EARTHSTAR NEWSLETTER OF THE MACOMB AUDUBON SOCIETY

http://www.macombaudubon.org Volume 43 number 1, January, February 2017

Programs January 9, 2017, 7:00pm – Holly Vaughn-Joswick -

“Owls of Michigan”

Owls are fascinating creatures! In this program, we’ll

learn about at the 10 species of owl that can be found

here in Michigan. We’ll talk about their biology and be-

havior and even delve into their diet by picking apart

some owl pellets to see what they’ve been eating! If

time permits, we may even wander the edges of the

woodlands near the Senior Center to see if any Eastern

Screech owls are feeling talkative!

Holly Vaughn-Joswick is a Wildlife Outreach Technician with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. She is based out of the Detroit Metro Customer Service Center in Detroit. Holly loves to educate people about Michigan wildlife. She has a BS in Fisheries and Wildlife and an MS in Park, Recreation and Tourism Resources from MSU. Holly is an avid birder.

February 6, 2017, 7:00pm – Tom Hince - “South African

Adventure”

We’re delighted to welcome Tom Hince back to Ma-

comb Audubon where he’ll regale us with stories from

his latest tour of South Africa! Tom’s engaging presen-

tation style will be sure to delight audiences!

Tom Hince has been a naturalist and birder for five dec-

ades. His career has included work with Parks Canada

(four national parks including Point Pelee), the Discov-

ery Channel, and Environment Canada. He currently

works as a freelance guide offering trips to select desti-

nations around the globe (birdwithtom.com).

Welcome Winter Birds with these Handy

Tips

So what can you do to welcome the boreal birds to your

backyard this winter? Here are some tips from Stephen

Kress, who directs Audubon’s Project Puffin.

Create a songbird border of native trees and shrubs to

shelter your yard from the wind. Choose berry-

producing landscape plants, such as juniper trees and

shrubs like dogwood, serviceberry, and viburnum; many

boreal birds, such as the Cedar Waxwing, the Yellow-

rumped Warbler, and several sparrow species, eat berries

during the winter. Fall is the perfect time to plant, says

Kress—though be sure to put wire-mesh cages around

the new plants to protect them from mice, deer, and rab-

bits.

Make a brush pile in the corner of the yard to shelter

the birds from predators and storms and to provide night

roosting places. Put logs and larger branches on the bot-

tom and layer smaller branches on top.

Rake leaves up under trees and shrubs—and leave

them there. The resulting mulch will make a lush envi-

ronment for the insects and spiders that these birds, such

as the Savannah Sparrow and Golden-crowned Sparrow,

like to eat.

Turn part of your lawn into a mini-meadow by letting

it grow up in grass and weeds. (Mow it once a year, in

late summer.) Seed-eating boreal visitors, including sev-

eral sparrow species and the Dark-eyed Junco, will bene-

fit from your letting things go literally to seed. “In gen-

eral, overly tidy gardeners are poor bird gardeners,”

Kress writes in The Audubon Guide To Attracting Birds.

your property hospitable to birds, check out How To

Make Your Yard Bird-Friendly, Make Migration-

Friendly Window Decorations, and, of course, Kress's

book.

Macomb Audubon Society The

Macomb Audubon Society is a chap-

ter of the Michigan Audubon society.

Meetings are normally held the first

Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m.

at the Sterling Heights Senior Center

located on the N.E .side of Utica Rd.

east of Van Dyke and South of 18 mile

Rd. Events of the Society are open to

the public.

The mission of the Macomb Audubon

Society is to:

.Promote interest in the world of na-

ture and to aid in the conservation of

natural resources.

Provide an outlet for nature activities

via field trips.

Provide an opportunity for the ex-

change of knowledge and experience

through lectures, films, discussions

and newsletters.

Aid organizations that provide people

of all ages with opportunities to expe-

rience these above given objectives.

People can support our efforts by

becoming members. To become a

member, complete the form on the

inside back cover. Members receive

this newsletter, the Earthstar.

Earthstar Deadline

We appreciate relevant

information or articles of interest

to the Macomb Audubon

membership for review for

publicaton in the Earthstar. If you

have material that you wish to

submit, please send it by the 12th

of the preceding month to:

Bill Clark 53253 North Ave

Macomb MI 48042.

Email: wtclark1@comcast.net

Earthstar is published

bimonthly.by the Macomb

Audubon Society, a non-profit

educational organization.

