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Showing posts with label Family Fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family Fun. Show all posts

Let nature nurture: Fun kid and family activities

Experience the Great Outdoors

Birds vs. Humans Challenge
Birds have many special adaptations to help them live their lives. Some birds can fly long distances; some can dive deep into the ocean while others can run really fast. How would you match up with birds in a challenge? Compare your best to the best that birds have to offer.

Whooping Crane Oragami (PDF)
Download this guide so that you can turn an ordinary piece of paper into a beautiful piece of Japanese art that resembles an endangered species of bird.

BrainTrain
Download this free set of puzzles, including word search, solve-the-blank, and a bird-friendly maze.

Draw A Bird 
To try some color-by-number birds from Wild Birds Unlimited

Window Warning
Though birds are excellent at darting through the air, windows can be confusing and dangerous for them. Here's a way you can help your birds steer clear of crashing into your windows.

Edible bird feeders
One of my favorite crafts is a pinecone dipped in birdseed.
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Celebrate Draw A Bird Day


Draw-A-Bird Day is a movement that originated in the 1940s. Taking place on the 8th of April every year, DABDay is a day when people all over the world draw birds. These images are then shared for everyone's viewing pleasure.


To try some color-by-number birds from Wild Birds Unlimited Click here

Or click on an any of the images below to open other bird pictures to print and color.












Cardinal






Downy Woodpecker 











Northern Cardinal








 Downy Woodpecker












Chickadee







Robin











Black-capped Chickadee







American Robin
Source: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/kids/bird-coloring
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Everyone can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count

I would love to do the GBBC this year but I don’t know the names of all my birds.

Don't worry you don't need to know all your birds. Everyone can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. I doesn't matter if you live in the city or country, feed birds or not, are an expert birder or just a casual observer.

It's super fun, super easy, and a great opportunity for young and old to connect with nature and participate in a huge science project.  It just takes a minimum of 15 minutes of observation. (See How to Participate.)

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual 4-day event during the third weekend of February that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of the bird population.

You may find it helpful to print a regional tally sheet so you have a list of birds you’re likely to see in your area in February. Get it here: http://gbbc.birdsource.org/gbbcApps/checklist or you can find Michigan’s most common backyard birds at http://sheabirdno1.blogspot.com/2011/10/most-common-winter-birds-in-michigan.html

How's it work:
  • WATCH: Count birds at any location for at least 15 minutes—or more if you wish. You can be at a park or looking out your office window.
  • TALLY: Write down only the highest number of each species you see at any one time to avoid counting the same birds more than once. For example, if you see 8 cardinals as you start your count period, then later you see 12, and later still you see 3, you’ll only report 12--the highest number you saw together at once. Please do not add the numbers together.  
  • SUBMIT: Go online to submit your data. It’s OK if you count at the same location each day—submit a new list for each day. Submit a new checklist for each new location. You can submit more than one checklist on a given day if you count at more than one site. They will ask you the level of your bird identification skills and whether you are reporting all the birds or just the ones you recognized. It’s simple!
Where to enter checklists:
AmandaBoyarshinov_FL2012.jpg
Photo by Amanda Boyarshinov, FL
  2012 GBBC
When you’re ready to enter your checklists, go to the GBBC website at http://www.birdcount.org/and click on the big “Submit your checklists” button at the top. This button becomes active 7:00 AM the Friday the GBBC begins. Everything you need to know will be clear on the web page as you enter your information. Some of the questions asked when you submit a checklist are:
  • LOCATION: Enter the zip code where you did your count or the town name & state.
  • DETAILS: Fill in the online form.
  • CHECKLIST: Fill in the boxes next to each bird species name with the highest number of that species you saw at one time during your count. You can arrange the list in taxonomic or alphabetical order. If you don’t see a species listed, click the button that says “show rarities.” If it’s still not there, enter the species in the “comment” box.
If you do see something unusual, it’s VERY helpful if you can take a digital photo just in case confirmation of the sighting is needed.
  

There are answers to many other questions in the FAQ section! 

Bird watchers worldwide can take part this year. Make sure to pass this information out to all your friends and family. Thank you for joining the Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored in part by Wild Birds Unlimited.

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Save your Christmas tree for the birds

"Life is a series of little deaths out of which life always returns." ~ Charles Feidelson, Jr.

Last week was the Winter Solstice, the day the Earth's Northern Hemisphere has the shortest day, and longest night, and the sun's daily maximum position in the sky is the lowest. The birds might consider it the beginning of the "real" New Year. I did too! It’s the day when the whole annual cycle begins all over, and I can look forward to the gradual lengthening of days.

You can’t help but admire our hardy winter birds in Michigan. When I go out to fill the feeders in the morning and hear the nuthatches and woodpeckers “laughing,” I feel happy that they’ve made it through the night.

