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Naturalist
Section
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Bald
Eagle Rescue!
Bald Eagle Recovers, Released on September 24,
2009
 The
bald eagle rescued at Chippewa Nature Center was
released on September 24, 2009. "Chip," as he was named,
was unable to be released at CNC because at 18 and
having never been handled before, he was very, very
easily stressed by the approach of people, and
especially by being handled. Wildlife Recovery
Association staff (Joe and Barb Rogers) tried a few
practice runs with him, but when caught and placed in
the transport box, he thrashed so long and hard they
were afraid he would re-injure himself if actually
transported. So, they released him from the
rehabilitation site instead (Greendale Township, Midland
Co.).
 CNC
staff Janea Little and Karen Breternitz were on-hand to
video and photograph the event, which was kept very
low-key and quiet to help keep Chip calm. Joe and
daughter Joanne captured the eagle from the flight pen
and carried him a short distance to the release site –
an open pond surrounded by woods. Chip was slumped over
Joe’s arm for a minute, and Joe was concerned that the
poor bird was going to go into a mild shock. But then
Chip spotted the photographers, and defensiveness woke
him up! Joe chose that moment, while Chip was
adrenalized, to toss him into the air. Chip didn’t even
hesitate – he flew fast and strong around a patch of
trees and into the top of a tree on the far end of the
pond. He sat in the tree for about 20 minutes, panting
at first but gradually relaxing, looking around, and
shifting his position a few times. Then he flew
alongside the pond, and turned – heading straight for
CNC! (Joe said he probably beat us back here!) Watch
for Chip along the Pine and Chippewa Rivers the next
time you walk the trails here.
See
Chip in action as he was released into the wild!
 September 8, 2009
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The
bald eagle that was rescued at CNC this summer and
is being rehabilitated
by Wildlife Recovery Association has greatly improved!
Whatever happened to him left him very bruised and sore,
and it has taken a couple of months for him to build up
enough strength and stamina to fly well. Currently, he
is able to fly back-and-forth the length of the flight
cage while keeping his tail level (important for
steering!). The next stage is to re-acquaint him with
being captured and put in a box, so he gets used to it
and isn’t traumatized prior to his release. (Injured
birds are already traumatized and “shut down” when
captured, but when they get strong, and wild, again,
being handling stresses them out all over again!) He
will probably be released by the end of September.
July 1, 2009 -
The eagle rescued at CNC in mid-June by
Wildlife Recovery Association (WRA) is doing well. His
physical examination revealed a very healthy bird
with a badly bruised wing that will take a few weeks
to recover. His physical condition is a big surprise,
according to Joe Rogers with WRA, because the leg band
he carries shows him to be 18 years old! Joe says the
average lifespan for a wild Bald Eagle is only 12–15
years, so this guy is not only senior, he’s an amazing
senior! He is eating and drinking well, coping with life
in captivity, and even chatting with eagles in
neighboring cages. At this point, he can’t fully-extend
his wing, let alone fly. Once the bruising heals, and
Joe puts him through his paces in the flight cage, he’ll
be released back at CNC.
June 13, 2009 -
There
was one very lucky Bald Eagle at Chippewa Nature Center
this past weekend. Well, he started out UN-lucky, but
his circumstance quickly improved. A visitor reported an
eagle who was trying, and failing, to fly, on the
Chippewa River. The bird had been on a sandbar across
from the River Point property, but had fallen into the
water when it tried to fly away. It struggled up the
bank on the other side, along the Meadow Mouse Trail. We
called Wildlife Recovery Association, and help was on
its way!
Joe and Barb Rogers, along with their trusty
eagle-rounder-upper, Jimmy (pound puppy extraordinaire),
arrived, and the eagle rescue began. When we first got
to the eagle, it was sitting on a stump jutting out of
the water along the riverbank. It immediately tried to
fly off, but managed only to plunge into the water. Joe
and Jimmy trotted down the trail and into the river,
downstream of the bird, which immediately struggled back
up the bank, into the densest brush it could find (of
course!). Jimmy then circled the bird, which directed
its attention to the dog, allowing Joe to drop a net
over it. A quick assessment showed an adult, male Bald
Eagle, whose enlarged crop suggested he had fed very
well quite recently. It’s possible he was feeding on
roadkill and gorged himself to the point of not being
able to fly well enough to get out of the way of
oncoming traffic. He had some raw spots on his wings and
abdomen, but overall looked like he would recover just
fine.
When he is well enough to fly, Wildlife Recovery will
release him back at the Nature Center. We’ll keep you
posted! |
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Looking
for how-to information, suggested paddling
routes, and links to special interest web sites?
Be
sure to check out the Resources
page.
Bumble Bee Survey |
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Venture
Out! productions presents:
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Raising the Roof
February 2009 |
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Trail Overview
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Living off the Land
Connecting to Nature
through Farming
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19th
Century Naturalist
Bela Hubbard
Portrayed by Kyle Bagnall,
CNC Manager of
Historical
Programs
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A Spring Tradition
Looking Back at
the
2007 Maple Syrup Season
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Watch the rivers break
winter's icy grip!
Spring 2007
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Need
Quicktime to view?
Venturing
Out?
What plants and animals can I find at Chippewa Nature
Center?
Download one of the following checklists to
make your visit fun AND educational!
