 Video Interview by Badgerland Birding
Meet Stan Tekiela: The Man Behind The Field Guides
 Click the image above or the link below to watch the video.
Stan Tekiela has made an incredible life for himself as a naturalist. Most well known for his field guides, Stan has had an impressive amount of adventures photographing and observing wildlife all over the country. We were lucky enough to be able to talk with the man behind the field guides about everything from Sage Grouse, to Kangaroo Rats, to new camera technology.
You can check out Stan's website at this link: http://www.naturesmart.com
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 01/21/22 CwB Event Recap
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This past Saturday, December 21st was our second Coffee with the Birds event of this season. We hosted over 30 people with our 9:30am Livestream and about 130 people at the Nature Center between both feeder watching sessions and the Tidbit presentation. The feeders were host to a variety of birds. You can check out what we saw on the eBird Checklist.
If you happened to miss the event, you can still participate.
Click the links below to watch the Livestream and Tidbit presentation on YouTube.
VIDEO of the Livestream:
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Tidbit Presentation Video Resources:
Learn how to use Merlin’s features to help you identify the birds you see and hear. We’ll walk you through how to use Sound ID, Photo ID, and Merlin’s Explore features.
The Merlin Bird ID App can be a great tool if used properly, or a nightmare for eBird reviewers. Learn how to use all the features and how to use them properly in this video.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s free Merlin Bird ID app can now identify bird sounds. Merlin can recognize the sounds of more than 400 species from the U.S. and Canada, with that number set to expand rapidly in future updates.
Popular Science Article:
The app’s new 'Shazam for birds' feature was made possible through citizen science. Here's how it all works—and why you should download it.
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 Sponsors of Coffee with the Birds events. Please be sure to tell them you appreciate their support!
Mug Club Memberships Available for Sale
For more information on CwB, Mug Club and more, visit the website below.
 Upcoming Birding Programs & Outings
For more details or to register check us out ONLINE!
Coffee with the Birds Events
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Enjoy a hot cup of coffee and some baked goodies as you watch the birds at the feeders and discuss various birding topics with a naturalist. Bring your bird questions, curiosities and stories, and don't forget your favorite mug!
There are 2 sessions of Feeder Watching to choose from (see below) and a Birding Tidbits "bite-sized" presentation on topics ranging from local birding information and bird identification to natural history and stories of birding adventures. Don't miss them as these short presentations are sure to be entertaining and informative.
*We plan to be both in-person and Livestream!
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CwB Schedule
9:30 - 10:20 Feeder Watching Session 1
10:30 - 11:00: Birding Tidbits
11:10 - 12:00 Feeder Watching Session 2
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Upcoming CwB Event Dates
- 2/11/22 - Birding Story: A Bor-eal for R-eal? Venturing "Into the Wild" to find an elusive owl in Alaska
- 3/18/22 - Bird Profile: Cedar Waxwing
*Put them on your calendar TODAY!
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Additional Birding Programs
Winter Birding Field Trips - 2/18/23
Wildlife Encounter - Winter's Ghosts: Snowy Owls
Woodcock Walks:
Photo by Blair Celano, 2022 Photo Contest
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 Curtis Dykstra on the Jan Meeuwsen Garden Show
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Radio Show/Podcast: WHTC Holland
Jan has a guest! Jan talks with Curtis Dykstra of Ottawa County Parks. They discuss all things birds.
The Jan Meeuwsen Garden Show features all the gardening information listeners have grown to love!
Join Jan each Saturday from 11:00 am – Noon for her own show!
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Owastanong Islands Audubon Society
Click the link below to view the results of the 2022 Hudsonville Christmas Bird Count held on 12/17/22. Then read further below for a summary.
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Here is a summary of the final results of the 2022 Hudsonville CBC
(MIHU) held December 17, 2022:
34 counters in 17 parties braved blowing snow and 30 degree temperatures to tally 66 species and 11,654 individual birds (down from 81 species and 14,864 individuals last year, but consistent with previous year averages). The counters logged 624 miles by car and 30.27 on foot, and a total of 105 hours in the field, up 2 hours from last year.
Highlights were near record numbers of Mallard and Tufted Titmouse (each one individual less than all time record). Horned Larks and Snow Buntings were in attendance, but Lapland Longspurs were no-show.
Although no Snowy Owls were found, Curtis and Mike did find an Eastern Screech-owl and two Barred Owls. Eric and Liz each came up with one Great-horned Owl in each of their areas. Rarities were conspicuously absent this year except for six Sandhill Cranes found by Liz (second record for the Hudsonville CBC), and one Yellow-rumped Warbler tallied by Jess and Alex (fourth record). See the attached report for details.
A big THANK YOU to all participants, and to OIAS and Ottawa County Parks Nature Education Center for support.
