January

January 5:
When left uncut during the winter, perennial grasses provide small creatures shelter as well as beautiful landscape texture
and color. Some perennial grass species also increase the amount of carbon that can be stored in the soil. Soil carbon storage is another way to mitigate climate change.
-Julie Farrell
January 20:
Here are pictures we took on Jan 20, 2023, on the northern end of Elk Lake, just north of the golf course. The swans came by our home heading north and a few hours later they came back heading south. They stopped back by the next morning, but I didn’t get a picture. They do appear to have black bills so I am hoping they are native trumpeter swans. I couldn’t find anything about mute swans’ beaks turning black in the winter, so hopefully they are trumpeters.
-Corky Crimmins
When left uncut during the winter, perennial grasses provide small creatures shelter as well as beautiful landscape texture
and color. Some perennial grass species also increase the amount of carbon that can be stored in the soil. Soil carbon storage is another way to mitigate climate change.
-Julie Farrell
January 20:
Here are pictures we took on Jan 20, 2023, on the northern end of Elk Lake, just north of the golf course. The swans came by our home heading north and a few hours later they came back heading south. They stopped back by the next morning, but I didn’t get a picture. They do appear to have black bills so I am hoping they are native trumpeter swans. I couldn’t find anything about mute swans’ beaks turning black in the winter, so hopefully they are trumpeters.
-Corky Crimmins

January 23:
This is a good time of year to appreciate our native coniferous species which are so important to a wide variety of wildlife in the area for food and shelter, like Balsam fir, Abies balsamea, a slow-growing tree of the boreal forest that reaches its southern extent of its range in northwest lower Michigan. The spire-shaped tops of balsam fir are quite distinctive from a distance, and it can grow in a wide variety of habitats. Balsam fir is interesting for a variety of reasons, including its ability to grow in wet soils, its slow growth, and its ability to grow in the understory of dense forests. The oldest known balsam fir was recorded to be 245 years old, and it generally takes 20-30 years for a balsam fir to produce seeds. Balsam fir is well known as a popular Christmas tree, with fragrant needles and is an important tree for wildlife, water quality and many other uses. Unfortunately, like our native hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis), the tree can be impacted by a non-native introduced insect
called the Balsam wooly adelgid. More information:
This is a good time of year to appreciate our native coniferous species which are so important to a wide variety of wildlife in the area for food and shelter, like Balsam fir, Abies balsamea, a slow-growing tree of the boreal forest that reaches its southern extent of its range in northwest lower Michigan. The spire-shaped tops of balsam fir are quite distinctive from a distance, and it can grow in a wide variety of habitats. Balsam fir is interesting for a variety of reasons, including its ability to grow in wet soils, its slow growth, and its ability to grow in the understory of dense forests. The oldest known balsam fir was recorded to be 245 years old, and it generally takes 20-30 years for a balsam fir to produce seeds. Balsam fir is well known as a popular Christmas tree, with fragrant needles and is an important tree for wildlife, water quality and many other uses. Unfortunately, like our native hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis), the tree can be impacted by a non-native introduced insect
called the Balsam wooly adelgid. More information:
- https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_1/abies/balsamea.htm
- www.conifers.org/pi/Abies_balsamea.php
- https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev2_043667.pdf

January:
January was known as the Wolf Moon among several Indian tribes when the first English settlers arrived, and the calendar system used by naturalist Hal Borland in his writings in the New York Times over nearly 40 years of exploring the ways human life was bound to the greater world of plants, animals, and natural processes. January was “The time of the hungry wolf pack, the howling wind, and a snug house and warm fireside.” Hal Borland’s Twelve Moons of the Year. 1979; (Barbara Dodge Borland, 2020).
January was known as the Wolf Moon among several Indian tribes when the first English settlers arrived, and the calendar system used by naturalist Hal Borland in his writings in the New York Times over nearly 40 years of exploring the ways human life was bound to the greater world of plants, animals, and natural processes. January was “The time of the hungry wolf pack, the howling wind, and a snug house and warm fireside.” Hal Borland’s Twelve Moons of the Year. 1979; (Barbara Dodge Borland, 2020).
