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Just A Chirp

Fall Schedule

Sept. 21

—”Fun in the Rain Forest” with Grosse Pointe Audubon’s own Mike Florian. Mikeis also the president of the Grosse Pointe Camera Club. He will tell the stories behind theamazing photos he took on his and Judy’s trip to Costa Rica with New Jersey Audubonlast October.

Oct. 19

—Clayton Daughenbaugh, Midwest Field Organizer for the Southern UtahWilderness Alliance, will present “Wild Utah: America’s Red Rock Wilderness,” a filmnarrated by Robert Redford. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and its partners in theUtah Wilderness Coalition seek to gain local support for a proposal to protect wildernessareas in Utah’s red rock canyon lands. Legislation to do so is currently pending in theUnited States Congress.

Nov. 16

— "Of Berries and Birds: The Fall Stopover Ecology of Catharus Thrushes." JulieCraves discusses the results of her long-term study of stopover ecology of migrant birds inan urban natural area. The paper written from this ground-breaking study was recentlypublished in the prestigious Wilson Journal of Ornithology.

Invasion of the hummers!

It seems there weremore hummingbirds aroundGrosse Pointe this summer than we've ever seenbefore. A neighbor of minestarted seeing one at her feeder regularly early in thesummer, and suddenly inAugust she started seeingtwo. I stopped by recently towatch the hummers comeand go from her feeder andrealized that there wereactually three!The photo at right isof one of the hummers thathave been coming to her feeder. It's an adult female.You can tell by some of theblotchiness in her breastfeathers that she isundergoing molt.A few days later, Istopped by one of the plant

Run for your lives! We

’

ve been invaded by these guys!

Grosse Pointe Audubon Autumn 2009

See Autumn, Page 2

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Autumn, continued from Page 1

nurseries on Mack Avenue, and workersthere said they have been seeing hummersat their location all summer. They have alsoheard from an unusually high number of customers this year who have seenhummingbirds in their backyards.Fall hummingbird migration hasalready begun, so if you have a feeder, youmight want to put it up and keep it upthrough October. Because the mix you put inthe feeder is rich with sugar, it goes bad after about a week, so. don't forget to change thewater regularly, and never put dye in the mix!Looking back at our last meeting inApril and our first meeting in September, youmight think that Grosse Pointe Audubon hasgone all Costa Rica all the time. It’s onlycoincidence that we have scheduled twoCosta Rica programs back-to-back. Iapologize for that, but I did not want to waitany longer to schedule a program by our own Mike Florian. Besides being a member of Grosse Pointe Audubon, Mike is presidentof the Grosse Pointe Camera Club. Youprobably know from other programs that hehas given that he’s an outstandingphotographer.Our October 19 meeting will besomething a bit different: ClaytonDaughenbaugh of the Southern UtahWilderness Alliance will present a short filmnarrated by Robert Redford, “Wild Utah:America’s Red Rock Wilderness.”Daughenbaugh is part of a citizens groupthat is seeking to preserve wilderness areasin Utah’s Red Rocks Canyonlands.On Nov. 16, Julie Craves, director of avian research at the Rouge River BirdObservatory "Of Berries and Birds: The FallStopover Ecology of Catharus Thrushes."This might sound a little, um, dull, but Julie’swork is being recognized and lauded ascritically important to understanding howbirds use urban sites to recharge their energyduring migration.At our annual meeting last April,membership re-elected Bill Rapai aspresident, Sylvia Sanders as vice presidentand Mark O’Keefe as treasurer. Weappreciate your continued faith in us.As for the coming year, I have set thefollowing goals:1.Present interesting and informativespeakers at our meetings.2.Present a children’s program inconjunction with the War Memorial.3.Get as many people as possibleinvolved in our fun events like theBirding Challenge, which will beheld in late April or early May.4.Get as many people as possible tocome out to see the new building atSeven Ponds Nature Center nextMay.We’ve already set a date and have aspeaker for our children’s program: FrancieKrawcke will be returning Feb. 6 to present“Hunters of the Sky,” and she will be bringinglive hawks and owls and even a bald eagle.More information will come in the Januarynewsletter.Set your calendars now for May 8,2010, for our annual spring field trip to SevenPonds Nature Center. You need to come toSeven Ponds this spring to see what your dues to Grosse Pointe Audubon have helpedto build: a magnificent new addition to theInterpretative Building. The addition wassorely needed because the old building wasinadequate and had been operating abovecapacity for several years. The new buildingwas made possible through donations madein a capital campaign. That campaign is still abit short of its $1.8 million goal. so if you havea penny to spare, I’m sure Joanna Pease, our representative to the Seven Ponds board,would be happy to hear from you.-- Bill Rapai, President

