Just A Chirp
Grosse Pointe Audubon
Winter 2016
El Nino: Good or Bad?
the Western Hemisphere. Remember the book and the movie The
Big Year? All three birders figured that if somebody was going
As you probably know, our unusual weather during late fall
to set a new record for most species recorded in a single year, it
and early winter has been caused by El Nio, the massive pool of
would be in the El Nio year of 1998. And because of this
unusually warm water that has formed near the Equator in the
current El Nio, one of those three birders that was featured in
Pacific Ocean.
the book, Greg Miller, has decided he will do another big year in
El Nio is a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens
2016.
every few years and causes profound weather changes all around
Now, you would think that birds would love El Nio as much
the globe. In North America, in general, an El Nio pattern
as birders do. Think about it: Warmer temperatures result in less
makes the northern 48 contiguous states warmer and dryer than
cold stress and lower food demand. (And I think Im seeing that
average, and the southern 48 wetter and cooler than average.
at my feeder.) Less precipitation results in less snow, which
means its easier to find food. That certainly is true for our local
So far this winter season, weve seen that pattern
somewhat. We certainly saw warmer than average temperatures birds, but El Nio has some profound impacts worldwide and has
in late 2015, which resulted in the warmest December on record serious impacts that are not always obvious to those of us who
for the lower 48 United States. So far in our young January
get our food from the grocery store.
weve seen seasonable temperatures but less precipitation than
In the Galapagos Islands and South America, there are
normal. Even though the
recorded episodes of mass seabird die offs from starvation
first part of January was
because the large pool of warm water forces fish that usually live
seasonably cold, long
near the islands to disburse to colder waters. Even though
range forecasts indicate
neotropical migrants have no clue what the weather is like
we may be in for a
currently or is going to be in the spring, they will likely feel El
pattern shift for the
Nios impact before they even start the journey.
second half of the
monthback to warmer
Heres a quote from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Centers
press release that was issued in conjunction with a paper
than normal.
published in the journal PLoS One in 2004:
Birders tend to love El
Nio years because they
We found that migratory birds that over-wintered in South
are the years when rare America experienced significantly drier environments during El
migrants from Asia are Nio years, as reflected by reduced Normalized Difference
See more about this bird on page 3.
most likely to show up
Vegetation Index (NDVI) values, and arrived at stopover sites in
in the Aleutian Islands in reduced energetic condition during spring migration. During El
More on Page 2
From The President:
Winter Schedule
Cut out this schedule and put it on your refrigerator to help you remember these important dates.
Jan 25 - Lake Invaders: Invasive Species and the Fight for the Future of the Great Lakes. Grosse Pointe Audubons own Bill
Rapai will give a program on invasive species in the Great Lakes: who they are, where they came from, the damage they are
doing, and what we can do about them.
Feb. 22 - A Macomb Big Year. In 2014, no fewer than 10 Macomb County birders checked off more than 200 species in their
home county. Local legend Tom Heatley became the first (and only) member of the 300 club, and the county big year record
was shattered by two birders. From Blue Grosbeaks to jaegers and other crazy surprises, join Tom Hince on the obsessive
quest to break the county big year record.
March 21 - TBA.
Nio years migrants were also more likely to stopover
And then theres those flying carp
immediately along the northern Gulf coast of the southeastern
Our February speaker is Tom Hince. Tom usually leads
U.S. after crossing the Gulf of Mexico in small suboptimal forest
birding tours all over the world, but his February presentation is
patches where food resources are lower and migrant density often
on a strange and exotic place called Macomb County. In 2014,
greater than larger more contiguous forests further inland.
ten Macomb County birders set out to each do a Big Year. Come
Translated, that means less moisture equals less food for
hear about the Macomb County Big Year birders, because the
neotrops on their wintering grounds. Which means the birds have number of birds they found will astound you!
less fat when they depart from South and Central America.
