On Friday, February 22, the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy welcomes over 140 people to the first ever Osprey Awards. The event was a tremendous success! The Conservancy raised nearly $8,000 for its programs, and our partners and friends were recognized for their outstanding service in the name of nature in our watershed.  We are so happy and proud to have had such a tremendous response to our event, and we look forward to welcoming an even larger crowd to the Second Annual Ospreys in 2014! 

Check out the SBLC Facebook page for a full gallery of photos from the event. We enjoyed great "campground" food, excellent acoustic music, and the excitement of over 40 prizes being raffled off! Be sure to set aside the Friday before the Oscars, on Academy Awards weekend, Friday, February 21 2014 today! (Of course, by this time next year people will say that the Oscars take place the Sunday of Osprey Awards weekend!)

The Osprey was once almost lost due to the pesticide DDT, but today they can be found in rebounding numbers throughout the watershed! Check out what the Cornell Lab has to say about our favorite raptor, and then check out this video of a hunting Osprey...AMAZING!!!

Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons.

And...
Don't miss the first-ever Osprey Awards for Conservation Excellence, February 22, 2013!

This weekend, Trevor and Zak came across a Barred Owl, early in the morning, as he finished up his evening hunting and looked for a place to sleep his day away.  The Barred Owl is probably our second most common owl, but that doesn't make them a common sight!  

What does the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have to say about our recent encounter? 

Widely distributed through North America, the Barred Owl is a resident of deep forests, including swamps, riparian, and upland habitats. In the twentieth century, it has expanded its range north and west through the boreal forest, and south to northern California. 

Identified by its round head lacking ear tufts, brown eyes, and horizontal barring on its throat, the Barred Owl is about one-third smaller than the Great Gray Owl (S. nebulosa), slightly smaller than the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), and slightly larger than the Spotted Owl. A notable feature is its vocal repertoire. In addition to its distinctive 8-note hooting call (often rendered as “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all”), this owl projects a loud series of spectacular dueting vocalizations during courtship that sound like maniacal laughter.

Like the Spotted Owl, the Barred Owl is territorial throughout the year and monogamous, raising 1 brood a year. It is a true generalist predator, much like the Spotted and Great Horned owls, consuming a variety of birds up to the size of grouse; small mammals up to the size of rabbits; and amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates.

Although the Barred Owl has been expanding its range in North America, concern exists for its populations in some areas. Relying on secondary tree cavities for nests, this owl is most often associated with large trees in old forests. Because of this, it is often used as an indicator species in the management of old forests. In the Pacific Northwest, however, the Barred Owl (unlike the Spotted Owl) readily inhabits mature second-growth forest.

One thing is certain, our recent facebook posts about Pileated Woodpeckers were timely! Their cavity excavations have a big impact on Barred Owls, who rely on their leftover nesting cavities.  Just one more example of how every species is important and everything is a delicate balance!

You can learn all you would ever want to know about the Roundlobe Hepatica HERE, courtesy of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas, Austin.

Found in many states across the nation, the Roundlobe Hepatica is a small, deciduous plant that is an early spring wildflower.  The Hepatica is usually seen with characteristic lavender flowers atop its 3-lobed leaves, which give it its name.  The leaves on the Roundlobe Hepatica can be seen throughout the winter in most cases.  

Despite chilly temps and skies threatening rain, a dedicated group of volunteers met this morning for the Stewardship Day activities at the Wah Sash Kah Moqua Nature Preserve.  SBLC staff and volunteers gathered to construct a small shelter near the entrance on the middle parcel of the preserve.  They also tackled several other projects including Autumn Olive removal and spreading donated woodchips on the trails.  A huge thank you to all who contributed to making this stewardship effort a success!

Trilliums are beautiful and plentiful native perennials.  They are common in many areas around the Saginaw Bay Watershed, and in fact are common to the entire Great Lakes Watershed.  Did you know that the Trillium is the official flower and emblem of the Province of Ontario, for instance?  Our favorite element of the Trillium is its tendency to cover a whole understory of a piece of woodlot.  These noble little blooms create a seasonal carpet of white, and are not to be missed! Just stop by our Elliot-Patchett Nature Preserve in Shiawassee County to see for yourself!