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to another glorious Michigan winter. It is truly an amazing time of year. I love the snow, and the secrets that it reveals. Watching the tracks in the snow can teach us so much. Leaving my house the other day for one of the Christmas Bird Counts I saw in my driveway the tracks of a deer that had crossed my driveway. The tracks had to have been fresh since the snow had only stopped falling a couple of hours before and yet there was no snow in the tracks. A deer had walked within 30 yards of my house, unseen, and unobserved. But the tracks revealed that he had been there. I am guessing it was a young buck, perhaps the young spike horn that had been in my yard so frequently in September and was not to be seen during the firearm deer season. (They do know how to hide.) Even though a single track cannot reveal to you if the track was made by a buck or a doe, the behavior of the deer often can. Any deer will drag its feet through deep snow but the bucks are more likely to do it even when the snow is an inch or less in depth. My driveway had been shoveled the day before and yet this deer had drug it’s feet. Most likely a buck, but I will never be 100% cer-tain. It will remain as one of nature’s little mysteries. On the Christmas bird count we observed a beautiful rooster pheasant hiding in a vine covered shrub. It was basking, soaking up the sun’s rays on the beautiful sunny 16 de-gree day. The grape vines had bound the shrubs together and provided a platform strong enough to support the pheasant’s weight. In the winter pro-tective cover is important for birds. Vines, dense shrubs, and conifers tend to provide good shelter for birds. As I sat day after day deer hunting in Novem-ber I would observe the sharp-shinned hawks, the coopers hawks, the doves, and other small birds flying into the dense cover provided by the spruce and pine trees that I had planted years ago. It made smile to see them doing so. Each morning they would come flying out. Birds need more than food to sur-vive the winter, they also need shelter. We can often help by planting trees, shrubs, and yes … even vines. They provide protection in multiple ways. The plants reduce wind speed and provide protection from the rain and snow. Dense vegetation also gives them a place to hide out of view from the eyes of predators, or bird watchers. Vines do not only help to hide the birds, but they also limit the ability of the larger predators to move freely through the habitat. I know that the vines limit my ability to follow grouse or rabbits. To understand the importance of plants as a shelter for birds and other animals all a person has to do is to participate in a Christmas Bird Count on a breezy 16 degree winter day. Stop by an open cornfield to observe snow buntings, and feel the breeze. Stop in the shelter of a cedar swamp to observe barred owls and notice the lack of a breeze. If you want to help the winter birds, provide them with the protective cover they need to shelter them from the elements. Plant, Plant, Plant…

Meetings are held the first

Monday of most months at

7:00 PM at the Sterling

Heights Senior Center lo-

cated on the NE side of Utica

Rd, east of Van Dyke and

North Of 18 Mile Rd.

Thanks to all who brought re-

freshments to the November

Meeting: Beverlee Babcock,

Bill Clark, Alice Forton, Betty

Ebert, Tammy Hooton.

The following members

have made a contribution

at the Contributor Level:

Bill Clark, Wade Leonard,

Barbara Baldinger, Marge

Oelsner, David Lancaster,

Carolyn & Richard Mikula,

Carolyn & Patrick Harring-

ton, David & Elaine

McDonald, Marjorie Ho-

gan.

Christmas Bird Count Tally at Stony Creek Nature Center

November 7, Mike Champagne: Birding Arizona

We’re Proud Supporters of Macomb Audubon Society

Lake St. Clair Nature Center Board Members & committee Chairs Sterling Heights Nature Center, President Randy Baker (810) 441-2759 Seven Ponds Nature Center, 1st VP (Programs) Holly Vaughn Joswick Stony Creek Nature Center, 2nd VP (Member Ship) Beverlee Babcock (586 ) 263-7666 Burgess Shadbush Nature Center, 3rd VP (Field Trips) Colleen Traylor & Charles Smart Wild Life Recovery Association, Recording Secretary Laura Barbour (248) 853-5465 Michigan Nature Association, Corresponding Secretary Micki Smith (586) 791-9623 Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy. Treasurer Cheryl McKeever (586) 254-2789 Michigan Audubon RRBO ______________________________ Committees Car Pool Coordinator Vacant For the best bird seed Christmas Bird Count Barb Baldinger (586) 263-6530 At the best prices Environmental & Conservation Vacant Uncle Luke’s feed store Historian Michael Mroz (586) 596-2776 6691 Livernois Hospitality (Refreshments) Betty Ebert & Alice Forton Troy Michigan Hospitality (Door Prizes) Denis & Laura Barbour _______________ Earthstar Newsletter Editor Bill Clark--------- (586) 749-5523 To contact the Macomb Audubon Michigan Audubon Rep. Ray Lalonde Society by e-mail the address is Members-at-Large (2 positions) Vacant macombaudubon@gmail.com Newsletter Production, Mailing Denis & Laura Barbour To join the Macomb Audubon Seven Ponds Representative Paul Messing Mailing list please send an e-mail Web Editor Paul Messing To: macombaudubon-subscribe@ Volunteer Coordinator Vacant Yahoogroups.com Macomb Audubon Society Dues Please make checks payable to Macomb Audubon Society and send to: Beverlee Babcock Macomb Audubon Membership 50229 Pepper Tree Dr. Macomb Mi, 48044. Your name and the names of family members (Please Print) Family membership applies to family members living at the same address______________________________________________________________________________ Address_________________________________City_______________________________________ State_____________ZIP_____________Phone_____________________________ New Member_______Renewal______ Check One _______Family Membership $20.00 Total Amount enclosed $________ ______Individual Membership $15.00 Amount of donation over membership $_____(optional) _____Student Membership $10.00 Contributor----up to $49.99 ____Senior single Membership $12.00 Supporter------$50 to $99.99 ______Senior couple Membership $15.00 Donor-----------$100 and over (senior is over 60) Each year Macomb Audubon makes a membership list available to members. Check here if you wish to have your telephone number left off the list _____ Email Address_________________________________________________________(optional) Check here to receive the Earthstar by Email only_____ Check here if a Michigan Audubon member_____ Check here if a National Audubon member _____ I (we) are interested in becoming a Macomb Audubon volunteer. Please contact me____