Here is the field trip line up for the 2008/2009 year. We would like to
add your favorite field trip, just let me know where you want to lead it. I
think that many of our members are fully able to show other Audubon members an
interesting area that they like. That’s more important than being an “expert” birder.
Please let me know if you have an idea and you would like a co-leader for a
trip. (Call Steve Minard at 942-7165.) On that note, watch the Caller for future trip announcements.
Editors Note: All trips through May 2009 been removed from this list.
This trip will combine a new, for me, nature center, with a nearby site for Henslow's Sparrows. Last year, I “found” the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute while looking for the sparrows. This field of Henslow's Sparrows has been a reliable spot for Henslow's Sparrows over the last five years while they have been steadily harder to find elsewhere. Pierce Cedar Creek has a number of trails available for hiking and birding. On my one visit I found a trail through a wonderful beech-maple forest with some truly large trees. Acadian Flycatchers were thick along this part of the trail. Many other trails are available for exploration. This is planned as a morning trip, although we can run longer, with a lunch stop, depending on interest.
Essentials: Meet at the Arby’s at M-37 and 44th Street at 7:30 AM. Watch out for heat and bugs. You may want a drink or snack to keep you going until lunch.
Safety Hazards: Driving in a caravan can be hazardous. Get directions from the trip leader for travel to the next stop. Please exercise caution on the roads at all times.
Join Steve on a late July trip to Point Mouillee to look for shorebirds, terns and egrets. Point Mouillee is about three hours drive on the shores of Lake Erie at the mouth of the Huron River. Many state rarities are found here each year and we will hope to find one or two of them. This is a big area closed to car traffic and takes hours to cover even part of it on foot. We will check the bird alerts and try to hit the highlights. Plan on miles of hiking in the hot sun. To avoid the three hour drive in the morning you may want to overnight in Monroe and meet the group in the morning. If you are going over Friday night, call Steve Minard at 616-942-7165 on Thursday or Friday evening to find out if we will park at the Siegler Road, Mouillee Creek or Roberts Road entrance to Point Mouillee (plan to meet us there at 10:00 AM). Bring some snacks since it will be a really late restaurant lunch when we get off the dikes.
Essentials: Meet at the Lowell car pool lot (northwest corner of M-50 and I-96) at 7:00 AM. Bring your binoculars and a spotting scope, if you have one. You’ll want a drink or two and a snack to keep you going until lunch.
Safety Hazards: Driving in a caravan can be hazardous. Get directions from the trip leader for travel to the next stop. Please exercise caution on the roads at all times. Watch out for the heat and a long hike.
Join Becky and Jim for an August shorebird trip. Shorebird migration should be at or near its peak. Shorebirds such as Semipalmated Plover, Sanderling, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs are likely. Black-bellied Plover, American Golden-Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Baird’s Sandpiper and Buff-breasted Sandpiper are all possible. Ducks and field birds are also likely to be seen. This year the plan is to start at the Muskegon Wastewater and play it by ear from there. Depending on birds reported and gas prices, Ludington or Grand Haven are likely follow up stops.
Essentials: Meet at the main entrance to the Muskegon Wastewater on the east side of Maple Island Rd. at 8:00 AM (this is where we meet for bluebird box cleaning in March). Bring your binoculars. A spotting scope, a drink and snacks will be helpful. You should have the option of morning or all day birding.
Safety Hazards: Driving in a caravan can be hazardous. Get directions from one of the trip leaders for travel to the next stop. Please exercise caution on the roads at all times.
We’ll plan to check Lake Michigan to see what’s on the beach, and hike the trails from the Snug Harbor Picnic area. Warblers, Vireos and Thrushes are some of the likely migrants. If there is an east wind, we will head up into the dunes late morning to look for migrating hawks. If we run long, we’ll look for a place to stop for lunch. If the state park is quiet, we will consider a stop at the Muskegon Wastewater.
Essentials: Meet at the Boy Scout Headquarters on Walker (north of I-96) at 7:30 AM. You may want a drink or snack to keep you going until lunch.
Safety Hazards: Driving in a caravan can be hazardous. Get directions from the trip leader for travel to the next stop. Please exercise caution on the roads at all times.