February
Kathie Wiley and Althea Olds of Grand Traverse Audubon Club collaborated with the Grand Traverse Conservation District’s facilitator, Tom Vitale, in a joint Winter Guided Hike /Great Backyard Bird Count endeavor. The exercise included 3 Ebird checklists: the Boardman River Nature Center; a hike at the Nature Education Reserve (Beaver Pond Trail), and Boardman Lake – Logan’s Landing. All told, there were 22 species and a count of 457 birds. Kathie said that one of the best highlights of the day was the delight shown by 3 of the young adults that were at the hike when a bird was seen or heard. In fact, after the hike was completed, one of the young men followed Kathie to her car to get a GT Audubon membership form. The collaboration was a success and it, most likely, was an exercise that will be done again for many years to come.
February 15-20:
The Great Backyard Bird Count. The GBBC began in 1998 as a joint effort between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society and is the first and largest citizen science project in the world. Participants' observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before the start of spring migrations, an important and joyful thing to do. The event has grown globally, surging during Covid when people needed company, and includes children, students, people of all places and ages. Last year, about 385,000 people from 192 countries participated. Species declines are strongly noted in the data. How it works: Watch birds by looking out your window or observing in a nature area for 15 minutes, record and forward the data to the eBird apt. Details at [email protected]. The Merlin bird ID app helps distinguish birds by size, shape, song or other characteristics. Here are a few GBBC observations from around Elk Rapids.
February 17:
Total of 5 species observed 12:40-12:55 p.m.: 14 Mourning Doves; 1 American Crow; 2 Black-capped Chickadee; 2 White-breasted Nuthatch; 5 House Sparrow
-Terri Reisig
February 15-20:
The Great Backyard Bird Count. The GBBC began in 1998 as a joint effort between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society and is the first and largest citizen science project in the world. Participants' observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before the start of spring migrations, an important and joyful thing to do. The event has grown globally, surging during Covid when people needed company, and includes children, students, people of all places and ages. Last year, about 385,000 people from 192 countries participated. Species declines are strongly noted in the data. How it works: Watch birds by looking out your window or observing in a nature area for 15 minutes, record and forward the data to the eBird apt. Details at [email protected]. The Merlin bird ID app helps distinguish birds by size, shape, song or other characteristics. Here are a few GBBC observations from around Elk Rapids.
February 17:
Total of 5 species observed 12:40-12:55 p.m.: 14 Mourning Doves; 1 American Crow; 2 Black-capped Chickadee; 2 White-breasted Nuthatch; 5 House Sparrow
-Terri Reisig

February 19:
Total of 3 species observed 4:30-4:45 p.m.: 2 Black-Capped Chickadee; 2 Mourning Dove;
1 American Crow
-Ken Bloem
February 20:
Total of 5 species observed 11:15-11:30 a.m.: 20 Black-capped Chickadee; 1 Female Cardinal; 4 Tufted Titmouse; 1 Pileated Woodpecker; 9 Goldfinch
- Gary Stauffer
Note:
The Black-capped Chickadee, a songbird commonly seen and heard in Elk Rapids, is one of the most familiar and widespread birds in North America, a non-migratory species found coast to coast, including much of Canada and the northern two thirds of the United States. This species has northern populations that can withstand short days and very cold temperatures during winter. They lower their body temperature at night and enter regulated hypothermia, saving significant amounts of energy. In addition, they store food and have exceptional spatial memory to relocate cached food items. When food is scarce, they move south. Studies of their songs and calls indicate over 16 different vocalizations conveying a wide range of information, including the presence of nearby predators. They are seen locally during winter when visiting backyard birdfeeders, usually in flocks of 3-12 individuals. The Black-capped Chickadee is the state bird of both Maine and Massachusetts. It is twice the size of a hummingbird. A group of chickadees is called a “banditry”, an apt description for their masked faces and trickster behavior. Madisonaudubon.com
Note:
The delightful children’s book series beginning with The Chickadee Spirit, by local author Bill O. Smith, illustrated by local artist Charlie Murphy.
