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PAGE 1
 Just A Chirp 
Spring Schedule
April 20
-- "Costa Rica—The Land of Pura Vida." Ralph Gorton is a professor emeritus atLansing Community College. His illustrated talk will introduce the amazing biodiversity,geography and history of this Central American wonderland. This will also be GrossePointe Audubon’s annual meeting and election of officers. Social hour starts at 7 p.m. andthe meeting will start at 7:30 In the Annex behind Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church, 17150Maumee, Grosse Pointe.
April 28, May 5, 12, 19 and 26
-- Bird walk at the Country Club of Detroit. 6:30 a.m.
May 5
-- Bird walk at Neff Park in Grosse Pointe City. 6 p.m. Reservations required byMay 3. Call (313) 885-6502 or sign up at the April 20 meeting.
May 10
-- Our annual trip to Seven Ponds Nature Center. We will be gathering data for theNorth American Migration Count that day. Early birds will hit the field at 7 a.m. or come at10 a.m. for a naturalist-guided walk.
May 12
-- Bird walk at Patterson Park in Grosse Pointe Park. 6 p.m. Reservations requiredby May 10. Call (313) 885-6502 or sign up at the April 20 meeting.
Spring,
fi
nally!
Okay, call me a sucker. Ornaive. I
’
 ve lived in Michiganlong enough to know that itcan snow in May, but I hereby declare that winter is over!I know that winter is overbecause the birds tell me so. The earliest migrants
--
Killdeer, Red
-
 wingedBlackbird, Common Grackle
--
have already arrived ontheir Grosse Pointe nesting  grounds, and other spring birds like White
-
throatedSparrow, Tree Swallow and Turkey Vulture have beenseen in small numbers. The
fl
ow of those birds will pickup as soon as the wind againshifts to the south.Meanwhile, neotropicalmigrants like warblers andtanagers are urgently preparing for their journeysby taking in as many caloriesas they can. They need to lay on as much fat as they can tobe able to
fl
 y over largebodies of water like the Gulf of Mexico. Fat is critical forthese birds because it suppliesthe energy they need to
fl
 y long distances withoutstopping. If a bird
’
s fat supply is exhausted before it is ableto cross a large body of water,it will begin to metabolize itsown muscles for energy. And when the muscle supply is
Get ready for migrants like this Cape May Warbler.
Grosse Pointe Audubon Spring 2009
See SPRING, Page 2
 
PAGE 2
SPRING, continued from Page 1
 gone, the bird will actually metabolize its owndigestive system for energy. Imagine that!
Spring meeting
Our last meeting of the 2008
-
09 year isscheduled for Monday, April 20. The speakerthat night will be Prof. Ralph Gorton, a biology teacher at Lansing Community College. He will present,
“
Costa Rica 
--
 TheLand of Pura Vida.
”
Annual Meeting and Election 
Our April 20 meeting will also serve as ourannual meeting and election of o
ffi
cers. We will be voting on president, vice president,treasurer and secretary. Secretary? Yes, ourbylaws call for a secretary, even though we havebeen operating without one for years and years. If you would like to increase yourparticipation in Grosse Pointe Audubon,consider running for an o
ffi
ce!
Birding for glory 
Do it for civic pride! Do it for personal pride!Do it for fun! Set your calendar now, and joinGrosse Pointe Audubon on Saturday, May 2,for the fourth annual Grosse Pointe Birding Challenge. Teams will be scouring the GrossePointe communities for as many bird speciesas they can count. Tabulation takes place atnoon at Panera Bread in the Village, and the winner takes home an imaginary trophy and a feeling of smug superiority. This year
’
s bonusbird will be the Northern Yellow 
-
shaftedFlicker. Join a team for the morning or just fora while. Sign up for a team at the April 20meeting. See the GP Audubon blog for rules.
Take a 
(
 bird
)
walk 
 Join Rosann Kovalcik and Martin Blagdurnon April 25, May 7, May 8 and May 9, for bird walks at the Ford House. The walks get under way at 7:30 a.m. There will also be an additionalevening walk at 6 p.m. on May 7. There is a 
$
7fee. Be sure to make reservations well inadvance. Wear waterproof shoes because the grass is often very wet
fi
rst thing in themorning and dress for the weather. Call theFord House at
( 
313
 )
884
-
4222 for reservations.