And remember if you feel a little guilty about just throwing away your Christmas tree, its usefulness can be extended by placing it outside near feeders for added shelter against the weather and predators. In a matter of minutes, the old tree is providing a new natural cover.

The birds had an advantage with the milder November and early December which allowed them to seek natural foods. Though it might seem strange to humans, wild birds prefer to forage over visiting feeders (with the possible exception of the House Sparrows).

However, as the temperatures dip and natural food sources may become covered with snow or locked in ice, the supplemental food and water we provide is more widely appreciated and has a bigger impact on the birds’ survival.

I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season and I wish everyone a future filled with great birding experiences. Happy New Year!

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Top 5 fantasy bird pick

Which 5 birds would make your day perfect if you saw them in your garden?

Thank you for your thoughtful question. I like all the birds that visit regularly and I am thankful they like what I have to offer in the way of food and habitat. We are lucky in mid-Michigan to have an amazing diversity of wild bird species. Some that I’m especially excited about are the

  1. American Goldfinches for their lovely song and butterfly flight pattern
  2. Red-breasted Nuthatch because they are another tiny bird with a large laughing call and bold friendly behavior
  3. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds because they just seem like miracle birds
  4. Purple Martins are not suitable in my very wooded suburban habitat but I would like to have some swooping in my yard and
  5. Great Horned Owls are big beautiful birds that would make my day perfect if I saw them in my garden.
That doesn’t mean I don’t love my jays, cardinals, sparrows, wrens, chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, hawks, waxwings, robins, orioles or other rare birds not in our area like birds of paradise or pink flamingos. But it would be a grand to see my chosen group of birds in a single day even though some are summer birds and some are winter birds.

Do you have a top 5 fantasy pick of birds you want to visit your yard in one day?

Related Articles:
- Do you get more birds if you feed year-round? http://goo.gl/QknpG
- Attracting Michigan Songbirds http://goo.gl/vUQDO
- What seed is best for attracting the colorful birds? http://goo.gl/SAA35
- Common winter birds in Michigan and their food preference: http://bit.ly/yp9YQA
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Forecast: Partly Sunny, Mostly Birdy


American Goldfinch by Wayne Hoch
Forecast: Partly Sunny, Mostly Birdy
More Project FeederWatch participants needed to track winter birds
News release:
Ithaca, NY—The 26th season of Project FeederWatch begins November 10, and participants are needed more than ever. By watching their feeders from November through April and submitting their observations to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, bird watchers make it possible for scientists to keep track of changing bird populations across the continent. New or returning participants can sign up anytime at www.FeederWatch.org.

After unusual winter weather in some parts of the country last season, many participants found themselves asking, “Where are the birds?”

“Warmer temperatures and lack of snow cover means birds can find more natural food so they may visit feeders less,” explains FeederWatch leader David Bonter. “But even if participants are not seeing many birds, that’s still valuable information we need to detect population changes on a broad scale.”

The AccuWeather long-range forecasting service is predicting some big storms in the Northeast this winter, so FeederWatchers in the region may see more birds at their feeders than they did last winter. Forecasts also call for another year of below-normal snowfall for the Midwest, above-normal snowfall and below-normal temperatures for the central and southern Rockies, and a wet winter with above-normal precipitation for the Gulf Coast and Southeast.

“We’ll have to see if those predictions pan out and how they might affect feeder-bird numbers,” Bonter says. “The one number we definitely want to see increase is the number of people taking part in FeederWatch. It’s easy to do, and the information is incredibly valuable in helping us better understand what’s going on in the environment and in the lives of the birds we enjoy so much.”

To learn more about joining Project FeederWatch and to sign up, visit www.FeederWatch.org or call the Cornell Lab toll-free at (866) 989-2473. In return for the $15 fee ($12 for Cornell Lab members), participants receive the FeederWatcher Handbook and Instructions with tips on how to successfully attract birds to your feeders, an identification poster of the most common feeder birds, and a calendar. Participants also receive Winter Bird Highlights, an annual summary of FeederWatch findings, as well as the Cornell Lab's quarterly newsletter, Living Bird News.

Project FeederWatch is a joint research and education project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada.
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International Migratory Bird Day & Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

2012IMBDartwork
Location: Potter Park Zoo
Saturday, June 2, 2012 - 9:00am - 6:00pm
Price: General Admission
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Get a Be A Tourist passport, and admission is FREE! http://www.lansing.org/batyot

International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) is a celebration! It celebrates spring, and with it the return of millions of migratory birds to their breeding areas. Nearly 350 species of migratory birds travel between nesting habitats in North America and non-breeding grounds in South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Come on out to the Zoo to celebrate IMBD and Be A Tourist In Your Own Town. Potter Park Zoo in Lansing will have stations set up to teach you about mid-Michigan's migratory birds, and will have fun activities for the whole family!

