This afternoon while raking leaves I saw out on the bay two bald eagles, loads of ducks, swans, (the first this fall) and a coyote with a bum leg. With the water level so low the amount of wildlife I see when at home (in the day light hours) is amazing. Soon I will be looking at solid water!
Things at Chappee Rapids Audubon continue to march forward. If you have not seen the presentations by our group and the Menominee Co. Historical Society at the Chappee Webber learning center you have missed a great learning experience. The paths are cleared and sign posts and maps have been put up at the Lake Noquebay trails. The group working on the Carney Fen site continues to gather information and work toward getting the fen designated as a State of Michigan Natural Area. Yarrow Wolfe may make the fen part of her masters' thesis for school. With the help of Vaneska Litz, Marinette County's Community Natural Resource Economic Educator, our area bird guide is complete.
It always amazes me at what our small group accomplishes. As I have said in the past we are only as good as our members and what good members we have.
If there is any energy left out there in our membership I can think of one more thing we should be involved in, the mining issue in Menominee Co. This brings to mind the Crandon Mine; somewhere on my shelves is a 25-year-old copy of the first Environmental Impact Statement on the mine. After 27 years it looks like the possibility of a mine near Crandon is over. The Forest County Potawatomi and Mole Lake Sokaogon Chippewa Band of American Indians have purchased the land and mineral rights from the most recent owner, Nicolet Minerals Co. Let's hope things do not go on for that long in Menominee Co.

Reminder- If your mailing label reads Renewal Due Sept 2003, you still need to renew your membership for 2003-04. A membership form is included on the back of the paper newsletter or Click Here. Thank you.
Pay your dues to Treasurer Ruth Farrell at the next meeting.
It is particularly important to include your e-mail address! This will allow you to receive notice of events that may not be in the newsletter. We will not send your address to any other organizations.

During the spring and autumn seasons, many of us see flocks of geese, ducks, and sandhill cranes flying through the Marinette/Menominee area on their way to far away destinations. Those with birdfeeders may see the smaller, less impressive, migrators as they make their way, one feeder at a time, to their summer or winter homes. But where are they going? Where did they come from? Many birds who pass through our area are flying to or flying from Alaska and Canada's northern coastline.
At our November meeting, Liz Beechwood will present a program on bird migration in Alaska. Before moving to Wisconsin in 2002, Liz and her family lived in Alaska for 12 years. She has watched birds migrate over Kodiak, Homer, and Anchorage and was a volunteer at the Raptor Rehabilitation Center in Sitka.
Some questions that will be explored include: Why and where in Alaska? How many species? Where are the top Shorebird Festivals in Alaska? Why is ANWR so important? What is the importance of migrating birds to Alaskan Native groups?

Thanks to participants in the October trail sign/brushing outing, the trail is marked and ready to go. It just needs a little to traffic to break it in. So get out there and walk, bike, ski, or snow shoe.

WeatherFriend Calendars
We are again selling the WeatherFriend Calendar, the annual almanac of Northeast Wisconsin and the UP. This phenology calendar tells us what nature is up to each season in Northeast Wisconsin's woods, lakes and our own back yards. The 2004 Weatherfriend Calendar sells for $7.50, with Chappee Rapids Audubon keeping half. Supplies are limited, so call Laurie Lata at 735-5961

Thistle Feeders
We have unique finch feeders for sale. These 8" tube feeders hold Niger seed for the finches. They come with a mesh bag on the bottom, are easy to fill, and have no bottom on the tube so the seed never molds. And the birds love them! The price is $19. We also do have 3 nice bluebird houses left and will sell those for $10.00. Supplies are limited, so call Joan Campbell at 732-1277.

Mark Saturday, December 27th now on your calendar for the Annual Christmas Bird Counts. Don't miss this fun day with fellow birders as you count species and numbers of birds for the National Audubon Society.
Please remember that you do not have to be an expert at bird identification. You will be placed with someone knowledgeable and it will be a wonderful learning experience. Come join thousands of counters across the continent.
To learn more about the Menominee County count scheduled for December 27, call Joan Campbell at 732-1277

The top ten birds seen most frequently at bird feeders throughout North America:

A 30-year satellite record of sea ice in the two polar regions reveals that while the Northern Hemisphere Arctic ice has melted, Southern Hemisphere Antarctic ice has actually increased in more recent years. However, due to dramatic losses of Antarctic sea ice between 1973 and 1977, sea ice in both hemispheres has shrunk on average when examined over the 30-year time frame.
For more detail on this study Click Here.