What we know as a Trillium, however, is really just one of many dozens of native Trillium species.  They are delicate and choosy about where they will successfully propagate  and while plentiful, many of the areas where Trillium once would have thrived have been run under by overdevelopment, like many native plants.  If you come across Trilliums in the field, please enjoy them and leave them be, removing just one or two flowers can be fatal for a Trillium! Picking a flower prevents the plant from producing food it will need for the next year, and it takes years for the plant to recover (if it can recover at all). In Michigan, picking Trilliums on public land is against the law, in fact!  Besides, when there are so many beautiful natural places, like the SBLC Nature Preserves, who needs to disturb these great wild plants?  Just come by and enjoy them!

The SBLC protects thousands of acres of habitat that is perfect "home turf" for the American Kestrel, North America's smallest falcon.  Next year, we hope to start a program of American Kestrel nesting boxes at our Wah Sash Kah Moqua Nature Preserve in northern Bay and Arenac Counties. Here is what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has to say about one of our favorite native birds:

Formerly known as the Sparrow Hawk, the American Kestrel is the smallest, most numerous, and most widespread North American falcon. Of the 13 kestrel species that occur throughout the world, it is the only one found in the Western Hemisphere, where as many as 17 subspecies are recognized from Alaska and Canada to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. This colorful falcon is sexually dichromatic: the male has blue-gray wings and a rufous tail with a single broad subterminal black band, while the wings and tail of the female are rufous with black bars across their lengths. There is considerable individual variation in plumage. The species also exhibits sexual size dimorphism, with the female about 10% heavier than the male.

The American Kestrel inhabits open areas covered by short ground vegetation where it hunts mostly from perches, frequently from utility wires along roadside berms, but also by hovering, especially when suitable perches are lacking. A hovering bird faces into the wind, with head apparently fixed in space, while the wings alternately flap and glide and the tail constantly adjusts to each eddy in the breeze. It feeds on arthropods and small vertebrates, usually capturing these on the ground, although some individuals become proficient at capturing insects and small birds in flight. The kestrel is attracted to human-modified habitats, such as pastures and parkland, and often is found near areas of human activity, including some heavily developed urban areas.

This falcon is a secondary cavity nester, using woodpecker-excavated or natural cavities in large trees, crevices in rocks, and nooks in buildings and other structures. The availability of suitable cavities appears to limit its populations in many parts of the breeding range. The species readily uses artificial nest boxes, and there is increasing public interest in participating in nest-box programs. (like the one SBLC will start nest season! Let us know if you would like to volunteer!)

The Bay Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally welcome the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy to the neighborhood. An assortment of truly delightful refreshments were prepared for the open house by volunteers, Barb Socia and Barbara Fisher, while Populace Coffee of Bay City provided lemonade and iced coffee.  We were pleased and excited to see SBLC land owners, board members, volunteers, business sponsors, friends and family members all in attendance. Thank you for sharing this special occasion with us!   More event photos.

Yesterday afternoon, SBLC members had a special opportunity to walk on a privately-owned conservation easement in northern Bay County. Jim and Shirley McLean have managed their easement property in such a way that, over the years, they have created a variety of habitats within the 135-acre parcel.

While the event was billed as the "Lupine Walk" we saw so much more than that, starting with the meadows where wildflowers grew in abundance!  I've forgotten some of them already, but remember seeing Blue Flax, Lupines (pink and purple), Yellow Toadflax, Poppies, and more colors of Sweet William than I even knew existed. The wildflower meadow was absolutely stunning!

We also saw a number of birds including Red-winged Blackbirds, Barn Swallows, a Bluebird and a Hawk.  Trevor, our new Land Protection Specialist, even startled up an American Woodcock as we walked through the field.

After the wildflower walk, those who wanted to stay were invited to walk into the wooded section of the property back to the river and past a couple of ponds.  The weather could not have been nicer.  A lovely breeze and a bit of moving cloud cover made it just perfect for an outdoor event.  Thanks to the McLeans, several SBLC members will have very fond memories of the afternoon - not to mention great photos!  Check out the photo album of pictures from yesterday's walk on our Facebook page.

Joy Wikoff, Development Coordinator