Total of 3 species observed 4:30-4:45 p.m.: 2 Black-Capped Chickadee; 2 Mourning Dove;
1 American Crow
-Ken Bloem
February 20:
Total of 5 species observed 11:15-11:30 a.m.: 20 Black-capped Chickadee; 1 Female Cardinal; 4 Tufted Titmouse; 1 Pileated Woodpecker; 9 Goldfinch
- Gary Stauffer
Note:
The Black-capped Chickadee, a songbird commonly seen and heard in Elk Rapids, is one of the most familiar and widespread birds in North America, a non-migratory species found coast to coast, including much of Canada and the northern two thirds of the United States. This species has northern populations that can withstand short days and very cold temperatures during winter. They lower their body temperature at night and enter regulated hypothermia, saving significant amounts of energy. In addition, they store food and have exceptional spatial memory to relocate cached food items. When food is scarce, they move south. Studies of their songs and calls indicate over 16 different vocalizations conveying a wide range of information, including the presence of nearby predators. They are seen locally during winter when visiting backyard birdfeeders, usually in flocks of 3-12 individuals. The Black-capped Chickadee is the state bird of both Maine and Massachusetts. It is twice the size of a hummingbird. A group of chickadees is called a “banditry”, an apt description for their masked faces and trickster behavior. Madisonaudubon.com
Note:
The delightful children’s book series beginning with The Chickadee Spirit, by local author Bill O. Smith, illustrated by local artist Charlie Murphy.
March

March 11:
At 8:30 this morning, high above my backyard near Maple Bay Preserve, I spotted two eagles flying together with locked talons. Some quick research below revealed this amazing feat is actually a normal eagle courtship ritual. _ Toni Holtz
“Two eagles locking talons high above the ground might look like they’re risking injury, but it’s a normal courtship behavior called the “cartwheel display.” Fully entangled, the two birds begin spinning to the earth, disengaging just before they smack the ground. Their clasp could last for hours. At last, the eagles unlock talons and fly off. Rival adults sometimes perform the same flight.” Bird Note, Alex McInnis, July 30, 2021
March 17:
Checking in at Pine Hill Nursery, with planting season just around the corner, and gardeners chopping at the bit, here is the report: “This is a fun and exciting time of year, when It's still cold outside, but warm and sunny in the greenhouse. Staff is starting seeds, transplanting, unpacking new products, and setting up displays, making sure everything looks beautiful for spring. Every day the greenhouse is more alive.” Official opening date??? April 1_Sandy Naples, Pine Hill Nursery.
At 8:30 this morning, high above my backyard near Maple Bay Preserve, I spotted two eagles flying together with locked talons. Some quick research below revealed this amazing feat is actually a normal eagle courtship ritual. _ Toni Holtz
“Two eagles locking talons high above the ground might look like they’re risking injury, but it’s a normal courtship behavior called the “cartwheel display.” Fully entangled, the two birds begin spinning to the earth, disengaging just before they smack the ground. Their clasp could last for hours. At last, the eagles unlock talons and fly off. Rival adults sometimes perform the same flight.” Bird Note, Alex McInnis, July 30, 2021
March 17:
Checking in at Pine Hill Nursery, with planting season just around the corner, and gardeners chopping at the bit, here is the report: “This is a fun and exciting time of year, when It's still cold outside, but warm and sunny in the greenhouse. Staff is starting seeds, transplanting, unpacking new products, and setting up displays, making sure everything looks beautiful for spring. Every day the greenhouse is more alive.” Official opening date??? April 1_Sandy Naples, Pine Hill Nursery.