Which results in higher bird mortality during migration. Instead
of moving inland immediately, after crossing the Gulf of Mexico, Bird walks at the Ford House
birds will be forced to stop to refuel in locations that are likely to
Get that 2016 list started by joining Rosann Kovalcik for bird
have less food abundance. The result of all those negative factors,
walks at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House. Winter walks are
believe it or not, is likely carry right through breeding and
scheduled for Jan. 23, Feb. 27, March 12, and April 23.
nesting. Research from Pete Mara at the Smithsonian has shown
Remember, advance registration is necessary and there is a fee.
that birds that start migration undernourished arrive on their
Call the Ford House at 313-884-4222 to make a reservation.
breeding grounds with diminished health, which results in
Remember, walks are limited to 40 participants.
smaller brood sizes and higher nestling mortality.
Heres the bottom line: These kinds of natural phenomenon
have been happening for millenniums, and birds have evolved to
deal with these seemingly random circumstances. Is there
anything you can do to help? Unfortunately no. Just cross your
fingers and wish our fine feathered friends good luck. But if you
ever needed a reminder that everything on this Earth is
connected, an El Nio event provides that in a concrete way.
(Citation for the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Centers paper: El Nio-Southern
Oscillation Is Linked to Decreased Energetic Condition in Long-Distance Migrants. Kristina
L. Paxton, Emily B. Cohen, Eben H. Paxton, Zoltan Nemeth, Frank R. Moore. Published:
May 02, 2014. DOI: 10.1371/[Link].0095383. It is available as a free download.)
MiBCI Workshop
The annual Michigan Bird Conservation workshop is
scheduled for March 17-19 at the Kettunen Center near Tustin,
Michigan. Registration will open sometime in January. More
information is at [Link]. I plan on attending, and you should
consider attending if you want to take your knowledge of
ornithology and bird conservation to another level. And spending
time with some of the states most knowledgable birders and
biologists is always fun.
Our Winter Speakers
Looking Ahead to Spring
Im sorry to do this to you, but I am your January speaker.
After 17 years, I know you are tired of hearing the same stale
jokes, but I do think I have an interesting presentation for you. At
least its on a hot topic: invasive species in the Great Lakes. For
the past three years, Ive been attending regular meetings of the
Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species and talking with
biologists and researcher about what has been happening in the
lakes we all hold so dear.
Heres something to look forward to: Were less than two
months away from the arrival of the first spring migrants! Heres
my prediction: The first red-winged blackbird will be seen in the
Grosse Pointes on Feb. 27.
Biologists are great people, but they tend to narrow their
focus on narrow topicsthe biology of certain species or
detecting new non-native species. One thing they do not do well
is see the big
picture of
whats going
on. Thats what
Ive been able
to doput together the big
picture. Unfortunately, its not
pretty. I look
forward to sharing with you
what Ive learned about invasive species as unusual and diverse
as sea lampreys and spiny water fleas.
Grosse Pointe Birding Challenge
Grosse Pointe Audubon will have the dates of our spring bird
walks at the Country Club of Detroit in the March newsletter.
Set your calendar now: the annual Grosse Pointe Birding
Challenge is scheduled for Wednesday, May 11. More
information will be available in the March newsletter. If youre
gainfully employedunlike meplan now to come down with a
sore throat, bad cough and fever that day. Dr. Rapai will happily
call your boss and tell him that youre out with a bad case of
24-hour bird flu.
Pay your dues
If I were a tough guy, Id threaten your kneecaps. Since Im
not, Im down on my kneecaps. Please, pay your dues. Dont
forget, theyre tax deductible!
PAGE 2
SEASONAL BIRD CORNER: JUNCO
Junco hyemalis Order: Passeriformes
he first slate-colored juncos arrive in the Detroit area in late September with the majority arriving in early
October. Most leave at the end of March with a few stragglers staying for the first week of April. These are
one of a few birds we only see in winter. This mitigates the sadness of missing our summer birds.
Juncos are most closely related to white crowned sparrows. Slate-colored
juncos are small, dark-grey sparrows with pink bills and white bellies.