Tuesday morning birders
 And Grosse Pointe Audubon
’
s Tuesday morning walks at the Country Club of Detroit will get under way on April 28 and continue onMay 5, 12, 19 and 26. We
’
ll start at 6:30 a.m. and
fi
nish by 8 a.m. to get everyone to work ontime. Enter the Country Club
’
s driveway, turnleft in front of the clubhouse and go down theservice road. We
’
ll meet at the woods. We willalso have evening bird walks again this year.We
’
ll do Ne
ff 
Park on May 5 and Patterson Parkon May 12. Both walks will start at 6 p.m. You will need to make a reservation for both of these walks. Sign up at the April 20 meeting.
Annual Seven Ponds Trip
Directions to Seven Ponds: Take I
-
696 westto Van Dyke, which is also known as M
-
53. Turnright and go north on Van Dyke. Stay to theright and M
-
53 will turn into a freeway. TakeM
-
53 past the towns of Romeo and Almont. Two miles north of Almont, turn left
 – 
or west
 – 
on Dryden Road until you get to CalkinsRoad. Turn left onto Calkins Road and follow ituntil it becomes Crawford Road. You will seethe center on your right. Give yourself an hourand a half travel time.
 White
fi 
sh Pt. Observatory Ra 
ffl 
e
  The White
fi
sh Point Bird Observatory isholding its annual ra 
ffl
e, with
fi
rst prize being a lovely handmade queen
-
sized quilt. Secondprize is Denali 8x42 binoculars. Third prize isthe National Geographic
fi
eld guide. Ticketsare
$
2.00 each or three for
$
5. Tickets will beavailable at our April 20 meeting.
 
PAGE 3
Seven Ponds Nature Center
Call (810) 796-3200 for more information or toregister for programs.
Natural Body Care
Saturday, April 11, 10:00 a.m. Jan Burns willshow you how to use natural ingredients formaking your own body care products.Participants will make their own body careproduct during the workshop. Fee: $20.00 perperson. Space is limited to 25 people so pleasecall to pre-register.
Spring Awakenings
Sunday, April 12, 2:00 p.m. We will experiencenature as it awakens from a long winter’s sleep.
Owl Prowl
Friday, April 17, 7:00 p.m. Our owl prowl willbegin indoors with a short talk about the owlsof Michigan. We’ll then hike along the trails inhopes of calling in one or more of the naturecenter’s resident owls. Bring a flashlight. Limitedto 20 participants. Please pre-register. Fee: $5.00($3.00 member).
Salamander Foray 
Saturday, April 18, 10:00 a.m. & Sunday, April 19,2:00 p.m. Join us for a day of salamanderdiscovery at Jonathan Woods. We will be lookingfor the six species that reside in the rich woodswhile learning about their natural history andconservation. Meet at Seven Ponds and carpoolto the site. Limit 12 at each session. Must pre-register. Fee: $3 per adult, $1 per child(members free).
Wild Lapeer - An Earth Day Celebration
Saturday, April 25, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Seven Ponds will again be co-hosting this eventat the Lapeer Courthouse in downtown Lapeer.There will be several family-oriented events.Lunch will focus on locally grown foods andmany earth-friendly vendors will be set up inthe courtyard commons. Bring your family andshow your support for the earth byparticipating in this fun and informative day.
Invasive Plant Workday 
Sunday, April 26, 1:00 p.m. We will be workingon removing dame’s rocket around the naturecenter building. This is a great opportunity tolearn how to remove these invasive non-nativeplants on your property and is also a chance toearn community service hours. Please dress forthe weather and bring your work gloves.
Spring Bird Walk 1
Wednesday, April 29, 8:00 a.m.This first spring bird walk will take us along thecenter’s own trails in search of House Wrens,Yellow-rumped Warblers, Eastern Towhees anda variety of additional species. All bird watchinglevels are welcome. Bring binoculars, field guide,and dress for the weather. Fee: $3 (no chargefor members).
Frog and Toad Walk
Sunday, May 3, 2:00 p.m. We will walk by variouswetlands to listen for amphibian songsters andoffer helpful ways to remember their songs.
Spring Bird Walk 2
Wednesday, May 13, 8:00 a.m. For our secondspring bird walk we’ll explore the center’s trailsin search of migrating warblers, BaltimoreOriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and ScarletTanager. All bird watching levels are welcome.Bring binoculars, field guide, and dress for theweather. Fee: $3.00 (no charge for members).
Garlic Mustard Pull and WildflowerWalk
Sunday, May 10, 1:00 p.m. The StewardshipNetwork will host a garlic mustard pull at our Jonathan Woods property, but before workingwe will go on a wildflower walk in ourwildflower area.
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