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September 2019
Michigan Audubon connects birds and people for the benefit of both through conservation, education, and research efforts in the state of Michigan.
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Remembering Hugh Zernickow

Audubon and cranes lost a good friend Aug. 6 when Hubert Peter Zernickow passed away at age 97. After many years of good health, he fell requiring a hip replacement and then suffered a series of setbacks before being transferred to Henry Ford Allegiance Hospice Center in Jackson.

Hugh served as president of Michigan Audubon Society from 1976 to 1978, and previously as vice president and chairman of the Finance Committee. He also served as president of Jackson Audubon Society, was a compiler of the Waterloo Christmas Bird Count, and served the Haehnle Committee from its formation.

>> Click here to read more about Hugh

Chimney Swifts 101

If you live in an urban setting, chances are you may have seen or heard a Chimney Swift but perhaps didn't know it. These aerial insectivores are fast flyers and can often be seen zipping through the air above cities, backyards, and parks. They beat their wings rapidly and often have an erratic flight pattern leading many people to confuse them with bats.

This bird spends almost its entire life in the air, even bathing while flying. When it does come in to roost, it can't perch like most other birds and uses its long claws to cling to vertical walls.

Outside of breeding season, large numbers of Chimney Swift will roost together in a single structure. When returning to the roost at dusk, the swifts create quite a spectacle as they flock together in a tornado-like formation, flying in increasingly tighter circles before dropping into the roost for the night.

Like many other aerial insectivores, Chimney Swift are a species in rapid decline due to habitat loss and the effects of neonicotinoids (a seed coating used as a pesticide which results in lower insect populations). As a result, they are one of the focus species in Michigan Audubon's Mi Bird-Friendly Communities program.
You can help Chimney Swift by uncapping your chimney or building a Chimney Swift tower like the one pictured above at Woldumar Nature Center in Lansing. Thank you to all of the volunteers that helped make this project possible! We are hopeful that Chimney Swift will use the structure for nesting and as a roost site while readying for migration in the coming years.

You can learn more about Chimney Swift on Sept. 9 as part of the Michigan Audubon Seminar Series or join us for a Swift Night Out in Lansing on Sept. 16 at Smith Floral & Greenhouses. An impressive 2,364 Chimney Swift were counted at last year's event to the joy of all in attendance! Click here for more details on the event.

>> Click here to learn more about Chimney Swift

Vulture Awareness Day | Sept. 7

Vultures don’t always get the best rap. They aren’t exactly cuddly-looking, and the first thing that comes to mind for many people when they see one is death. But these birds are ecologically vital and help make the world a more enjoyable and safe place to live by feeding on carrion — dead animals. Check out our blog to read more about how vultures help to combat disease, and to learn some really gross (but totally fascinating) facts about Turkey Vulture — the species commonly seen here in Michigan. 

>> Click here to read our Vulture Day blog
Whitefish Point Bird Observatory
Fall Waterbird Count Update
Although birds at the Point slowed to a crawl as August drew to a close — there was even a day that Waterbird Counter Eric Ripma didn't see a single Red-necked Grebe! — fall migration is sure to heat up as temperatures cool down. So far, more than 13,000 birds have been counted this season, with 136 species represented. Alison Vilag has returned as the counter for the remainder of the season and you can follow her sightings in real-time through Dunkadoo or read her weekly blog updates at wpbo.org
>> Click here to read the migration counts blog
Fall Owl Banding Begins Sept. 15
Many of us hope for nice weather as autumn rolls in, but perhaps not as much as Fall Head Owl Bander Tori Steely. Returning for her third season as a bander at WPBO, she is most likely dreaming of less inclement weather than she experienced last year — a season that only allowed the nets to be open for the full night on four occasions and for twelve nights couldn't be opened at all. Fall of 2018 only saw 58 Northern Saw-whet Owl, two Long-eared Owl, and two Barred Owl banded, the second slowest fall to date. Fingers crossed that this year will not produce the same results and more normal numbers will be seen.
Tori will be joined by Assistant Owl Bander Zach Wilkinson for the season which runs Sept. 15 – Oct. 31. If you are interested in getting an up-close look at the work they do, you may observe the banders in action on Friday and Saturday evenings from dusk until midnight during the season. 
>> Click here to read the owl banding blog
Michigan Audubon Signature Events
Click on the images for more information.
Bird and Conservation Events
THROUGHOUT THE GREAT LAKES REGION
Save the Dates!
WPBO Fall Waterbird Count | Aug. 15 – Nov. 15
SS: Chimney Swifts | Sept. 9
CCBS Fall Bird Walk | Sept. 11 | 7 – 8 :45 a.m.
CCBS Fall Bird Walk | Sept. 15, 22, 29 | 8 – 10 a.m.
WPBO Fall Owl Banding | Sept. 15 – Oct. 31
Swift Night Out — Lansing | Sept. 16
CraneFest | Oct. 12 – 13
SS: Winter Bird Feeding | Oct. 14
Please check the Michigan Audubon calendar for additional events and more details.
Copyright © 2019 Michigan Audubon, All rights reserved.


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