Today a lone warbler stops for a quick drink at my little water pond before it continues on its way to the neo-tropics. He's one of the last song birds coming through. The thistle feeders are being fought over by American goldfinches and pine siskins returning from the north. By the time you read this letter, the election will be over (hopefully a change that will put the environmental laws back on track), the trees will have lost their leaves and the weather will feel more like winter than fall. It reminds me of what Aldo Leopold wrote in his A Sand County Almanac in the chapter "November" about the wind. Titled "If I Were the Wind" "The wind that makes music in November corn is in a hurry. The stalks hum, the loose husks whisk skyward in half-playful swirls, and the wind hurries on.
In the marsh, long windy waves surge across the grassy sloughs, beat against the far willows. A tree tries to argue, bare limbs waving, but there is no detaining the wind.
On the sandbar there is only wind, and the river sliding seaward. Every wisp of grass is drawing circles on the sand. I wander over the bar to a driftwood log, where I sit and listen to the universal roar, and to the tinkle of wavelets on the shore. The river is lifeless: not a duck, heron, marshhawk, or gull but has sought refuge from the wind." Don't let the cold weather keep you indoors. Get out and feel the wind on your cheeks and find what is unique for us to see during this season. If nothing else, a walk in the woods or field or by the river or bay can release that stress we build up from our busy lives. Just enjoy nature.
Hope to see you at the meeting - Bats!!

A special thank you to George Bereza for buying a table for us to use for serving treats at our meetings. Our sweet teeth all thank you.

Reminder- If your mailing label reads Renewal Due Sept 04, you still need to renew your membership for 2004 - 05. A membership form is included on the back of this newsletter. Thank you.

Lush pillows - green moss

Magical place I visit

Sweet wet scents of life

Life in many forms

Fern, fungi, orchid, insect

Sensate habitat

Protection - a must

Wondering how to share it

Will they understand?
- Holly Wolfe

Several people have spent dozens of hours investigating the Carney Fen. Their work has paid off. Half of all orchids found in the Upper Peninsula have been found in the fen at one time or another. Two new orchids have been recently found in the fen: Goodyera repens and Rose peconia., bringing the total number of orchid species identified in the fen to twenty one. Almost as many orchid species have now been found in the north section of the fen as in the south. Yarrow Wolfe is conducting a scientific study on the Rams Head Orchid. Her field work included data from the fen. The orchid has been found in ten new places in the fen. Her work will be completed in the spring. The Carney Fen project workers have been working closely with the Michigan DNR in the process of officially designating the area as a protected natural area. Selection of boundaries will be completed next summer. A written application for designation of the area will be completed soon. The entire process is expected to take a total of three years, with approximately 15 months remaining. The Carney Fen project is an example of how grass roots efforts really do work.
Dale Leitzke

All I Want For Christmas...... Strapped for an idea for a Christmas present for Dad? Can't think of anything to give the nature enthusiast on your list? Or are you a "Secret Santa" to a person who has everything? Well, help is on the way! Before and after the November 18 meeting, Audubon will be selling long sleeve T-shirts for $18 and sweatshirts for $20 (both in new colors!). Bird feeders and bird houses will be available for $10 and thistle feeders for $15 and $18. All items are priced to sell - so come early! Doors will be open by 6:30 pm so that we can start our program promptly at 7 pm. Just think how good it will feel to check a few of those hard-to-buy-for people off your list. For more information, contact Barb Bereza at 582-0884. Barb Bereza

The International Sandhill Crane Count was held on Saturday, April 12. Seven volunteers counted cranes at five sites in Marinette County from 5:30 until 7:30 A.M. The morning was somewhat foggy, with a temperature of 40 degrees and an east wind at 15 mph. Volunteers counted a total of 10 Sandhill Cranes, with 4 breeding pairs

In the dark hour of 4:35 AM today I was awakened by a blustery northwesterly wind…at last I felt the summer and fall slipping away, sixty degree days will be scarce until April. Dawn came clear, sunny and cold! Beautiful blues, racing fluffy cumulus and a classic winter skyline at sunset with pinks and turquoise hues highlighted the daylight. Still, I was feeling nature had left me uninspired to write? Then, about an hour after sunset, my husband AND my two sons were tossing on jackets and scrambling for the door, "C'mon Dear, you can't miss this, get out here!" What? Ahhh! Aurora borealis! I will mark it on the calendar, what a show! Bright green whiplashes on three sides, a red dome overhead and a green ark to the south! This was one of the best shows we have seen in twenty five years. We were all thankful for the darkness that allowed us to view this spectacle, and thanks to Mr. Clausen….the boys retained a lot of the information they learned at the banquet last year!
I am still trying to put the summer season into perspective. It seemed more like a very long spring followed by an even longer autumn. Snows and then frosts lasted well into May. Moisture was adequate to abundant leading to lush vegetation especially grasses. Many meadows, hayfields and marshes grew to well over 7 feet this year. I must admit that for those with my stature…I did not get to see much of what was going on bird wise in this growth! The cooler temperatures discouraged much insect activity and the late freezes seem to take a large toll on avian reproduction. Swallows were particularly hard hit here. Jays, chickadees, mourning doves and cedar waxwings fledged in average numbers. Bluebirds and flycatchers only got off one brood. I did not see any young broad wing hawks. Hummingbirds seemed to hold their own and even do very well; truly they are a tough little bird in spite of their delicate appearance.
Since August I have been waiting for the big migrations to begin. Sandhill Cranes gathered in smaller groups over a longer period than usual and are still present in Menominee and Marinette counties. I saw very few hawk kettles but I am seeing many red-tails as well as rough legs starting on October 27th (a bit late). Within the last week I have seen many bald eagles, adults and young. Warblers were moving out of the area well in September but there were good numbers of palms and yellow rumps well into the third week of October. Nighthawks numbers were way down this summer and fall and I am looking for whip o wills also. Canada geese started out on September 20th but of course they are still numerous in corn fields "everywhere". As the weather is just now turning, we may expect much activity between now and the new year and possibly some interesting Christmas bird counts?
A few weeks ago, in an indulgent moment, Bill and I bought a second canoe… a thirty something year old Hoefgen wearing lots of memories from previous owners. Ok, this craft has experience and I need more time on the water. We took it out the next day. Leaden skies, temps in the 40's and a Packer game assured us of a near wilderness experience. The waters were dark and silky; the surface ringed with leaves…red, pin, and burr oak, basswood bits of bur reed, cattail and water lilies. A whole season was being carried away down the river and down to the depths at the same time. We glided along without sound, chickadees and nuthatches rang out from the shore. I knew that human habitation lay not far from my sight, but for that afternoon, there was only a slow river late in the year and another memory to be thankful for!