GRAND TRAVERSE AUDUBON CLUB
September 24, 2015
BIRD NOTES
Autumn 2015
Hello everyone.
Carolyn and I just got back from a trip to the Canadian Rockies – Banff to Jasper. It was spectacular. A great trip! We would recommend it to all.
With vacations over and fall coming, we look forward to our club’s continual excellent programs and field trips. Carol Towar sure has done a great job with our programs. We are grateful she will do the same for next year. If you have any suggestions for the schedule next year please let her know. All members of the GTA club board will stay on for the next year, but after that several of us will be moving on. So we need you to start thinking about getting more involved with the running of the club. More about this to come.
Until then, see you at the September regular meeting on the 24th, at the Nature Center.
From the pen of President Ed Moehle
Your 2015 Grand Traverse Audubon Club Board
President – Ed Moehle – (231) 947-8821
First Vice President and Program Director – Carol Towar –(231) 223-7108
Second Vice President and Environmental – Elise Brooks – (231) 269-4343
Secretary – Karen Crane – (231) 421-1001
Treasurer – Ed Kaminski – (231) 932-9148
Newsletter – Shirley Mesch – (231) 946-3624
Members at large – Heather Peyton – (231) 392-5699
Joe Brooks – (231) 269-4343
Michigan Audubon Representative (MAS) John Mesch – (231) 946-3624
Past President – Missy Rassel – (231) 946-4715
Web-master – Joe Brooks – (231) 269-4343
Your Board is always on the look-out for your support and fresh ideas. Please contact anyone of the above mentioned board members with your interest. Thank you all for being such a wonderful diverse group.
Regular Meetings and Scheduled Field Trips
Our 2015 year continues with great programs and activities for the coming year. We hope you’ll join us to enjoy fellowship and to learn more about our local bird life. ALL REGULAR meetings are held at the Boardman River Nature Center, 1450 Cass Road in Traverse City. (where the railroad track crosses the road 1.5 miles south of S. Airport Rd). A brief business meeting begins at 7:00, followed by an informative and entertaining program at 7:30. There are no meetings in June and July.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
SEPTEMBER THRU NOVEMBER
September
24 – Regular Meeting: Birds of Madagascar, presented by club member Chris VanLonkhuysen.
October:
10 – Field trip: fall Colors & Bird Hike. 10:00 a.m. Meet at Boardman River Nature Center, leader Heather Peyton. Question call her at 231 392-5699.
October
17 – Annual Dinner Meeting starting at 6:00 P.M. at Twin Lakes Camp. Speaker: Caleb Putnam, Michigan Important Bird Area Coordinator, will share his adventures chasing rare birds sighted around the state. Send dinner reservations by October 9thth to: Ed Kaminski, 1498 Driftwood Dr., Traverse City, MI 49686. Any questions (231) 932-9148.
November
19 – Regular meeting: The reality of Climate Change. Presenter: Bill Gittlen. Questions: (231) 947-8821.
December
17 – Regular Meeting: – 7:00 p.m. Photo Fest. Bring your photos, videos and other birding. show and tell” and share them for all to enjoy. Contact Joe Brooks at (231) 269-4343.
Christmas Bird Counts
December 14 – Antrim Area Count
John Kreag – Coordinator
(231) 264-8969 or Cell 360-0943
December 19 – Grand Traverse Area Count
Ed Moehle – Coordinator
(231) 947-8821
If you are interested in helping with any and/or all of these counts, please contact the coordinator. All levels of interest in birds are welcomed!
ANNUAL DINNER MEETING
OCTOBER 17, 2015
GILBERT LODGE – TWIN LAKES PARK – 6800 NORTH LONG LAKE RD.
The gathering begins at 6:00 p.m., at the Grand Traverse County Twin Lakes Park, located just west of Traverse City, at 6800 North Long Lake Road. (contact Shirley Mesch at 946-3624 or cell (231) 499-1318, If you are in need of directions). Starting at 6:00 p.m., Canteen Catering will be providing fresh fruit with cheeses and crackers. The buffet style dinner, which will begin between 6:30/6:45, with choices of : Chicken Cordon-bleu, Beef roll-ups, Red-skinned Potatoes, Green Beans, Creamy Pasta Primavera (vegetarian), Caesar Salad, with Dinner Rolls and Butter, coffee, hot water for tea selections or fruit punch, topped off with a cheese cake variety.
For a great dinner, program and an evening out, the cost is $17.00 per person.
After the dinner, there will be a short, not more than 15 minute, business meeting for the election of the slate of 2016 officers and questions you may have. And don’t forget the fun prizes our banquet committee member Stephany Podolan has gather for some evening fun. Or- the question, does it have a “blue bill?”
Our evening program is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. at which time we will be welcoming Caleb Putnam, whose program title is “Dude, where are you!?!?” Adventures and misadventures chasing Michigan’s rarest birds.
So get that calendar out, use the form for reservations in this newsletter or from the club website and mail the reservation(s) in. Reservations should be made no later than October 10, 2015. If you have any questions about reservations, please call me at (231) 946-3624 or my cell at (231) 499-1318.
R E S E R V A T I O N S
PLEASE fill in the following reservation form and along with a check for the dollar amount and mail to Our Treasurer Ed Kaminski. Please make your check payable to: G.T. Audubon Club – (GTAC)
See you there!!!!!
