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Just A Chirp

Spring Schedule  Cut out this schedule and put it on your refrigerator to help you remember

these important dates.

April 20 -- Elevate Your Bird Photography -- A Practical How-To. Nature photographer Paul McKenney will give you practical advice to help you create and capture bird images that will make you say WOW! Even if you’re not a photographer, come for the program, because McKenney’s images will make you say, WOW!May 5, 19, 26 -- Bird walks at the Country Club of Detroit. Meet at 6:30 a.m. on the service road near the tall trees. The walks will end by 8 a.m. Dress appropriately for the weather, but be sure to wear waterproof footwear. May 12 -- Grosse Pointe Birding Challenge. See Page 2 for more information. May 14 -- Bird walk at Patterson Park, Grosse Pointe Park. Meet in the parking lot at 6:30 p.m. Dress appropriately for the weather. This walk will last approximately 90 minutes.May 21 -- Bird walk at Patterson Park, Grosse Pointe Park. Meet in the parking lot at 7 a.m. Dress appropriately for the weather. This walk will last approximately 90 minutes.

From the President:

I love this time of year. The birds are returning, the earth is warming, plants are sprouting and the bylaws are … Okay, they’re bylaws; be glad that this isn’t an annual thing.

I hope that we can approve the proposed revisions to our bylaws at our April 20 annual meeting. The revisions have been made available at our past two meetings and they are on our website for your review. Once again, the goal of this overhaul is to bring our bylaws up to date and provide a structure that will allow us to become a 501(c)(3) non-profit. If Grosse Pointe Audubon becomes a non-profit, your membership dues will now become tax deductible, and we can solicit grants and accept donations. I would love to see our organization create a fund that will help to support conservation work in the Lake St. Clair basin.

Grosse Pointe Audubon Spring 2015

More on Page 2

The (by)laws of Spring As you probably have heard me say

(again and again), Lake St. Clair is the winter home to about 70 percent of North America’s population of canvasbacks. Because of the importance to that species alone, the lake has been named a regionally important bird area by BirdLife International. We have an opportunity—maybe even an obligation—to support those who are working to protect the lake. I have several projects in mind, but one that I will be learning more about shortly is the conservation work on St. Clair Flats on Harsens Island that helps common and black tern reproduction.

One more thing to consider: If our bylaws are approved, we will need to form a board of directors. That board will be responsible for overseeing the financial operations of GP Audubon and making spending decisions. I can’t imagine that the

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From The President, from Page 1

position will require much in the way of anyone’s time, so please consider raising your hand and volunteering. Summer will be a transition for GP Audubon. I hope we can have our board of directors in place for a vote at our September meeting.

And speaking of elections… Our April meeting will act as our annual meeting, and that means it’s time for the election of officers. Currently, we are operating with a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, and all four positions are up for re-election. If you would like to increase your commitment to GP Audubon in the future, please consider running for a position.

On a personal note, I’d like to thank Trina and Anna for running for office at last year’s annual meeting. Their time and talents have helped to strengthen this organization in so many ways.

Looking aheadIt’s time to starting thinking about our

fall meetings. GP Audubon member Craig Tylenda has offered to do a program on the birds of India for us, but we are still looking for other speakers. Please let me know if you have any ideas about potential speakers, or even just a topic that you’d like to know more about.

In 2016, Grosse Pointe Audubon will celebrate its 50th anniversary. When I turned 50, I had bags under my eyes and my knees were already arthritic and rickety. Grosse Pointe Audubon, on the other hand, is turning 50 and … you, dahling, you look mahvelous! Planning is now under way for a big 50th anniversary celebration. Look for more information in the fall newsletter.

Bird walksI’m also excited about our spring bird

walk schedule. We’ll do the usual Tuesday morning bird walks at the Country Club of Detroit, May 5, 19 and 26. We’ll start at 6:30 a.m. and finish by 8 a.m. Enter the Country

Club’s driveway, turn left in front of the clubhouse and go down the service road. We’ll meet at the woods. Don’t forget, waterproof shoes/boots are necessary. Please note there is no birdwalk at the Country Club on May 12 because...

We are birding for glory!Set your calendar now and join Grosse

Pointe Audubon on Tuesday, May 12, for the tenth annual Grosse Pointe Birding Challenge. At 5 a.m. sharp, teams will start scouring the Grosse Pointe communities for as many bird species as they can count. Tabulation takes place at noon at Panera Bread in the Village, and the winner takes home a trophy and a feeling of smug superiority. Join a team for the entire morning or just for an hour. All are welcome, even if you live outside of the Grosse Pointes. Sign up for a team at the monthly meeting on April 20. Official rules are posted at gpaudubon.blogspot.com. The City team plans to win this year, even if it has to cheat. Woods team: You are warned!

Seven PondsHearing no objections from the GP

Audubon members at our February meeting, it looks like our field trips to Seven Ponds Nature Center are suspended for the time being. I’m disappointed, but I understand. I look forward to the day when we can re-start the tradition of an annual springtime field trip there.

For more information...If you are looking for more information

about spring migration, check Birdcast.org. It’s a site run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that makes predictions on migration based on radar and the weather.

Bird Walks at the Ford HousePut a spring in your step! Join Rosann

Kovalcik for walks on April 18 at 7:30 a.m., May 5-7 at 7:30 a.m. and May 6 at 6 p.m. There is a $7 fee. Call (313) 884-4222 to register.

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Raptors at the War MemorialAbout 100 people attended

the “Adaptations for Flight” program on March 22 at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial -- and they were not disappointed.

Attendees were thrilled as a red-tailed hawk made multiple flights across the War Memorial ballroom, just inches above their heads.

As usual, the crew from the Leslie Nature and Science Center in Ann Arbor did a great job. Francie, Sarah and Chuck displayed an American kestrel, a barred owl, a red-tailed hawk, and a bald eagle, and talked about the adaptations that made each one unique.

This is the third program that Grosse Pointe Audubon has conducted in conjunction with the LNSC and War Memorial. We look forward to doing another program with them in the future.

Thanks to Grosse Pointe Audubon Vice President Trina Bresser Matous for acting as host for the event, and special thanks to all the Grosse Pointe Audubon members who attended the program. We appreciate your support!

JUST A CHIRP! SPRING 2015

Grosse Pointe Audubon

443 St. Clair

Grosse Pointe, MI 48230

About Grosse Pointe Audubon

Bill Rapai, president, (313) 885-6502 or BRapai@aol.comTrina Bresser Matous, vice president, tbressler@aol.comAnna Wuerfel, secretary, wuerf2@netzero.comMark O’Keefe, treasurer, (313) 884-7472 or imokruok2@aol.comJoanna Pease, representative to Seven Ponds Nature Center, strixvaria@sbcglobal.net

Go to www.gpaudubon.blogspot.com for an online copy of Just A Chirp, membershipform, 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!