The other day we spent time at the Eddy Discovery Center bog trail. This is a wonderful trail that goes through a variety of woods and wetlands ending in a delightful bog. Along one stretch of the trail there are a lot of Indian pipes (Ghost pipes). which is an interesting plant. But it wasContinue reading “A southern Michigan bog”
Tag Archives: michigan
Red-headed Woodpeckers
With so many woodpeckers in Eastern North America how is it possible to haver a favorite bird. Pileated Woodpeckers are large, loud and flashy birds. Black-backed and Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are rare and occasionally hard to find. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are fun to find But for me it’s Red-headed Woodpeckers. While exploring areas near Grayling, Michigan thatContinue reading “Red-headed Woodpeckers”
Moths in Ann Arbor
On Friday night we did a moth night for the Natural Areas Preservation people and volunteers at Oakwoods Nature Area. What a great evening at a place we had never been to. The meandering trails in the woods skirt a nice vernal pool and a large pond/lake. Setting up was simple and at about 9:30Continue reading “Moths in Ann Arbor”
Grayling birds
So the other day we decided to spend a night in Grayling which is in the heart of Kirtland’s Warbler country. It’s been years since we stayed in that area, probably since before 2009 when we built the cabin. Regardless, it was a blast. One of the spots that we visited had tremendous numbers ofContinue reading “Grayling birds”
Finding an interesting orchid
We always stop along M-123, between I-75 and Moran (Mackinac Co., Michigan) to see this orchid when it is blooming. This is the Showy Lady’s-slipper. Sometimes to get there before they are blooming, or after they’re done. But sometime we hit them at peak. That was the case this year with an added benefit. InContinue reading “Finding an interesting orchid”
First full day of summer 2024
We spend a lot of the summer at our cabin at Whitefish Point, Michigan. Spring migration is long over, although yesterday we had a small kettle of eleven Broad-winged Hawks overhead. Now we talk long walks looking for flowers and insects, drive to favorite sites for birds and orchids or light for moths (more onContinue reading “First full day of summer 2024″
Finally, some flowers!
Last night we had a beautiful sunset. This is one of the great joys of having an upper deck that faces west. White flowers seem to be dominating currently. The plant on the left is wild strawberry, there must be thousands between our place and the lighthouse at Whitefish Point. The plant on the rightContinue reading “Finally, some flowers!”
A night filled with moths
When the nights are warmer and without a threat of rain we set up the lights for attracting moths. In this part of May it’s still chancy regarding what we might get at Whitefish Point. The other night was better than we had recently experienced. Here are a few of our moths. We had severalContinue reading “A night filled with moths”
Birdathon at Whitefish Point.
Well, as expected the day started out drizzly and with mist until about noon. The number and variety of birds was lower than the day before. But we managed about 135 species with about a dozen observers. Money raised with this effort will go to supporting the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory. In the course ofContinue reading “Birdathon at Whitefish Point.”
Birds at Whitefish Point
Finally, a small push in passerines at Whitefish Point. We had 12 species of warblers, 2 vireos, 2 flycatchers and a sparrow. Also the Great-tailed Grackle continues to be seen at the point. Warblers included: Nashville, Myrtle, Yellow, Blackburnian, Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia, Tennessee, Black-throated Green, Canada, Orange-crowned and Wilson’s. Vireos were Red-eyed and Philadelphia. FlycatchersContinue reading “Birds at Whitefish Point”
Michael's Place 