For Your Convenience, you will notice that the form is in two parts. This is to provide you with the dinner reservation form as well as the membership form, because so many of you pay your annual dues at the same time as the Annual Meeting and Dinner. Any dues paid after September 1st are effective for the 2016 calendar year!
ANNUAL MEETING AND DINNER RESERVATION
OCTOBER 17, 2015 – SATURDAY
RESERVATION “MUST” BE MADE BY OCTOBER 10, 2015
Fill out the following form and mail along with your check made payable to:
“Grand Traverse Audubon Club”
MAIL to : Ed Kaminski, Treasurer
1498 Driftwood Dr.
Traverse City, MI 49686
Name:____________________________ Phone No.______________________________
Cell Phone No. __________________________
Name: ________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________
Number of Dinners __________ X $17.00 per person = $_______________
Dinner Total: $__________________
(BE SURE TO INCLUDED THE MEMBERSHIP FORM) -Membership Dues $_________________
Total $ _________________
____________________________________________________________________
MEMBERSHIP FORM – 2016
(RENEWAL)
If you have not yet updated your membership for 2016, please find below a form and explanations of where to send your information.
Your Treasurer is Ed Kaminski. Please mail all dues to him at:
1498 Driftwood Dr.
Traverse City, MI 49686
Checks should be made payable to: Grand Traverse Audubon Club.
In order to continue receiving the Bird-alert and Club e-mails, membership’s dues must be up to date. All memberships run the Calendar Year
[ ] Family – $20 [ ] Individual – $15 [ ] Student – $8
Name: __________________________________________ Phone: ______________________
Please include Area Code
Name: __________________________________________ Cell Phone: ___________________
Address: _________________________________________
City: _________________________________ State: ______ Zip Code: _______________.
E-mail address: _________________________________________
__________________________________________
[ ] I would like to receive GT Audubon (club news) and Birdalert (news of area bird sightings) VIA e-mail address.
[ ] Newsletter Mailed VIA U.S. Post office. I do not use the Internet.
[ ] Donation to Walter Hastings Memorial Environmental & Education Fund: $______________
(please note that donations to this fund are not tax deductible)
Enclosed is a check made out to Grand Traverse Audubon Club — Mail To:
Ed Kaminski, Treasurer
1498 Driftwood Dr.
Traverse City, MI 49686
For questions and/or further information concerning membership dues, please e- mail Ed at ebkaminski@msn.com.
Caleb Putnam – Michigan Important Bird Areas (IBA) Coordinator
Title: “Dude, Where are you!?!?” Adventures and misadventures chasing Michigan’s rarest birds.
Description: Listing: the perennial battle of the competitive birder. Loved by some, and hated by many, few can deny the intense level of adventure this arcane and absurd habit offers its dedicated participants.
Caleb Putnam, who chased his first state rarity on May 2, 1997 (a Pacific Loon in Livingston County), and whom still sits a distant 27 species behind first place in Michigan listing, will share some of the more memorable of his personal triumphs and flops to date. This storytelling talk is replete with photos and video clips of Caleb’s greatest Michigan rarities, and will have you on the edge of your seat and ready to start state listing by its end!
Biography: Caleb Putnam is a Michigan native and coordinator of the Michigan Important Bird Areas (IBA) program for Audubon. He earned a B.S. in Biology from Alma College in 1999 and an M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana in 2003. A lifelong birder, Caleb has extensive knowledge of Michigan’s birds and places. He formerly served as chairman of the Michigan Bird Records Committee, and was a participant in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas in 2005.
What’s in a Name? – By Elise Brooks
Last fall I reread The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, and noticed references to a “golden-winged woodpecker,” and the “cedar bird, with its red-tipt wings and yellow-tipt tail.” What’s in a name? A lot of fun, it turns out. Plus an enjoyable trip through the history of American bird names.
When Europeans first settled this continent, they named the new birds they encountered. Some names were applied because a bird reminded them of a bird from home, even if the New World bird was totally unrelated to its European namesake. Many of our common American birds received quite fanciful regional nicknames. Some birds, like the American Bittern, had at least a dozen common nicknames including Thunder Pumper, Dunk-a-doo, Bog Bull, and Stake Driver. And those were the nice names.
Even now some of us use nicknames like Timberdoodle for the American Woodcock, and Butter-butt for the Yellow-rumped Warbler. The renaming process continues today. Is it a Common Snipe or a Wilson’s Snipe? If your bird guide is just a few years old, you may be using an outdated name. If you’re new to the birding world, it can be confusing when someone refers to a Marsh Hawk, or an Oldsquaw.
All these names can drive you crazy, or they can be an interesting diversion. So in the spirit of fun, here’s a little challenge. See if you can match the obsolete name, or nickname, to the right bird.
- Fly-up-the-creek A. Northern Waterthrush
- Buff-backed Heron B. Black Skimmer
- Sand Martin C. Northern or Loggerhead Shrike
- Sea Parrot D. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
- Twixt-hell-and-the-white-oak E. Philadelphia Vireo
- Water Wagtail F. American Dipper
- Water-ouzel G. Dunlin
- Brotherly-love Greenlet H. Green Heron
- Cutwater I. Bank Swallow
- Throat-cut J. Cattle Egret
- Black-breast K. Chuck-will’s-widow
- 12. Butcher-bird L. Atlantic Puffin
(Answers to quiz: 1H, 2J, 3I, 4L, 5K, 6A, 7F, 8E, 9B, 10D, 11G, 12C)