Join Us AT OUR JUNE MEETING! Join us at our next meeting Thursday, June 2, 6:30/7:00pm Book Exchange and Walk at Fenner Nature Center 2020 E Mount Hope Ave, Lansing Join CAAS for a short annual meeting and book exchange followed by an evening walk. Our program will begin with a Nature and Bird Book Exchange starting at 6:30. If you bring a book, you will receive a ticket to exchange for a different book to take home. If you did not bring a book, you can purchase a book from the table. All proceeds will go to CAAS. The Annual Meeting, welcome and comments by the board will begin at 7pm, followed by a walk at 7:15pm. Dress for the weather, layers and boots or water proof shoes are recommended. Bring binoculars if you have them. Extra binoculars will be available to borrow during this event. This walk will be appropriate for all ages and nonmembers are welcome. The book exchange will begin at 6:30pm. The walk will begin at approximately 7:15pm.
Dedicated to creating a greater awareness, appreciation, and understanding of the interrelatedness of all Michigan’s wild places and wildlife and the need for stewardship.
A NOTE FROM OUR PRESIDENT It was wonderful to see so many of your smiling faces at our May meeting at the Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center! The return to inperson meetings will continue with our June meeting at Fenner Nature Center on Thursday, June 2nd and we plan to hold the 2022-23 program year meetings in-person if possible. Our board will meet this summer to decide on the meeting location and will continue to keep our members health and safety as a priority. Each summer, our board also starts planning and reaching out to program speakers and scheduling field trips. If you have a field trip suggestion, a meeting topic or a speaker to recommend, please reach out as we would love to hear your ideas and offer programs our members will enjoy. Programs will begin again in September and details for our first meeting will be announced on our Facebook page and in the September Call Note. Until then, hopefully the summer will be a relaxing time for many of you following the excitement of spring migration. You may also be lucky enough to view the breeding season up close and personal in your yard, or tune in to the Spartan Stadium Falcon Cam online!
For our family, summer ushers in a time of fun, relaxation and recreation. We love spending time in northern Michigan camping, hiking, boating and of course, birding. This year we have a couple of camping trips planned in Roscommon (with a trip to the Houghton Lake Mud Flats to see the breeding Black Terns) and Wilderness State Park (near the tip of the mitten, in an area I have not birded much before). The summer downtime will be especially treasured as our oldest starts high school in the fall and the speed of our lives seems to move a little bit faster each year. I am so thankful that the rhythms of nature keep a consistent and comforting predictability, reminding me of the fleetingness of each season, the joys found in the small and great changes and the absolutely breathtaking beauty we are surrounded by each day. Happy Birding and have a wonderful summer! Sincerely, Kristy Taylor CAAS President
Our 2022-23 Program year will begin in September 2022. We plan on meeting inperson, and will post details in the September Call Note.
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CAAS BOARD MEMBER UPDATE The CAAS Board is in need of two members to serve on the board of directors for the 2022-23 program year. We currently have one applicant. If you would like to help steer the CAAS, lead field trips, engage with members or help with volunteer opportunities, we need you! Please send your interest to caascallnote@gmail.com with a brief bio and your interest in serving on the board.
Nominee Bio - Barb Andersen
I am originally from Iowa but have lived in a number of places in my peripatetic academic career of teaching and researching issues in urban planning and landscape architecture with a focus on environmental planning. A formative experience in my 20s was going with fellow Audubon members from central Iowa to Nebraska's Platte River to see the world's largest Sandhill Crane migration, along with many, many ducks, Snow Geese and Canada Geese. I have enjoyed participating in many Audubon field trips over the years and hope to get better at bird ID, not just the easy ones! I am a native plant enthusiast. I am interested in supporting the work CAAS has already begun in reaching out to underserved communities, such as lowincome people, LGBTQ+ people, and/or people of color. I hope I can help the CAAS by becoming a board member.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED The CAAS is in need of two volunteers for an outreach table during the Potter Park Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, June 4th. The event begins at 10am and help is needed from 10am - 1pm and 1-4pm. Volunteers will share information on how we can help birds at home! Please email Kristy, taylorks@msu.edu to sign up.