NASA's Earth scientists think ice is hot - a hot topic, that is. Two percent of the world's water, about 7 million trillion gallons, exists as the solid, frozen form, second only to the amount in the oceans. NASA wants to know what's happening to our planet's ice, as even small changes in ice could mean big impacts on the water cycle and ultimately the global climate.

Polar ice reflects a great deal of the Sun's energy that falls on it back into space, helping regulate the amount of energy arriving on Earth, which drives weather and all the other atmospheric activities. Even a few percent more acres of open water absorbing energy could tip the scales of Earth's energy balance, adding more energy to the atmosphere, altering short- and long-term weather patterns.

Already, scientists have seen differences in Earth's ice cover over time. But it takes time before they can draw any conclusions about possible causes of change: "The first step in understanding why things happen is observing what is happening," says Dr. Waleed Abdalati, NASA scientist and ice researcher.

I can't believe the Fall is almost over! Just eight weeks ago we were all enjoying full, green trees and lush grasses and Autumn flowers. In spite of a few light frosts, late summer hung on and on...then...October 9th through 14th the woodlands exploded into their grand annual finale. The deep amber hues predominated this year punctuated by some nice reds in the "lesser" plants like raspberries, currents and the emerging winterberries. On one afternoon walk I was treated to a clump of maidenhair fern (Adiantum ) faded to a delicate lemon shade framed against the still green woodland sedges. Many an aster was still in bloom through last week and then.....topped with SNOW! That slushy ice combined with this morning's five degree reading has truly ended the "glowing" season and winter here we come.

Bird movements in the local area seemed similar to last year. There were modest numbers of sharp shins and Coopers, so far few goshawks. Marsh hawks showed good movement in October but are now gone for the season. Eagles are present in normal numbers but first year birds seem to be up, at least in my neighborhood! Sandhills staged in many fields around the area this year with my last sighting on November 2nd so far. I think the actual numbers of birds was about the same just more dispersed in their habits. Northern robins moved through the third week of October gorging on berries all the way!

Vireos, flycatchers and warblers peaked the end of September through the first week of October. Juncos, white throats and numerous young sparrows were everywhere out here the 2nd and 3rd week of October. Comparatively few Juncos are still present here at the farm. About the most unusual "sighting" for me was hearing a screech owl the week of October 29th in the slough to the west of the house. Remember, if you saw something really great and didn't tell me about it, I won't be able to share it here! ( Hint)

In the weeks to come rough legged hawks will take over in our fields, they are present now and very numerous north of Escanaba. I was nearly flattened in my yard last week by a red-shouldered hawk and I have seen at least two others so this may be a good year for them. Goldfinches are flocking up in good numbers at the feeders. Redpolls should be along this month and blue jays are holding their own. I have a record breaking two cardinals at my feeder this fall, they may be common for many of you but this is a first up in the farm fields away from the river! Chickadees and crows seem down a bit, the Christmas bird count will be a good time to evaluate this observation. Ice is forming quickly on ponds and rivers along the lakeshore so hurry to see migrating waterfowl before they are too far off shore. Be sure to check out all overhead flocks of geese as some may be snow geese especially around Thanksgiving.

Whitetail deer and wild turkeys are numerous, common, maybe even abundant! As I report this I know there are many different reactions to this statement. Joy from hunters to dismay from farmers and gardeners to frustrations from naturalists, foresters and wildlife managers. Some folks may even curse those opportunist in our midst! The fact remains that these creatures are successful largely due to our habitat management of ourselves. I am not attempting to be political, just giving us all some food for thought as hunting season and Thanksgiving approach. Would any of our ancestors have been saddened by an abundance of free ranging food? Is it possible we need to "think out of the box" when it comes to the productivity of our lands and harvesting techniques? Maybe it's just time to get into the kitchen and write some modern recipes to take advantage of traditional native foods? We live in a wonderful, bountiful part of the world that is for certain! Have a great hunting season and Thanksgiving!