March 20:
European Starlings are not native but are now one of the most numerous songbirds in North America. In Michigan starlings can be found year-round in cities and rural areas. Stocky black birds with iridescent purple, green, and blue tones, they are considered a pest by many due to their aggressive behavior, especially their habit of invading other songbird nests. Starlings fly in large noisy flocks and can be seen perched in groups on the top of trees or flying over fields in flocks. European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York's Central Park in the early 1890s by a group who wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned. Today, more than 200 million European Starlings range from Alaska to Mexico. They are a relative of the Myna family, are skilled mimics and can pick up human speech when raised as a young bird among humans. A large mass of starlings moving across the sky, splitting up then coming together again is called a “murmuration”. Check out various websites for amazing videos. Note: Mozart’s Starling, a combination of cheerful memoir, natural history, and biography, is a delightful account of the author’s own pet starling and a pet starling kept by the composer Mozart in his family home for several years. Legend has it that he purchased the bird in a local pet shop after hearing it singing a portion of his newest composition. He mourned its death and held a grand memorial service upon its demise. Mozart’s Starling, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, 2017.
European Starlings are not native but are now one of the most numerous songbirds in North America. In Michigan starlings can be found year-round in cities and rural areas. Stocky black birds with iridescent purple, green, and blue tones, they are considered a pest by many due to their aggressive behavior, especially their habit of invading other songbird nests. Starlings fly in large noisy flocks and can be seen perched in groups on the top of trees or flying over fields in flocks. European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York's Central Park in the early 1890s by a group who wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned. Today, more than 200 million European Starlings range from Alaska to Mexico. They are a relative of the Myna family, are skilled mimics and can pick up human speech when raised as a young bird among humans. A large mass of starlings moving across the sky, splitting up then coming together again is called a “murmuration”. Check out various websites for amazing videos. Note: Mozart’s Starling, a combination of cheerful memoir, natural history, and biography, is a delightful account of the author’s own pet starling and a pet starling kept by the composer Mozart in his family home for several years. Legend has it that he purchased the bird in a local pet shop after hearing it singing a portion of his newest composition. He mourned its death and held a grand memorial service upon its demise. Mozart’s Starling, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, 2017.
Attention Elk Rapids Schools students and parents
The Elk Rapids High School Eco Club will be hosting a special competition for Arbor Days! Keep a lookout for more information coming soon to your inbox!
Naturalist Hal Borland wrote that April, the month of the Pink Moon, brings the smell of change. It's a compound of subtle scents-…the earthy smell of soil, stirred by little movements, ant colonies, earthworms, leaf mold, rotting twigs, the smell of flowing water, wet stones, green smell of moss. (See note below) Most of us experience these smells and know it make us feel happy. Science is increasingly recognizing this phenomenon and studying the positive impacts of the soil microbes we inhale and have contact with. The mycobacterium vaccae has been found to mirror the effects on neurons that certain antidepressant drugs (like Prozac) provide. This microbe may stimulate serotonin production, which makes us relaxed and happier. It is being studied for improving cognitive function and other positive effects--all good reasons to take a hike, plant a tree, make a garden, improve our mindset, improve the planet, and celebrate Earth Day every day. _gardeningknowhow.com; Colorado.edu
Note: Twelve Moons of the Year, published posthumously in 1979. Hal Borland (1900-1978) a celebrated nature writer and novelist, penned over 1700 natural history “outdoor editorial” essays for the Sunday edition of the New York Times. He considered himself a natural philosopher, and was interested in exploring the way human life was bound to the greater world of plants, animals, and natural processes. The book is a collection of 365 of his best short pieces.
The Elk Rapids High School Eco Club will be hosting a special competition for Arbor Days! Keep a lookout for more information coming soon to your inbox!
Naturalist Hal Borland wrote that April, the month of the Pink Moon, brings the smell of change. It's a compound of subtle scents-…the earthy smell of soil, stirred by little movements, ant colonies, earthworms, leaf mold, rotting twigs, the smell of flowing water, wet stones, green smell of moss. (See note below) Most of us experience these smells and know it make us feel happy. Science is increasingly recognizing this phenomenon and studying the positive impacts of the soil microbes we inhale and have contact with. The mycobacterium vaccae has been found to mirror the effects on neurons that certain antidepressant drugs (like Prozac) provide. This microbe may stimulate serotonin production, which makes us relaxed and happier. It is being studied for improving cognitive function and other positive effects--all good reasons to take a hike, plant a tree, make a garden, improve our mindset, improve the planet, and celebrate Earth Day every day. _gardeningknowhow.com; Colorado.edu
Note: Twelve Moons of the Year, published posthumously in 1979. Hal Borland (1900-1978) a celebrated nature writer and novelist, penned over 1700 natural history “outdoor editorial” essays for the Sunday edition of the New York Times. He considered himself a natural philosopher, and was interested in exploring the way human life was bound to the greater world of plants, animals, and natural processes. The book is a collection of 365 of his best short pieces.
