April 10 Birds & Brews Recap

April 10 was a fun night for Birds & Brews! We were fortunate to have Michigan Audubon's Conservation Director Tom Funke speak about Audubon's many sanctuaries. Michigan Audubon protects over 5000 acres with their 19 sanctuaries throughout the state. Tom had a wonderful slide show showcasing the habitat and beauty of these important sanctuaries. An added bonus, a drawing was held for a 2-night stay at the log cabin at Otis Farm Bird Sanctuary. Rita Montague was the lucky winner of this prize!

Our next Birds & Brews will be held at Wild Birds Unlimited in Canton. Stay tuned for upcoming details.

April 10 - Presentation on Michigan Audubon's Bird Sanctuaries

On April 10, we are featuring Michigan Audubon's Conservation Director, Tom Funke.  Tom will be presenting on MAS bird sanctuaries. These 19 sanctuaries protect more than 5,000 acres of important wildlife habitat. Rivers, lakes, marshes, bogs, fens, grasslands, hardwoods and northern conifer communities are found in these habitats, many protecting endangered species of animals and plants. Come join us!

Event Details:

• Wednesday, April 10th
• 6:00 - 6:45 p.m. - Social hour
• 6:45 p.m. - Presentation by Tom Funke
• Place - Bailey's Pub, 22091 Michigan Ave, Dearborn
• RSVP's are required for this event / shelleyupnorth@gmail.com

Cold night, cold brews!

It was a chilly night outside tonight but that didn't stop the Birds & Brews group from having "cold" drinks at Bailey's Pub.  We are all looking forward to warmer weather and spring migration!

Highlights of the night:

• Diane shared some wonderful bird photos with the group. 
• Rita told us about getting 12 life birds on her recent trip to Sault Ste. Marie including the Hawk Owl
• Bob donated his beautiful photograph of the Cardinal for our raffle tonight.
• Raffle proceedings benefiting Michigan Audubon's  habitat restoration
• Reviewing upcoming events including the Tawas Bird Festival http://tawasbirdfest.com/
• Having some cupcakes to celebrate Danette's birthday
• Talking about birds of course!

At the next Birds & Brews we'll be featuring Michigan Audubon's Conservation Director, Tom Funke who will be presenting a slide show on MAS's nature sanctuaries.  RSVP's will be required for this event.  Any questions, please contact shelleyupnorth at gmail.com

Birds & Brews Calendar

 Spring migration will be here before you know it!  What bird are you looking most forward to seeing?  For those of you who know me well, you won't be surprised that I am looking forward to the Common Loon's return.

Now, onto our Birds & Brews event calendar
**Please note all events begin at 6:00 pm and are held at Bailey's Pub in Dearborn unless otherwise specified.

• Wednesday, March 13th  - Bring your recent bird photos to share! I know some members of our group recently attended Michigan Audubon's birding trip to Sault Ste. Marie, so I cannot wait to hear that update!  RSVP's are appreciated as to allow for proper room set-up.
  

• Wednesday, April 10th - Michigan Audubon's conservation director Tom Funke will be giving a presentation on MAS's bird sanctuaries. Did you know that MAS has a sanctuary system of over 5,000 acres that extends from southern Michigan to the Upper Peninsula wilderness?  RSVP's are required for this event!

• May - I highly encourage our group to join me at the Tawas Birding Festival May 16 - 19th in Iosco county. The festival will feature guided birding walks at the area’s best hot spots, programs and talks by some of Michigan’s leading wildlife experts. Besides all the great birding to be done, I'm sure we can find a pub to have an impromptu Birds & Brews.  Please let me know if you plan on attending.  Here is the festival website: http://tawasbirdfest.com/ - Register early!
  

• June 12 - to be announced.

I look forward to seeing many of you next week at Birds & Brews. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or ideas for future Birds & Brews.  We have such a wonderful and fun group.

February 13th Recap

Another fun night at Birds & Brews on February 13th! Author William Rapai updated us on Huron Pine's conservation plans for the Kirtland's Warbler. We also gave away some fun raffle items. Thank you to Susan and Danette for their kind donations toward this!

Please mark your calendars for our next Birds & Brews on March 13th and April 10th. On April 10th we will feature Michigan Audubon's conservation director Tom Funke.  Tom will be giving a presentation on Audubon's sanctuaries. Stay tuned for more upcoming event details.  Have any questions? Please contact shelleyupnorth @ gmail.com.

February 13 Birds & Brews featuring author William Rapai

Come join us for our next Birds & Brews! William Rapai, award winning author of "The Kirtland's Warbler: The Story of a Bird's Fight Against Extinction and the People Who Saved It" will be speaking about current conservation planning for the Kirtland's Warbler.

RSVP's are required for this gathering.

• Date: 2/13/13 

• Place: Bailey's Pub in Dearborn, MI 

• Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

• RSVP: shelleyupnorth@gmail.com

*About Michigan Birds & Brews: We are a social group for birders of all abilities. We enjoy birding and a good brew!

Birds & Brews Recap

Happy New Year from Birds & Brews!  A group of  16 people gathered tonight at Bailey's Pub. We had 5 raffle drawing winners and talked about birds of course! Thank you again to Pat & Wayne for providing some of the prize donations.

Please keep in mind Michigan Audubon's fun winter birding trips for January and February to Sault Ste Marie. Last year we saw a Snowy Owl, Northern Shrike, Bohemian Waxwings and Pine Grosbeaks just to name a few.  https://michiganaudubonorg.presencehost.net/education/eventcalendar/event/2013/01/20/winter-birding-in-the-eastern-upper-peninsula

Birds & Brews is typically held the 2nd Wednesday of every month at Bailey's Pub in Dearborn. We are a social group for birders. If you're interested in birds, then you're invited! Our next Birds & Brews will be held February 13, March 13 and April 10th.  Until then, happy birding!