Author Archives: makielb

“Bad news – you failed your test.” “Darn.” Maybe next time. Maybe one will show up in Florida in two weeks. Happily, more later.

A beautiful cold (5F) morning in Ann Arbor. But not much nearby for birdwatching. Bert and his bird friends are resorting to spider watching! In January, 2019 I walked around the Eastern Michigan University campus photographing various buildings and statues that I regularly passed going to teach. I was anticipating retiring later that year. ErinContinue reading “Oh baby, it’s cold outside”

As was typical, our day started with sunrise and breakfast. Penny’s Kitchen is a great place to eat, and I love their sense of humor. Heading south towards Rudyard in search of White-winged Crossbills we stopped at feeders. This one had Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers. Thanks to a text from somebody that we helped toContinue reading “Sault Ste. Marie to Ann Arbor, a busy day”

We started the day with breakfast at Frank’s Place. Then it was off to search for birds. If you look under the left feeder you can see the tail of a cardinal. There was a male and female cardinal at these feeders, but never when I was taking pictures. Cardinals are not typical in theContinue reading “Looking for waxwings”

Our day started with a veggie breakfast bagel and coffee. Then we were off in search of Gray Jays. Hulbert Bog has always been one of my favorite places to visit in the Upper Peninsula. The bog part of Basnau Road is only about 2 miles long, but can be interesting in all seasons. ThereContinue reading “Sault Ste. Marie to Hulbert and back”

We managed to find at least 6 Northern Shrikes on Tuesday. Another fun bird was Sharp-tailed Grouse – which we found at several places. Wild Turkeys were abundant, and at many bird-feeders. Then it was time for a late breakfast. Breakfast was next door to one of the marijuana shops now situated in the Soo.Continue reading “A day full of birds in Chippewa County, Michigan”

On the road again, heading north to search out some winter fun. The trip started in Ann Arbor, where it was 10F and ended in Sault Ste. Marie where it was 28F. Besides the excitement of the Snowy Owl, bird-watcher friends know the significance of exit-373 on I-75. We were with our friend Mike atContinue reading “Searching for owls”

Finally using my new camera, a Nikon P1000. A Downy Woodpecker in the yard. Then it’s off to breakfast with Mike and Linda at Avalon. A wonderful place for an early Sunday breakfast. We were their first customers of the day. Afterwords Susan and I walked Main Street looking at window art and other things.Continue reading “Downtown Ann Arbor”

Susan and I spent the night at our house rather than a party with friends. It’s the fourth day of our five day isolation after arriving back in Ann Arbor from our trip to Oregon. It was quiet. We watched some of the Orange Bowl and the Red Wing hockey game. We welcomed the NewContinue reading “Welcoming 2022”

We started the year spending most of the time in our house and walking around the neighborhood. We enjoyed daily sightings and listening to Carolina Wrens and Red-breasted Nuthatches. In March we started traveling from Ann Arbor to our cabin at Whitefish Point. where we were treated to many Common Redpolls at our feeders andContinue reading “2021 – Natural History year in review”