Welcome to the Grand Rapids Audubon Club website

March Membership Meeting

Our March 27 meeting features Curtis Dykstra, Parks Naturalist, Ottawa County Parks with an informative program For the Birds: Fostering Backyard Habitats to Attract Birds. Curtis' program will look beyond just the use of bird feeders to see how we can create an intentional habitat structure that will attract birds for their benefit and your viewing pleasure. Additional details can be found on the Membership Meeting page.

Field Trips and Weekly Millennium Park Walks

Upcoming Field Trips: Bluebird Box Cleaning at The Muskegon Wastewater, 9:00 AM, Saturday, March 25; Spring Marsh Birds and Hawks, 7:00 AM, Saturday, April 15.
Hike Millennium Park to see what’s hanging around. Many birds have been reported from this varied habitat near the river. There are ponds, swampy ponds, lowland forest and various secondary growth. The walks begin at 9:00 AM every Thursday.
Details for both on the field trip page.

Exciting GRAC Membership News

Using the e-payment service Cheddar Up it is now possible to pay membership dues online. In addition to our current payment method this gives you a second option. You can find more information on the membership page.

GRAC Library News

An updated list of books is now available from the GRAC Library page. Questions? Use our new forwarder: librarian@graud.org.

Bluebird Festival Coming to Grand Rapids

The Michigan Bluebird Society is pleased to announce its annual Spring Bluebird Festival on Saturday, March 25th at the Calvin University Prince Conference Center in Grand Rapids. This all day educational event will include programs on bluebirds and other bird topics, a Bluebird Expo, nature/environmental exhibits, kid’s activities, and a nature hike at the Bunker Interpretive Center. Click here for additional information or click here for an information flyer.

GRAC Merchandise Available Online

Did you know that you can purchase GRAC-logo apparel and merchandise online from the Grand Rapids Audubon Webstore on the CafePress website? What a great and easy way to start a conversation, advertise and support our club and possibly pick up new members! How about a t-shirt or sweatshirt for those field trips, GRAC meetings or just lounging around. A mug for that coffee break or a gift for your neighbor. Or a great tote bag for your birding paraphernalia along with a baseball cap. There’s even kids’ and baby apparel! All of these items and much more with the GRAC logo are available at the GRAC Webstore. Access the Webstore from the “Activities” drop down menu on the GRAC website home page, scroll down and click on “GRAC Webstore (external)” at the bottom of the drop down menu. Browse through the offerings and purchase what catches your fancy!

Monthly eBird Summaries No Longer Available

Mega-rarities from the four-county area (Allegan, Kent, Muskegon and Ottawa counties) will continue to be posted to the Bird Sightings page.

Video Programs Discuss Bird Identification

Learning to identify birds and recognize their usual behaviors is becoming easier. Now you can watch the American Birding Association's "What's This Bird" bi-weekly live shows at 1:00 PM ET on Fridays. The live shows, including all previous shows, are available on all the ABA's social media channels including the ABA YouTube channel.

National Audubon also offered "I Saw A Bird" monthly programs in 2020 and 2021. Archived programs of all 21 previous episodes are available by clicking here.

GRAC Media Pages Include Photographs and Videos

Between the bird photo, nature photo and Macaulay Library page we have well over 400 photographs available on the website. Don't forget to check the video page.

 

 

GRAC and Bird News

The March 2023 Caller is now available from the newsletter link above.

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Maher Sanctuary Report

Click here for Chris Baer's latest sanctuary report.

The State of the Birds 2022 report sounds an alarm about steep population losses in virtually all habitats. A link to the report can be found by clicking here.

Pecking Order

Ever notice that some birds at your feeders seem aggressive and others rather timid? It's true--there is bird-feeder drama. Click here for an interesting article, including an interactive graphic, discussing bird behavior at your feeder.

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Great "Birding" reads:

Slow Birding by Joan E. Strassmann. Many birders travel far and wide to popular birding destinations to catch sight of rare or "exotic" birds. Slow Birding introduces readers to the joys of birding right where they are.

A River of Warblers: The Greatest Birding Day of My Life by James Gorman

Bird ID Skills: Size & Shape from All About Birds; The Cornell Labs

A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration by Ken Kaufman

Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year in the Life of an Extreme Birder by Ken Kaufman

Endangered and Disappearing Birds of the Midwest by Matt Williams

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Nearby Areas of Interest:

Land Conservancy's Natural Areas offer 30+ spots for outside adventure