Saturday, April 20th, is the next Wetland Wonders Challenge II event at the Muskegon County Wastewater Facility. Interested parties are asked to meet at 10:00am at the Muskegon State Game Area Office, located at 7600 E. Messinger Road, Twin Lake, for an auto tour of some of the best birding in the Muskegon area. Staff at the game area and members of the Muskegon County Nature Club will share insights into the area’s natural history along with helping visitors find and identify locally breeding birds as well as the diversity of birds that migrate through the area annually.

Additional events will take place throughout the spring and summer. Information for future events can be obtained at www.michigan.gov/wetlandwonders. New information is added to this site as it becomes available.

Every year tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations.  Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission - often before dawn.  For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season.

Each of the citizen scientists who annually braves  the snow, wind, or rain, to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation.  Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations - and to help guide conservation action.

From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Co

LAKE MICHIGAN -  Even a dog has to take a break from all the excitement of his backyard kingdom.  On this sunny summer day, George, my husband, and I head to the beach.  Our friends, Nancy and Don, own a cottage on Lake Michigan, and they have invited the three of us to spend the day at the beach.

This is George’s first visit to Lake Michigan.  The waves were a little intimidating at first.  He would sniff the water, but he would not allow himself to get wet.  He wouldn’t even dip his paw into the water to check it out.  Then something caught his eye.  George noticed the beautiful white birds walking along the water’s edge.  He tried to get close to these interesting critters, but they would simply fly off.

Silly me, I thought seagulls only lived by the ocean, and then I moved to Michigan and discovered the Big Lake is home to a thriving population of seagulls.  I have since learned that seagulls or gulls will live al