2015 Midwest Birding Symposium
Complete Schedule of Activities
Festival Headquarters @ DoubleTree by Hilton - Bay City Riverfront Schedule subject to change with additions expected!
Wednesday, September 9
5:30-6:30 PM 6:30-8:45 PM
Cocktail Reception hosted by Great Lakes Bay Regional CVB Pub Crawl
Thursday, September 10 NOON – WELCOME TABLE & WALK UP REGISTRATION OPENS @ FESTIVAL HEADQUARTERS Pre-event Tours/ Workshops
2:00 – 5:00 PM Let’s Get Started Birding (Part I) Join Bill Thompson III, editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest, for this classroom presentation designed for anyone just getting into birding or the back yard bird watcher that wants to take their birding to the next level. Participants will learn about use of optics and field guides, get helpful hints on bird identification both by sight and sound, and learn other helpful hints on finding our feathered friends. During part II of the workshop (Friday morning) Bill will lead participants on a bird walk along the River Trail. Tour Rating: Easy
6:30 – 9:30 PM Princess Wenonah Cruise Join us aboard the Princess Wenonah, a refurbished car ferry, for an evening cruise up the Saginaw River to Saginaw Bay. Enjoy fantastic appetizers from the Stein Haus and a cash bar while you view the birds along the shore, and the gulls and waterfowl in the water and overhead. Cruise by a Bald Eagle nest too. Make new friends to enjoy the rest of the Symposium with. FEE: $40 Tour Rating: Moderate - transportation by boat
7:00 PM - REGISTRATION TABLE CLOSES
Friday, September 11 6:30 AM - WELCOME & REGISTRATION TABLES OPEN @ FESTIVAL HEADQUARTERS
7:00 – 11:00 AM Guided Fieldtrips
Tall Ship Appledore Pelagic Climb aboard the Appledore, a two-masted schooner that will take you birding up the Saginaw River to the Saginaw Bay. FEE: $35 Tour rating: Moderate – travel by boat
Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge by bus Board a passenger bus at the Event Headquarters for a luxury ride to the Wildlife Refuge. Once there we will pick up the Refuge Manager and Biologist to join us on the Wildlife Drive through the Refuge. The bus will stop at key points along the drive where we will disembark for better viewing opportunities. FEE: $20 Tour rating: Easy
Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area Meet your guides at the parking area for Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area. This is a haven for common and rare species alike, and also the home of one of the oldest and largest colonies of Yellowheaded Blackbirds in the state. It’s no wonder this is one of the most visited areas in the Saginaw Bay for water birds! The YHBL will probably have migrated out by September but you never know when one or two might decide to stick around. Tour rating: Moderate
Friday continued
Pinconning County Park Board a van/bus at the Event Headquarters for a ride to Pinconning County Park, a gem that sits on a narrow peninsula into the Bay that serves as a popular cove for birds. FEE: $5 Tour rating: Moderate Fish Point State Wildlife Area Fish Point is managed in order to preserve the diversity of wildlife that resides there. The site features a wildlife viewing trail, as well as an observation tower. Birders can enjoy the numerous species of waterfowl and other water birds that call this area home. Other sightings at Fish Point include short earred owls, rough-legged hawks, and a variety of warblers during migration. FEE: $5 Birding with John J. Audubon Join your guide in the Event Headquarters Lobby. Monsieur Audubon will lead you on a birding walk along the River Trail from the hotel. You will see birds in a different light and learn about America in the early nineteenth century while you look for species that call the Saginaw River home. Tour Rating: Easy Bay City State Recreation Area The Bay City Recreation Area is the site of one of the largest freshwater coastal wetlands in the Great Lakes, known as the Tobico Marsh. Meet your guides here to explore the shoreline and prairie as you walk this area’s five miles of trails and two 32-foot observation towers. Tour Rating: Moderate to Challenging Birding Bigelow Park Meet at Veteran's Memorial Park (across the river from the Event Headquarters – meet on the south side of the park) where you will walk the River Trail and boardwalk to Bigelow Park and back. Total distance: approximately 1.5 miles. Tour Rating: Easy 8:00-10:30 AM Beginning Birding Workshop Part II (Pre-requisite: Let’s Get Started Birding Part I) Meet Bill Thompson II at the tent located outside the Event Headquarters to begin part II of your birding experience. 10:00 AM-6:00 PM Vendor Marketplace Open 11:30 AM- Noon WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Noon-1:15 PM Lunch & Keynote We’ll have a delicious buffet lunch in the Grand Ballroom located in the DoubleTree and then John J. Audubon himself ( a.k.a. – Brian “Fox” Ellis) will arrive to regale us with tales of his life and amazing birding adventures across this great nation in the early 19th century. 1:30-2:30 PM Breakout Sessions 3:00-4:00 PM Breakout Sessions 4:00-5:00 PM Vendor Marketplace and Happy Hour Nosh on snacks and purchase a drink from the cash bar as you take this opportunity to try out all the optics equipment and shop all of the great vendors located in the Wheeler Room, Grand Foyer, and the lobby of the Planetarium.