April
April:
Spring temperatures bring out hibernating wildlife of all kinds, including turtles. These well-known and beloved members of the reptile family emerge each spring from hibernation to find mates and dig nests. The Painted Turtle is the most common and well-recognized species in our region, but the state is home to 9 other species, some of which are facing rapid declines in population, including once-common species like Wood and Eastern Box Turtles. Their unfortunate decline is due to habitat loss, vehicle collisions, and poaching, among other threats, including increased predation on their nests. The Michigan DNR lists ten species of turtles found in Michigan, and all are an important part of our state’s ecosystems. Turtles can survive in a variety of natural habitats and residential areas. Please drive cautiously and be on the lookout for snakes, turtles, and other reptiles that either need to cross roads to get to their fragmented habitats or are attracted to the warmth of the dark asphalt on sunny days.
- Angie Bouma, Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, Senior Conservation Ecologist
Leaving the leaves
https://www.mlive.com/news/2021/03/delaying-early-spring-yardwork-helps-save-michigan-bees-and-butterflies.html
Beach-nesting birds--including, the importance of leaving driftwood on beaches:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=q5q9D3pYJUw
April 15
Do you know how much urban trees contribute to your neighborhood? The trees planted and maintained by Village of Elk Rapids (Thank You!) provide notable benefits for our entire community to enjoy, including:
-Improving air quality by filtering the air, removing pollutants, reducing ozone levels
-Reducing noise pollution by absorbing sound waves
-Providing shade by cooling down the air and making downtown areas more comfortable
-Improving property values of homes and businesses
-Boosting mental health and well-being by providing places for spending time in nature
-Improving water quality by filtering and remove pollutants
-Providing habitat for wildlife, including birds, insects, and small mammals
-Adding beauty to downtown areas by making them more pleasant to visit
-Julie Farrell
Spring temperatures bring out hibernating wildlife of all kinds, including turtles. These well-known and beloved members of the reptile family emerge each spring from hibernation to find mates and dig nests. The Painted Turtle is the most common and well-recognized species in our region, but the state is home to 9 other species, some of which are facing rapid declines in population, including once-common species like Wood and Eastern Box Turtles. Their unfortunate decline is due to habitat loss, vehicle collisions, and poaching, among other threats, including increased predation on their nests. The Michigan DNR lists ten species of turtles found in Michigan, and all are an important part of our state’s ecosystems. Turtles can survive in a variety of natural habitats and residential areas. Please drive cautiously and be on the lookout for snakes, turtles, and other reptiles that either need to cross roads to get to their fragmented habitats or are attracted to the warmth of the dark asphalt on sunny days.
- Angie Bouma, Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, Senior Conservation Ecologist
Leaving the leaves
https://www.mlive.com/news/2021/03/delaying-early-spring-yardwork-helps-save-michigan-bees-and-butterflies.html
Beach-nesting birds--including, the importance of leaving driftwood on beaches:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=q5q9D3pYJUw
April 15
Do you know how much urban trees contribute to your neighborhood? The trees planted and maintained by Village of Elk Rapids (Thank You!) provide notable benefits for our entire community to enjoy, including:
-Improving air quality by filtering the air, removing pollutants, reducing ozone levels
-Reducing noise pollution by absorbing sound waves
-Providing shade by cooling down the air and making downtown areas more comfortable
-Improving property values of homes and businesses
-Boosting mental health and well-being by providing places for spending time in nature
-Improving water quality by filtering and remove pollutants
-Providing habitat for wildlife, including birds, insects, and small mammals
-Adding beauty to downtown areas by making them more pleasant to visit
-Julie Farrell