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Seven Ponds Nature Center

Call (810) 796-3200 for more information or toregister for programs.Sunday, Sept. 13, 2:00 p.m.Prairie Plant and Animal Survival. Early fall is agreat time to go for a walk in our prairie. Learnhow to identify some of the common plants andanimals as well as the unique ways they survive.Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 19 and 20, 11:00-5:0033rd Annual Heritage Harvest Days.A weekend of heritage-related activities,including crafts, games, demonstrations, music,food and much more. Bake sale, magicians,model railroads, blacksmith, used book sale,children’s tent with crafts, prairie wagon rides.$6 adults and $2 children. To volunteer, call810-796-3200.Sunday, Sept. 27, 1:00 p.m.Invasive Plant Workday. We will work onremoving the non-native plants that are invadingthe nature center. This is a great chance to earncommunity service or Master Gardener hours.Bring your own work gloves.Saturday, Oct. 3, 10:00 a.m.Curious Canoers of Seven Ponds. What a greatway to spend time looking at the natural world.Use your canoe or one of ours. Pre-register at810-796-3200. Limited to eight canoes.Minimum age of 6. Fee: $5.00 ($3.00 members).Sunday, Oct. 4, 2:00 p.m. Jonathan Woods Walk. What a splendid time foran afternoon stroll amidst the changing colorsof autumn. Learn why we are treated to fall’sbounty of color with a walk through the woods.Sunday, Oct. 11, 1:00 p.m.Invasive Plant Workday. We will work onremoving the non-native shrubs that areinvading the nature center. This is a great chanceto earn community service or Master Gardenerhours. Bring your own work gloves.Saturday, Oct. 17, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Birdseed Saturday. “Birdseed weekend” willagain feature a number of activities related towatching, feeding, and enjoying the birds. TheRookery Bookstore will have an excellentvariety of birdseed and bird feeders, as well as agreat selection of nature related gifts includingbooks, DVDs, CD’s, puppets, and more. Therewill also be a bake sale put on by the Stingers.Sunday, Oct. 18, 2:00 p.m.Grand Opening for the new Schemm-NaishInterpretive Building! Join the Seven Pondsboard, staff, volunteers, members, and others forthe ofﬁcial opening of our renovated facility. Aribbon cutting ceremony will be followed bybuilding tours and cider and donuts. Come seewhat we have accomplished!Sunday, Oct. 25, 1:00 p.m.Prairie Seed Collecting. During this afternoonactivity, we’ll share information about planting aprairie, recognizing prairie plants at the seedstage, and how to collect prairie seed.Participants will have an opportunity to collectprairie seed for their own use. Bring somepaper bags and a bucket if you plan to collectseed. Fee: $3.00 (members free).Saturday, Oct. 31, 9:30 a.m.Seven Ponds Sketchers. Join our naturalist as wewalk the trails with sketchbooks to draw andlearn the natural history of many species of plants and animals. Age 16 and above. Fee: $3.00(members free).Sunday Nov. 1, 2:00 p.m.Winds of Change. The winds of November are anatural sign that winter is on the way. For thelakes and forest, it is a time when nutrients arereplenished. Come join us for a walk as weexplain about these processes.