Friday continued
5:00-6:00 PM Special Keynote Presented by Kevin Karlson, this keynote shares a new slant to field identification that Kevin and his coauthor and wife Dale Rosselet call Birding by Impression: A Different Approach to Knowing and Identifying Birds, which is the title of their recently released book in the Roger Tory Peterson Reference Series at Houghton Mifflin Co. (April 2015). The topic of this multi-media presentation includes a merging of right and left brain strengths to enhance your birding skills as well as a greater appreciation of birds as fascinating members of the natural world rather than just a check on your list. 6:00-8:30 PM Dinner Out and About Bay City Downtown Bay City is home to an amazing number of wonderful restaurants and local bars where you can grab dinner with your favorite birders. Just don’t forget that the night isn’t over yet – we reconvene for some additional activities in and around the Event Headquarters at 8:30. 7:00 PM - REGISTRATION TABLE CLOSES 8:30-10:00 PM Evening Activities (additional activities to come) Mysteries of the Great Lakes View this incredible film in the Planetarium Auditorium. Mysteries of Migration You already know that many bird species migrate at night, but did you know that you can identify who’s flying overhead by the chips and chirps that you hear? We’ll go up to the roof of the Planetarium to listen for the night travelers.
Saturday, September 12 6:30 AM - WELCOME & REGISTRATION TABLES OPEN @ FESTIVAL HEADQUARTERS
7:00 – 11:00 AM Guided Fieldtrips Tall Ship Appledore Pelagic Climb aboard the Appledore, a two-masted schooner that will take you birding up the Saginaw River to the Saginaw Bay. FEE: $35 Tour rating: Moderate – travel by boat
Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge by bus Board a passenger bus at the Event Headquarters for a luxury ride to the Wildlife Refuge. Once there we will pick up the Refuge Manager and Biologist to join us on the Wildlife Drive through the Refuge. The bus will stop at key points along the drive where we will disembark for better viewing opportunities. FEE: $20 Tour rating: Easy
Chippewa Nature Center Birding Board a passenger bus at the Event Headquarters for a luxury ride to the Chippewa Nature Center, one of the best nature centers in the United States. You meet their naturalists for a guided walk on some of the over 15 miles of trails there. FEE: $20 Tour Rating: Moderate Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area Meet your guides at the parking area for Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area. This is a haven for common and rare species alike, and also the home of one of the oldest and largest colonies of Yellowheaded Blackbirds in the state. It’s no wonder this is one of the most visited areas in the Saginaw Bay for water birds! The YHBL will probably have migrated out by September but you never know when one or two might decide to stick around. Tour rating: Moderate
Saturday continued 7AM tours
Pinconning County Park Board a van/bus at the Event Headquarters for a ride to Pinconning County Park, a gem that sits on a narrow peninsula into the Bay that serves as a popular cove for birds. FEE: $5 Tour rating: Moderate Fish Point State Wildlife Area Fish Point is managed in order to preserve the diversity of wildlife that resides there. The site features a wildlife viewing trail, as well as an observation tower. Birders can enjoy the numerous species of waterfowl and other water birds that call this area home. Other sightings at Fish Point include short earred owls, rough-legged hawks, and a variety of warblers during migration. FEE: $5 Big Green Birding Tour of the Saginaw Bay Birding Trail Join Josh Haas for a bike birding tour of the Saginaw Bay Birding Trail. A 30+-mile route begins at Bay City SRA and will take riders north along Saginaw Bay via the SBBT in search of waterbirds, shorebirds, and those confusing fall warblers. The group will enjoy a restful lunch (provided) while birding Tuttle Marsh before returning to BCSRA, birding all the way. FEE: $15 Tour Rating: Challenging Bay City State Recreation Area The Bay City Recreation Area is the site of one of the largest freshwater coastal wetlands in the Great