SAVE THE DATES MAY 25-28, 2012

FOR WHAT MAY BE THE SWAN SONG FOR OUR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND NATURE GET-AWAY

by Jim Bull

As I write this, the leaves have turned brilliant red, orange, and yellow. Sandhill Cranes are gathering in numbers in the evening in preparation for their trip south. Hawks are drifting on thermals in good numbers too. I love autumn, but I know it’s also time to think not just about winter, but about spring as well.

Spring brings the onslaught of warblers that birders wait for all year, along with spring wildflowers, singing frogs, and so much more. You can experience those spring wonders all over again on Memorial Day Weekend, by heading north about three hours and joining our Memorial Day Weekend Nature Get-Away (formerly known as our Spring Campout—but since we don’t use tents, we felt that name was misleading).

We will again be at the Loon Lake Lutheran Retreat Center (formerly Camp Mahn-Go-Tahsee). This is home to Michigan’s only state wildlife sanctuary on private land. The lake is sparsely developed, so it has a wild feel to it. We can always depend on seeing nesting Common Loons and hearing their plaintive, eerie call each night and often in the early morning. Bald Eagles come to catch fish, and occasionally we’ve seen fox kits playing around their den along the roadside. Trillium and yellow Lady’s-slippers line the trails. Pileated Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Phoebe, Hummingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, and American Redstart nests have been easy to see right near the cabins some years. And the Barred Owl often answers and even comes in close where we can observe it on owl prowls through the woods. Then there are Kirtland’s Warblers, the Au Sable River Overlooks, and Tawas Point State Park, often called a miniature Point Pelee, within an hour’s drive of the camp.

Combine that with good food, good company, campfires with singing and s’mores, and interesting guest speakers, and you have a weekend you won’t soon forget. Unfortunately, we have been informed that the Retreat Center will be sold, and our 30-plus-year tradition may end if the purchaser does not continue to run the facility as a camp. So put the dates on your calendar and join us for what may be your last opportunity to participate in our annual get-away at Loon Lake.

Read about last year's excitement by Sophia Jackman

View the photos from last year'sweekend

View the Bird List