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SBTH Newsletter Volume 2, Number 2 August, 2003 Our Mission Statement: "To protect, enhance and restore habitat for North American birds and to educate people of all ages to do the same." Place: 5020 N. Putnam Road; Leelanau Township, MI Speakers: Dr. Gregory S. Butcher, Audubon Director of Citizen Science in Ivyland, PA; as well as former Executive Director of the American Birding Association. Brian Price, Executive Director of The Leelanau Conservancy Activities: Northport Community Band will play and Village Voices will sing. There will be displays, refreshments and guided bird walks. Wings of Wonder will participate by bringing educational hawks and owls. Local composer, Ann Bloomquist, has written a song for the event. Directions: Travel north on M-22 about a mile and a half past the casino. Turn left on Putnam and drive about two miles to 5020 Putnam. Dear members and friends, From the day SBTH was incorporated, we dreamed of a home of our own. We wanted a building in a rural setting, with a large classroom where people could learn about the fantastic winged creatures that fill our lives with joy. When a friend learned of our dream, she donated two thousand dollars as a memorial for her late husband to seed our building fund. Over the following months we were able to solicit more than sixty thousand dollars for our Center. Last year, three acres of land at the corner of Tatch and Putnam in Leelanau Township, was donated to our organization. On the morning of June 23 of this year, a parade of trucks, cars and vans converged on that three acres and there, where a concrete slab floor had been poured the week before, seventeen men and women began a collective effort to build our Habitat Discovery Center. The work was planned and carried out after the style of an old-fashioned barn raising. Under the able direction of general contractor Jim May, of Salisbury and May Contruction Co. (who generously donated all of his efforts), these men and women worked from 8:00 in the morning until nearly 6:00 in the evening in temperatures that climbed into the high eighties. By the end of the day, the framing was finished and the exterior sheathing was on the walls. During the following weeks, our volunteer crew expanded, and to date nearly fifty people have contributed their labor in some way. After the barn raising, Jim Charter and Ralph Kalchik led these generous people in working on the building. Within two weeks, the roof was shingled. Another two weeks saw installation of doors and windows. Volunteers Dusty McDonald and Walt Gaudette spent several days completing rough wiring and Bob Wilcox, and SBTH member from Grand Junction, CO, laid out the plumbing. Groundwork for a wetland was laid by damming off a swale just south of the building, and clay was spread behind the dam to provide water retention. By the time of the dedication, willows and red osier dogwoods will be added to the wetland, providing habitat for rails and wetland-loving warblers. Beginning next spring, we will host programs on a variety of conservation-related issues. There will be bird hikes, native and non-native plants, programs and field guide classes. The Center will be open to the public at no charge. Please come and join us as we dedicate this new building to the cause of bird conservation and ecology. We wish to thank the following companies and individuals for their generous contributions and assistance in construction: Arjay Floorcovering, B&Z Well Drilling, Cook Enterprises, KAL Excavating, United Building Supplies (Grawn), Mark and Jane Voight, Waterscapes Unlimited, Inc. George Ball, Jim and Wendy Bean, Larry and Joey Bensley, Bruce Bowen, Marlin and Pat Bussey, Stan and Dorothy Cain, Jim and Kay Charter, Deb Cornell, Chuck and Janet Dickerson, John and Gina Erb, Rick Evans, Bill Fischbeck, Sofia Gans, Walt and Bev Gaudette, Herb and Dottie Holmes, Dave and Linda Jacobs, Ralph and Nancy Kalchik, Bob and Julie Krist, Karl and Kaye Kristen, Dusty and Jan McDonald, Jim and Debbie May, Jim and Bobbie Poor, Dick Smith, Mary Smith, Bob and Kathy Turner, Bob Wilcox, Andy Wood, Tom Wood, Ken Wylie, Ron Yatich 
The Beautiful "Butterbird" -- SBTH Mascot The beautiful bird above is a male Bobolink, one of the many birds that travel to the tropics, and then come to North America to nest. This particular bird goes all the way to the Argentine pampas for the winter, where it forages in cultivated grain fields. Males in breeding plumage are elegant creatures; buffy cap with white scapular (upper wing) and rump feathers set off their black bodies. After the breeding season is over, they fade to a yellow and buff coloration that is similar to the females and young of the species. Bobolinks nest in hayfields and weedy meadows. Hayfields, particularly, were once excellent habitat for these birds, whose bubbling song rings over their chosen nest sites. Today, however, early crop cutting destroys dests, often with the nestlings still inside. Also, loss of native meadows to non-native species such as spotted knapweed degrades what is often prime nest habitat. The result is a bird whose population is in serious decline. And that is why Bobbie Poor, our Education Director, selected the Bobolink to represent our organization. We believe that individual involvement can help bring this bird -- and dozens of others -- back to a more stable population. As with all conservation issues, the answer lies in understanding the problem and then taking action to turn things around. For the Bobolink, non-native species should be eliminated from fields and meadows. For this species, as well as the rest of our migrant birds, native plantings provide the key to success. Native plants - unlike non-natives - host the insects upon which nestlings depend. If you or someone you know owns a field or meadow, do your best to keep the alien species out. Voracious post-breeding feeding in rice fields led farmers to tag them "rice birds". They have also been called May-birds, meadow winks and butter birds. By any name, they are part of our natural heritage and as such, are treasures to appreciate, protect, and aid in whatever way we can. “Bobolink” photo: Courtesy of S. MASLOWSKI/USFWS See you at the dedication! |