Lakes, known as the Tobico Marsh. Meet your guides here to explore the shoreline and prairie as you walk this area’s five miles of trails and two 32-foot observation towers. Tour Rating: Moderate to Challenging Birding Bigelow Park Meet at Veteran's Memorial Park (across the river from the Event Headquarters – meet on the south side of the park) where you will walk the River Trail and boardwalk to Bigelow Park and back. Total distance: approximately 1.5 miles. Tour Rating: Easy 8:00-10:00 AM Birding by Impression Workshop: A Different Approach to Knowing & Identifying Birds This is an indoor/outdoor workshop. A short description of Birding by Impression is followed by unique digitized photos from the new book that encourages the audience to spot differences between similar species in direct side-by-side comparison. Videos of some bird behaviors illustrate how certain movements are also helpful to the ID process. After the classroom session you will head outdoors to learn how to use this process to identify the birds you see. Come and try something different that could enhance your birding skills and elevate your appreciation of birds to more than a check on your list. FEE: $30 10:00 AM-6:00 PM Vendor Marketplace Open 10:30 AM Morning Announcements 11:00 AM-Noon Breakout Sessions 11:15 AM-12:30 PM Author Signing Noon-2:00 PM Lunch Out and About Bay City (optional lunch available at the DoubleTree – not included in registration) 2:00-3:00 PM Breakout Sessions 3:30-4:30 PM Breakout Sessions
Saturday continued
7:00 PM - REGISTRATION TABLE CLOSES 4:15-6:00 PM Vendor Marketplace and Happy Hour Nosh on snacks and purchase a drink from the cash bar as you take this opportunity to try out all the optics equipment and shop all of the great vendors located in the Wheeler Room, Grand Foyer, and the lobby of the Planetarium. 6:00-8:00 PM Dinner and Keynote with Dr. Douglas Tallamy Finish your Symposium off right with a great dinner in the Grand Ballroom, a wrap up of the event with your hosts, and a special presentation by Dr. Doug Tallamy, "Rebuilding Nature's Relationships." Specialized relationships between birds and plants are the norm in nature rather than the exception. Plants that evolved in concert with local birds provide for their needs better than plants that evolved elsewhere. Tallamy will explain why this is so, why specialized food relationships determine the stability and complexity of the local food webs that support bird reproduction, why it is important to restore birds to our residential properties, and what we need to do to make our landscapes living ecosystems once again. 8:30-10:00 PM Evening Activities (additional activities to come) Mysteries of Migration You already know that many bird species migrate at night, but did you know that you can identify who’s flying overhead by the chips and chirps that you hear? We’ll go up to the roof of the Planetarium to listen for the night travelers.
Sunday, September 13 7:00 – Various Ending Times GUIDED & SELF-GUIDED FIELDTRIPS
Tall Ship Appledore Pelagic Climb aboard the Appledore, a two-masted schooner that will take you birding up the Saginaw River to the Saginaw Bay. FEE: $35 Tour rating: Moderate – travel by boat
Destination Tawas Point State Park This begins as a self-guided trip to East Tawas along the Saginaw Bay Birding Trail. Stop at birding locations along the way as you make your way to Tawas Point State Park, a fantastic birding location on the northern point of Saginaw Bay. Once you arrive at the State Park there will be guides available to lead you on the trails there and tell you a little more about this incredible birding hotspot. Tour rating: Moderate
Charity Island Boat Trip Enjoy a boat trip to Charity Island in the middle of Saginaw Bay. Many birds land on the island to rest before continuing their migration north. Lunch (included) will be served on the island at the lighthouse before departure. Festival registration packets will be provided when you board the boat. FEE: $50 Trip will depart from Caseville, returns at approximately 1:30 PM Tour Rating: Moderate - boat travel of 1 hour each way
Self-guided Birding Visit a variety of birding locations on your own. Information and maps will be available at the event.