LOCAL EVENTS Check out our Facebook page at facebook.com/capitalareaaudubon for events around the state and much more! Nature Discovery Field Birding Day Camp Students 5th grade and up are invited to learn about Michigan birds June 13-16! for more information and to register, visit www.naturediscovery.net
PROTECTING PLOVERS WITH AUDUBON Great Lakes Audubon - May 20, 2022 In honor of Endangered Species Day, Audubon Great Lakes is celebrating the endangered Great Lakes Piping Plover, the short and stocky shorebird that nests on the beaches of the Great Lakes and has proven to be a conservation success story. The shores of the Great Lakes were once home to nearly 800 pairs of Piping Plovers. In 1990 that number had dropped to 13. The Great Lakes piping plover population was listed as federally endangered under the U.S Endangered Species Act in 1986. Their population decline was, in part, due to nest disruption and predation as well as habitat deterioration. Today, the Great Lakes shoreline now hosts around 75 breeding pairs, which is about halfway to the federal recovery goal of 150 breeding pairs thanks to recovery efforts funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and carried out by members and affiliates of the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team. “Endangered Species Day gives us a chance to celebrate Audubon’s commitment to protecting birds like the Great Lakes Piping Plover and places they need,” said Sarah Saunders, PhD., Quantitative Ecologist, National Audubon Society. “In the Great Lakes region, Piping Plovers are making a remarkable recovery thanks to efforts from many partners, volunteers, and the community. Without these efforts, we might have lost Great Lakes Piping Plovers forever. Our commitment to protecting rare wildlife ensures that communities can enjoy living side-byside with the plovers for generations to come.” One reason for the nation’s success in protecting wildlife is the passage, 45 years ago, of the federal Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act has successfully prevented the extinction of hundreds of species, including the Bald Eagle, the Peregrine Falcon, Kirtland’s Warbler and the Whopping Crane. “The strongest federal safeguard against the extinction of species in the United States is the Endangered Species Act, but we need to keep working to help strengthen this act and ensure the survival of our most vulnerable birds and wildlife,” said Marnie Urso, Policy Director for Audubon Great Lakes. “Policies like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
are key to helping to restore habitats for shorebirds, like the endangered Piping Plover that now nests along all five Great Lakes once again.” Great Lakes Piping Plover Nest Monitoring - Audubon chapters, volunteer networks, and the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team all coordinate nest monitoring at sites across the Great Lakes. Dedicated nest monitors keep close eyes on the Piping Plover pairs, their nests, and chicks to help ward off predators and other potential dangers, as well as educate beachgoers about the importance of giving birds space to nest and rest. In Chicago, a team of over 200 monitors helped monitor the nests of plovers named Monty and Rose that nested at Montrose Beach. This effort was coordinated by a collaboration between the Chicago Audubon Society, Chicago Ornithological Society, and Illinois Ornithological Society. Thanks to the watchful eyes of volunteers, Monty and Rose were able to fledge three sets of chicks on a busy urban beach during the summers of 2019 – 2021. “Sadly, Monty recently died, but the charismatic bird and his story has brought inspiration and hope to many, and his success shows the lasting effects of advocacy and conservation in the Great Lakes region,” added Saunders. In Michigan, Audubon Great Lakes is partnering with the USFWS, MI DNR, National Park Service and volunteers to educate beachgoers about piping plovers around high-use nesting sites at Sleeping Bear Dunes and the surrounding area this summer. Audubon Great Lakes and partners are encouraging the public to take the pledge to Share the Shore with these beach nesting birds which includes:
Keep a safe distance from marked or fenced areas where birds are nesting Keep the beach clean by using proper receptacles or carrying out trash Keep dogs leashed and off nesting beaches Give birds 100 feet of space
For more information, or to sign the pledge, visit 2 https://act.audubon.org/a/pledgeprotect-great-lakes-piping-plovers
CAAS MEMBERSHIP Support community programs with your CAAS Membership. Your membership supports programs in our community and monthly meetings Sept. through June. Memberships run the length of the program year, September to August. SEPTEMBER 2022 - AUGUST 2023
HELP MICHIGAN SPECIES WITH iNATURALIST The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is encouraging residents and visitors to use the iNaturalist platform to collect citizen science data on wildlife species around the state. Using iNaturalist is also a great way to get answers on species identification questions you might have. As an example, "What kind of turtle is this?"
Membership Categories Individual $15.00 Family $20.00 Contributing $30.00 Sustaining $50.00 Donor $100.00
CALL NOTE Published monthly September through June by the Capital Area Audubon Society PO Box 22065, Lansing MI 48909. Deadline for submissions: 20th of the month.
2021-2022 CAAS Officers President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Membership
Kristy Taylor Julia Spalding Mike Moquin Michael Caterino Richard Yarsevich
Editor & Facebook Publicity & Hospitality Field Trip Coordinator Program Coordinator Historian Website
Kristy Taylor Sandra Conn Mike Moquin Julia Spalding Open Sandra Conn
One current MI DNR project, Herps of Michigan, aims to gather information on the amphibians and reptiles of Michigan to better inform planning and management strategies. This project will periodically focus on different taxa and species as reflected in current conservation plans. If you have an urgent wildlife need, please call the Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453.
To sign up and pay online, visit capitalareaaudubon.org If you would like to mail your membership form and payment, please mail to CAAS, PO Box 22065, Lansing, MI 48910
Use the iNaturalist app to snap a picture and upload it along with location information. Get started today by submitting an observation from your computer, or by installing the app on your phone by visiting iNaturalist.org.
SUMMER EVENTS WITH MI BIRDS Take time to explore Michigan with bird walks offered by Mi Birds!
Kirtland's Warbler Festival Saturday, June 4th
Mi Birds is a public outreach and education program created by Audubon Great Lakes and Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Eliza Howell Park Walk - Nesting Birds - Saturday, June 11th
This summer, MI Birds will offer walks, volunteer days, senior events and more! Here are a few of the events available around the state this summer Senior Day at the Detroit Zoo Wednesday, June 1st Kensington Nature Center Birding Walk - Friday, June 3rd Beginner Birders Field Trip at Crosswinds Marsh - Friday, June 3rd
Butterfly Monitor Field Training at the Eagle Marsh Preserve, Saturday, June 18th How to Start Birding - Online Event Thursday, June 23rd The Great Lakes Way Webinar Thursday, July 19th To view the full list and learn more about MI Birds, visit facebook.com/MiBirdspage/events or https://gl.audubon.org/conservation /bird-friendly-communities/mi-birds
2021-2022 CAAS Board of Directors John Baumgartner Michael Caterino Sandra Conn Patricia Deventer Mike Moquin Julia Spalding Kristy Taylor Richard Yarsevich 2022-23 - YOUR NAME HERE! caaudubon@gmail.com capitalareaaudubon.org facebook.com/capitalareaaudubon
3 CAAS at Corey Marsh, May 2022
Sept-Oct, 2018