Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/birds/page/8/)
Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart) reports from Bay City, Michigan’s Delta College Q-90.1 FM. Mr. Great Lakes, March 21, 2014.
This week, Kart discusses two upcoming Saginaw Bay events about algae, an Earth Day essay contest and the Kirtland’s warbler population in Ogemaw County, Mich. Text at Mr. Great Lakes
What started as a note on a friend’s windshield evolved into “The Unauthorized Audubon,” a whimsical poetry and art book that offers a peek into a world of quirky imaginary birds.
As osprey populations continue to increase, so do the issues that they face in a changing environment.
Experts are spreading the word that extreme caution needs to be taken concerning the birds’ nests on cell phone and powerline towers.
Environmental groups have won what they call a victory for birds with the suspension of a plan to build a wind turbine in Ohio.
There is an increase in reports of waterfowl stranded on roadways that they confuse with open water.
Some birds cannot take off again because their bodies are adapted to lifting off from water.
Ecologist James Ludwig spent his career studying the chemical pollution of the Great Lakes – most notably with the help of his cross-billed cormorant, Cosmos.
Great Lakes Echo recently spoke with Ludwig about his new book, “The Dismal State of the Great Lakes.”
Endangered Kirtland’s warblers spend the summer nesting only in certain areas of Michigan, Wisconsin and Ontario.
They winter in the Bahamas. Researchers are using tiny light sensors to track how the birds travel between those areas.
Advances in technology help researchers track the birds to get a better understanding of their migration route to the Bahamas.
by Lacee Shepard
Local officials could restrict ownership of carrier pigeons on a community—by-community basis under a new Michigan proposal. Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood , D-Taylor, introduced a bill that would allow cities and townships to decide their own restrictions on carrier pigeons. The bill began after Hopgood received a constituent complaint about a neighbor owning too many carrier pigeons. “We thought we should give the cities the ability to do what make sense for a given community,” Hopgood said. “Then they can look out for the health and welfare of local residents.”
The proposal wouldn’t allow a local ban on the bird but would allow local governments to impose a limit on ownership if they see fit, Hopgood said.
If you enjoy birdwatching, you may be able to use your hobby to help protect an endangered Great Lakes shorebird. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is relying on volunteers to monitor the critically endangered piping plover during its nesting season this summer, from May 1st to July 15th. Patrols have already been established in Michigan national forest and state parks, including Sleeping Bear Dunes lakeshore. Most remaining breeding pairs nest in Michigan — with the intensive patrol programs, the number of Great Lakes nesting plovers rose from 17 pairs in 1986 to 59 pairs in 2005, according to the National Park Service. But numbers have dropped in recent years: 25 pairs in 2009, 23 pairs in 2010 and 18 pairs in 2011.
Lake Erie businesses are gearing up for The Biggest Week in American Birding, scheduled for May 3-12. What fascinates me is how quickly the issue of birding has gelled and what that could mean for the future of energy production and the environment by getting more people engaged with our natural resources.