Articles by Janea Little, Chippewa Nature Center Senior
Naturalist:
Outreach Programs
Interested
in having one of our naturalists speak to your group? A
wide variety of topics are available. Please call
989.631.0830 for full descriptions.
Bela Hubbard Programs:
Recommended
Reading
-
Rites of
Conquest – For those who seek a better understanding of
the history of Michigan’s Native Americans, this book
provides an excellent overview of Native American history
through European contact, the fur trade, treaty making,
reservation establishment and into modern times.
-
Where Two Worlds Meet
– This book uses images of Great
Lakes fur trade era artifacts and period illustrations to
investigate the importance of the fur trade and how people
from two different worlds exchanged goods and ideas, changing
both cultures forever.
- Winter World, by Bernd
Heinrich – How animals, particularly the golden-crowned
kinglet, survive the winter. A fabulous read!
- Caterpillars of Eastern
North America – At last, a full-sized field guide to
caterpillars! Use it for more than a field guide, though,
because it is chock-full of natural history and behavioral
information.
- Forest and Thicket, Swamp
and Bog and any other book by the late John Eastman –
These books are not field guides, but are loaded with
information on ecological interactions, folklore and other
facets not easily found in other sources.
-
Songs
of Insects, by Lang Elliott and Wil
Hershberger. Includes
a wonderful CD of the songs of katydids, grasshoppers,
crickets and tree crickets from (mostly) eastern
North America
.
Has wonderful natural history information and
practical tips such as which species will continue to sing
when under the glare of a flashlight.
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Field
Guide to Insects of
North America, by
Kenn Kaufman.
Practical,
easy-to-use guide, albeit focusing on the more common
species. Wonderful photographs Kaufman-style (altered to
highlight the key ID features).
Spiders
of the North Woods, by Larry Weber.
The “North Woods” series doesn’t technically
include southern Michigan, but still, a beautiful guide to most of the spiders of
this area. Packed
full of interesting information on spiders, from
web-building to mating behaviors.
Why Plant
Native?
Now, more than ever, people want to know what small,
simple steps they can take to live a "greener" life.
Choosing native plants offers important earth-friendly
advantages over exotic nursery stock.
Plants
propagated from native genotypes are easier to establish
in your home landscape than non-native plants. Once
established, they require no irrigation and no
chemicals, and their natural hardiness makes it less
likely that you’ll need to replace them. Also, given a
little space of their own, many native plants act a lot
differently when "tamed." Plants that would be in
serious competition in the wild suddenly become free in
your garden to show off their attributes, and can put on
a show to rival any cultivated species.
Native
plants also help keep the ecosystem in balance,
providing the food, shelter and cover that wildlife
needs to survive. Many exotic plant species not only
fall short on this critical function, but can also
become harmfully invasive, choking out or hybridizing
their native neighbors.
That bring
us to the diverse beauty that natives provide. If you
like exotics, you’d better really like them.
Since so many of them are invasive, they may well take
over the landscape, leaving you nothing else to enjoy.
Plan to
attend Chippewa Nature Center's Native Plant Sale in
May. Even if you don’t purchase plants at CNC, it’s a
great opportunity to get advice on what you should
buy. You’d be surprised to learn how harmful many
"common" nursery plants can be—to your garden and
to the larger ecosystem. Learn more about the
Native Plant Sale.
Installations
Day by day, month
by month, nature is always changing.
Take a moment to learn about the flora, fauna and
historical happenings of the region.
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2010
2009
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2008
2007
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Looking
for how-to information, suggested paddling
routes, and links to special interest web sites?
Be
sure to check out the Resources
page.
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Bumble
Bee Nest Site Survey
 CNC
Note:
Athena Anderson is a Ph.D. student at the
University of Georgia studying pollinator community
ecology
of bumble bees and asked us to help promote this survey
to
further her research.
Bumble bees are important pollinators of
agricultural crops and wild plants, but we know little
about their natural history in North America. Anecdotal
evidence and preliminary research suggest that bumble
bee species are declining throughout the continent but
much more research is needed. You can help! By
filling out this short
survey when you find a bumble bee nest, you’ll be
contributing to important research on bumble bees. Every
detail brings us closer to understanding and conserving
these important pollinators!
The goal for this survey is to compile nest site and
habitat features for bumble bees throughout North
America and make this information available to anyone at
no cost. Survey results and a narrative report will be
available for viewing after each survey season is over
(usually in November/December). Feel free to email
Athena Anderson at
nestsurvey@yahoo.com if you have related questions
or comments.
A bumble bee nest might be located anywhere - one of the
reasons for this survey is to find out where they like
to nest! It could be under a log, in the ground, in a
tree, in the side of a building, or in an old mouse
burrow. You'll know you've found a nest if you see
bumble bees flying into and out of the same hole
repeatedly and if you hear a humming sound near the
hole. Bumble bees are gentle and ignore people unless
grabbed or their nest threatened, so you're not likely
to get stung unless you block the entrance or if you
disturb the nest itself. When you're near the nest, move
slowly and walk softly so you don't alarm them and
you're very unlikely to be stung. You will likely not be
able to see the nest, as it will probably be concealed
by something like leaves or grass. Don't try to uncover
the nest if you can't see it. You don't need to see the
nest itself to contribute invaluable information for
this research - just be as descriptive of the location
as possible.
Thanks for your support of bumble bee research! |
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