Slate-coloreds are one of may subspecies of the dark-eyed junco found in North
America. The slate-colored is the most common in Detroits tri-county area.
Another distinctive feature of these birds are the white, outer tail feathers that
it frequently flashes as the bird takes flight.
When foraging, juncos typically hop (rather than walk) on the ground,
pecking or scratching at the leaf litter, or flit very low in underbrush gleaning
seeds and insects from twigs and leaves. In flight, they flap continuously and
pump their tails so the white outer tail feathers flash; their flight is very agile as
the bird maneuvers through its tangled environs. Male juncos are very territorial in summer, chasing off intruders in rapid
flights accompanied by excited call notes. When males court females, they fan or flick open their wings and tail, hop up and
down, and pick up pieces of nest material or moss; females seem to prefer males that show more white in the tail. During
winter, juncos form fairly large flocks, and where wintering ranges overlap you may find several subspecies in a single flock.
Juncos also forage with other sparrows and bluebirds. Junco flocks typically have a hierarchy or pecking order, and earlier
arrivals tend to rank higher in the group than later arrivals.
Who ever knew that going south for the winter meant stopping in Michigan?
Juncos primarily breed in Canada and Alaska and head to the continental US for the
winter. Look for these cute, relatively tame birds from now through about the end of
April.
Sound link: Cornell: [Link]
sounds
Much thanks to Trina, Mark, Annie, and Bill.
Anchor Bay 2015/16 Christmas Bird Count
By Mike Florian
team counts from a boat in Lake St. Clair. Some of the
counters begin counting long before sunrise, while they
attempt to hear or see various owls.
On December 19th members of Grosse Pointe Audubon
and others participated in the 116th annual National
Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in the Anchor Bay area.
This is the 39th count for the Anchor Bay CBC. Participants
included Annie Crary, Judy Florian, Mike Florian (compiler
for the count), Rosann Kovalcik, Mark OKeefe, and Bill
Rapai.
During the count we identified 92 different species of
birds and almost 50,000 individual birds. This included over
10,000 Redhead ducks. Also sighted were some rarities for
the Michigan CBC, which included American Pipit, Thayers
Gull and Common Gallinule. The Gallinule is probably the
first ever for a Michigan CBC.
The Anchor Bay count is conducted in a 15-mile diameter
circle. The circle includes Lake St. Clair Metropark and
Harsens Island. The circle is divided into 10 sections and
teams are assigned one of the sections. The objective is to
count every bird seen or heard during the count day. One
The data collected by observers over the past century
allow Audubon researchers, conservation biologists, wildlife
agencies and other interested individuals to study the
long-term health and status of bird populations across North
America. A special thanks to all GP Audubon members who
helped with this years count.
PAGE 3
JUST A CHIRP
WINTER 2016
About Grosse Pointe Audubon
Bill Rapai, president, (313)-885-6502 or BRapai@[Link]
Trina Bresser Matous, vice president, tbresser@[Link]
Mark OKeefe, treasurer, (313) 884-7472 or imokruok2@[Link]
Anna Wuerfel, secretary, wuerf2@[Link]
Joanna Pease, board member, and representative to Seven Ponds Nature Center,
strixvaria@[Link]
Annie L. Crary, board member, [Link]@[Link]
Michael Florian, board member, mflorian@[Link]
Ed McHale, Facebook chief
Grosse Pointe Audubon is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Go to [Link] for an online copy of Just A Chirp, membership form,
rules for the G.P. Birding Challenge in the spring, and more. Keep up with other Grosse Pointe
birders (and like us) on Facebook!
Grosse Pointe Audubon meets in the Annex of the Pointe Unitarian Church at 17150 Maumee,
between St. Clair and Neff in Grosse Pointe. Social hour starts at 7 p.m. and the meeting
starts at 7:30. Our meetings are free and open to all, so bring a friend!
Grosse Pointe Audubon
443 St. Clair
Grosse Pointe, MI 48230
