Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Meet Laura Erickson on April 13 !


MCNC-member Susan Herrick of Grand Haven informs us of a unique opportunity for Muskegon-area bird-watchers:

Laura Erickson, who Susan has known since the 1980's, will be presenting a program at the Fremont Library at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 13.  No registration is needed and the program is free.  Afterward Susan will take Laura to a few natural areas (beginning at Loda Lake, followed by sites we might suggest along their way back to Grand Haven).  Susan hopes some of us can join them.  Bring kids and grandkids too!


For those not familiar, Laura Erickson, the 2014 recipient of the American Birding Association's prestigious Roger Tory Peterson Award, has been a scientist, teacher, writer, wildlife rehabilitator, professional blogger, public speaker, photographer, American Robin and Whooping Crane expert for the popular Journey North educational website, and Science Editor at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.  She has written eleven books about birds, including the ABA Field Guide to Birds of Minnesota; National Geographic Pocket Guide to Birds of North America; the best-selling Into the Nest: Intimate Views of the Courting, Parenting and Family Lives of Familiar Birds (co-authored by photographer Marie Read); the National Outdoor Bird Award-winning Sharing the Wonder of Birds with Kids; 101 Ways to Help Birds; and The Bird Watching Answer Book for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  She is currently a columnist and contributing editor for BirdWatching magazine.  Since 1986 she has been producing the long-running "For the Birds" radio program for many public radio stations; the program is podcast on iTunes.  She lives in Duluth, Minnesota, with her husband, one indoor cat, and her little birding dog Pip.

Sunday, March 24, 2019

March 23 Field Trip Report


Nineteen people followed Liz Notman around western portions of the Upper Macatawa Natural Area south of Zealand on Saturday morning.  Conditions were sunny and very cool.

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Notable among today's 35 bird species were Wood Duck, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Northern Harrier, Eastern Bluebird, White-throated Sparrow and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Thanks to Carol Cooper for these photos of some of the older and younger participants:

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