. Here is a brief description from AVA members Sue and Larry and a number of photos (click on any of them for a larger image) taken by them on their outing:

Recently,  Sue and I asked a friend who owns a pontoon boat to take us to the area in Tawas Lake  where most of the Black Terns seem to ‘hang out’.  We were investigating the possibility of offering a field trip for our Audubon members so they might observe the terns and learn about their behavior.

We’ve had to postpone the field trip till next spring because the water depth has become so shallow that even with only 4 people on the pontoon boat (we had 12 people tell us they wanted to attend this field trip) , it scraped bottom in many places along the way from our dock to the tern nesting area.

I took a lot of photos of the terns as we watched them. The photo quality isn’t great,  but the photos document interesting behavior.

The terns spent a lot of time flying low over the water, then diving to the surface, but rarely going beneath the water.  We speculated they were foraging, but what was the prey???? Minnows, bugs,????  The birds fly so fast.  They don’t allow close human observation, and it’s impossible to see what they’ve picked up with only our eyes.

Some of my photos offer possible answers to the question.  What do you think?  I’ve attached some photos of Black Terns w/o prey….Photos 1-4, and 6 as a ‘baseline’ from which to compare to the remaining photos. Photos 4, 7, 8 and 9 show terns with prey.

–  But Both Winners!

By Sue Duncan, AVA V-P

A rather chatty and ice cream satiated group left the Oscoda McDonald’s on Sunday, June 19, 2016 at 9:15 pm to head off to find Whip-poor-wills and other night birds.

Although the nearly full moon was beautiful, as were the warm temperatures, the ‘Whips” were not doing ‘fly by’ maneuvers.  They called a lot, a number of them, but nobody came to check out the strangers.  We made a good size group, too, 15 of us, including a new member and friend from Grand Haven.  (Wow!) Hermit Thrush, Night Hawks and some American Woodcocks, that did fly over, made up the birding tally. Lightening bugs were also fun to see flitting about!

Due to Larry bringing his scope, Jupiter and four of its moons as well at Mars and Saturn with its rings were also enjoyed. As Ed Davis said, “Finally, a bird I can hear!”

Next up – Black Terns of Tawas Lake, in July.

Let me know if you are interested! smdunc@charter.net, 989-362-2522.

This photo and caption was submitted by AVA member Jean Howard on June 1st. (Click on the photo for a larger view.)

Brown Thrasher nest
photo by Jean Howard

I just discovered this brown thrasher nest in the little pine tree just outside the window in my living room.  My book says it usually takes 12-13 days for incubation.

(sorry for the late posting)

Western Tanager
photo by Phil Odum used with permission

Article by Peggy Ridgway

For us birders, the massive spring movement of our feathered friends sends a buzz to our brains that we don’t experience at other seasons of the year!  These first few weeks of May are usually the highlight as we anticipate the arrival of species that have traveled thousands of miles to reach their breeding grounds. Many come from as far away as South America or even the Bahamas.   For some it’s a   stop, rest, and refuel before journeying on further north.   For others, Northern Michigan is their final destination and a time to set up territories , commence courtship, and raise young.

The kaleidoscope of color adorning the trees and even our backyard feeding stations is amazing.  Males in their bright bold breeding plumage create an artist’s palette beyond compare. Sweet song symphonies fill the air. Many of us recognize the signature sounds and significance of each note. Continue reading →

Bird Hide at E. Tawas city park

East Tawas City Park has a new addition; one birders can appreciate. It’s a bird hide. The bird hide was built by city employees at no cost to AVA. The hide is meant to disguise curious birders (and the public) as they search for waterfowl, and songbirds in or along the beach of Tawas Bay.  Note the viewing windows at different heights and angles in the photos.

AuSable Valley Audubon board members have been supportive of this project since its inception by writing a letter of support for the grant that helped purchase the land  and offering advice and opinions on the construction and design of the hide.

Of special interest is the extended part on one end. This extension allows a wheelchair to pull-up flush to the inside viewing area and still have room for the person’s legs and the chair.

Stop by and give the hide a try! It is directly across from the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on US 23 in East Tawas. Look for the duck tracks inside, too!

Bird Hide interior

Click on the photos for a larger view.

Several members of AVA and a representative from Ducks Unlimited gathered on Jan. 7 to say farewell to U.S. Forest Service biologist Paul Thompson.

Paul will be leaving the headquarters in Oscoda and transferring to the Cadillac field office. He will continue his biologist position, but will shift his focus from Kirtland’s Warbler to the Great Lakes Piping Plover and other endangered species.

For the past eight years, Paul has led the Kirtland’s Warbler field trips
during the Tawas Point Birding Festival. His expertise and fine presentations were appreciated by all.

Paul also assisted AVA on numerous other projects and he will be missed by all.

Sharp-shinned Hawk with Mourning Dove

Sharp-shinned Hawk with Mourning Dove

Here are a couple of photos submitted by AVA member Patsy Mortimer. She stated that they are of: “A juvenile sharp-shinned hawk nabbed a mourning dove at our feeder in Hale Jan. 17.”

Not all birds eat seeds, but all birds need to eat. Click on the pictures for a larger view.

One of the announcements made during the January  AVA membership meeting was of an upcoming informational talk about the Great Backyard Bird Count.

The meeting will be held on February 3rd in Oscoda at the Robert J. Parks Library on Skeel Avenue. The meeting will be held from 1-3 PM.

Check out this opportunity for some background and information on how you can participate. The Great Backyard Bird Count will occur on February 12-15 this year.

Our AVA meeting hosted one of the rangers from Tawas Point State Park, Micah Jordan as speaker. He spoke to a number of infrastructure upgrades scheduled to begin at the Tawas State Dock in downtown east Tawas. This is a three phase project, with phase one to begin within the next few months. The number of boat slips will be greatly enhanced by the end of all the phases.

Micah also spoke to the planned decommission of the Tawas Point lighthouse light and what is in process to keep the Fresnel lens at the lighthouse in a historical setting. He also answered some questions from the meeting floor about the proposed replacement light mast at the tip of the point near the current foghorn location. We wish to thank the staff of the Tawas Point State Park for providing us the speaker and this information.

Updates from members were also presented about the Christmas bird count which recently completed and some teaser information about the May Tawas Point Birding Festival. There was also a reminder that many volunteer openings are in need of people to help make the 2016 festival successful.

The piping plover is one of many bird species that has benefited from the protections of the Migratory Bird Treaty, which marks its 100th anniversary in 2016.

(Note: This information and photo are taken from the Jan. 7, 2016 MDNR news release. See the release on the DNR site for the complete story and further information.)

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other partners are kicking off a yearlong celebration of the Migratory Bird Treaty’s 100th anniversary throughout 2016.

To learn more about the Migratory Bird Treaty centennial, visit www.fws.gov/birds/MBTreaty100. To sign up for DNR Wildlife Viewing emails, visit www.michigan.gov/dnr and click on the red envelope.

We have the birds, get out there and see them!