Thanks, Carl Manning
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Article/Video: NPR Goats and Soda
Injured black kites at Wildlife Rescue, a clinic run by brothers Nadeem Shehzad and Muhammad Saud in Delhi has treated nearly 26,000 black kites over the past 12 years, they've treated nearly 26,000 of the raptors. The brothers are featured in a new prize-winning documentary, All That Breathes, opening in the U.S. this month and coming to HBO in 2023.
Photos by Javed Dar/Xinhua via Getty Images
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Let it Snowbirds!
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Article: Audubon Great Lakes
Your Guide to Winter Finches of the Great Lakes Region! As winter begins across the Great Lakes region, bird watchers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of winter finches that are moving in large numbers outside of their typical range.
Photo by Lynn Rutan, 2022 Photo Contest
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*If you have an interesting bird-related article or video to share, let us know!
Email it to us at naturecenter@miottawa.org and put "Bird News" in the subject line.
 Submit your sightings, photos and videos and I'll share them in these Newswire emails. See below for information on how to submit your sightings!
Greater Scaup Rescue! January 4, 2023
On January 4th, Robin Brandsen posted this video/text of a stranded Greater Scaup female to local birders:
"Is anyone in the area of windsnest park? He's been here for 2 days, the rescue says need to get to water, it thinks it's in water due to pavement color."
The duck presumably could not take off from the pavement but may have landed on it thinking it was water. Carl and Judi Manning came to the rescue and captured the bird so it could be released by water. Watch this short video of the release:
Thanks to Robin Brandsen for the photo and videos and Carl and Judi for helping the bird out!
*This duck was identified as a Greater Scaup by observing the markings on the outstretched wing of the bird as it takes flight. The white extends from the secondary flight feathers (near the body of the duck) outward all the way into the primary flight feathers (closer to the tip of the wing). This is a female due to the brown color with white encircling the base of the bill.
For more info, watch this Waterfowl ID Video I made for a Tidbit presentation last winter.
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Peregrine Falcon
This peregrine falcon was photographed by Robin Brandsen on 1/24/23 along New Holland street between 112th and 120th. Look close and you'll see it's a banded bird! Robin relocated it on Bingham beween 128th and 132nd the following day, so if you are in the area, be on the lookout for this impressive falcon!
 Peregrine Falcon by Robin Brandsen
Banded Common Loon Report!
Read the story/email correspondence below between Cindy Dobrez, who found and photographed a banded loon in Grand Haven recently, and the Walter Piper, the biologist she contacted and heads The Loon Project. She got a very interesting reply with information about the history of the 17 year old loon she saw!
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Walter,
I saw this Common Loon today 1/25/23 in the Grand Haven, MI channel from the south pier. The loon had moved farther away before I saw the left leg. If I spot it again I will try to get better photos of the left leg (or the right leg out of water). It was a good day since I also saw 4 Red-throated Loons (lifer) but they were farther out and I was not able to get looks at their legs.
Thanks for your work tracking loons. If you are able to provide any information about this one, I'd be interested.
Cindy Dobrez
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Wow, Cindy, thanks for the great photos! I absolutely know who this is, and it is one of our banded males from Wisconsin! Banded as a chick on East Horsehead Lake in Oneida County, Wisconsin, this 17-year-old male bred on nearby Two Sisters Lake for six years, was evicted from there in 2016, then settled on a poor territory nearby and tried to breed there — in vain — with a new mate until 2019. Since then, he has fallen off of our radar. Who could guess that he would appear yesterday, in a snowstorm, as one of the scarce wintering loons on Lake Michigan?
His bands are blue over mint with burgundy stripe (right leg), silver over green (left leg). Can you see the bottom band color on the left leg, which allowed a definitive ID? You can just see the lower green band on the left leg below the very coppery-looking silver band, which must be quite stained.
Thanks for working hard to get those photos. This is really neat because it is the northernmost wintering record (by far) for any of our banded loons. Also important to note that this is an adult that is an old established bird, not just a juvenile that didn’t make it to the wintering ground!
Great stuff! Thanks a bunch!
Walter Piper
Professor of Biology
Schmid College of Science and Technology
Chapman University
Orange, CA 92866
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HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR BIRD SHARE SIGHTINGS
Click on the "Google Forms" link below to fill out where, when and what birds you saw. As an additional option at the end of the form, you'll have opportunity to upload any bird photos or videos you'd like to share! Please limit photos/videos to 3 per monthly newsletter and they must be <10MB each. Thank you!
*NOTE: You must be signed into a Google account to upload files. If you don't have a Google account, email your submissions to naturecenter@miottawa.org with "Bird Share" in the subject line.
*Any information or photos shared will be used in future Birding Update Newswire! emails.
BIRD BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
If you have a bird-related book recommendation you'd like to share, click the link below to let us know!
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 Links to Share
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One-stop-shop for bird identification resources, bird videos, Coffee with the Birds, local bird clubs & many more useful birding websites and resources.
Use this link to sign up for this Newswire! email or share it with other who may enjoy it too.
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