To learn more about IMBD go to http://www.birdday.org/.

20 Ways to Conserve Birds

In celebration of International Migratory Bird Day's 20th Anniversary, The following are 20 issues and simple solutions.  Imagine how many birds you can help finish their migratory journey, have a successful nesting season, raise young, survive the winter, if you just....

IMBD20thannivesarylogo1. Prevent Bird Collisions - Collisions are one of the most frequent causes of bird deaths. Put up window decals or window feeders to alert birds to glass.
2. Protect Birds From Pets - Unleashed dogs and cats can harm. Keeping your cat indoors and your dog leashed to save millions of birds each year.  
3. Clean Your Bird Feeders - Dirty feeders can spread disease. Disinfect and clean out old seed from feeders frequently and put fresh water in your bird bath.
4. Don’t Capture Wild Birds - Selling wild-caught birds as pets is illegal. Make certain that the breeder or pet store is reputable.
5. Use Cloth Grocery Bags and Reusable Bottles - Birds that mistakenly eat plastic trash can become ill or even die. Make sure to recycle plastic bags and bottles.
6. Recycle - Anything you recycle reduces litter and saves resources. Get creative!
7. Restore Natural Habitat - Birds need a place to live and many bird habitats are disappearing. Create a refuge in your yard.
8. Keep Your Distance - Birds need space for feeding, nesting, and other daily activities.
9. Leave Fledglings Where You Find Them - Baby birds need to learn how to live without your help. Stay away and let their parents teach them the ropes. You can help by keeping people and pets away. If you think a bird is truly an orphan, call a rehabilitator for instructions.
10. Slow Down When Driving - Cars kill millions of birds each year. Driving slowly gives you more time to respond if there is an animal in the road and gives the animal plenty of time to get out of the way.
11. Buy Bird Friendly Products - You can help preserve bird habitat in Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean by buying shade-grown coffee and chocolate. Shade coffee farms, which imitate native forests, have many more bird species than sun coffee farms.
12. Plant Native - Native plants provide food, nest sites, and cover for birds.
13. Teach Others About Birds - Talk to your friends about birds and start a club in your community to teach people about the challenges birds face. The more people know, the more they can do to help.
14. Get Outdoors and Enjoy Nature - You can appreciate the bird habitat near your home. Find a local park and go for a walk or just stroll around your neighborhood.
15. Take a Friend Bird Watching - Invite a buddy and see if you can spot more birds together.
16. Support Conservation - Join a bird club or other conservation organization to learn more and contribute to protecting birds. Volunteer with organizations that preserve habitat and help birds.
17. Be a Citizen Scientist - Many projects need helpers to gather data on birds and their habitat. Contact your local Nature Center, library or conservation organization to volunteer.
18. Reduce Energy Use - Riding your bike or walking reduces your carbon footprint and prevents pollution of bird habitats. Switching off the lights in your house not only shrinks your energy bill, but can also help prevent birds from colliding with your windows.
19. Avoid Chemicals - Birds may accidentally eat pesticide and herbicide pellets or prey that have been poisoned.  This can kill a bird or have toxic effects on their own health and that of their growing embryos, including deformation or suppressed immune systems.
20. Learn the Hunting Laws - Federal and local laws protect sensitive areas and manage the harvest of birds to ensure healthy populations. 

Learn More:
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Bird Day and Be a Tourist in Your Own Town information

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town - June 2, 2012

Eighteen years ago, the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau created this event to increase community awareness of our attractions and the tourism industry's impact on the area. So once again we open the doors for you to explore what's in your own backyard, right here in Mid-Michigan.

Take this opportunity to enjoy attractions that highlight both Lansing’s unique history as well as its innovative and progressive future. This year visit old favorites such as Impression 5 Science Center, Potter Park Zoo and the Fenner Nature Center, and added new hot spots like the FRAG Center, MSU’s Breslin Center, WKAR Studios and taste the new “Capital City Sundae” ice cream flavor at the MSU Dairy Store.

How it Works: For only $1 you can purchase a “passport” which allows you FREE admission to more than 60 area attractions, local businesses, and special activities on May 30, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. **Ages 3 and under do not require a passport.

Get from place to place with CATA. For only 50 cents you will receive a stamp which will allow you to ride the Be A Tourist routes for the rest of the day for no extra charge.

Fenner Nature Center • 2020 E. Mt. Hope, Lansing • (517) 483-4224
Start the day with a free bird hike (8am), and then explore our 134 acres and 4 miles of trails!

Potter Park Zoo •1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Lansing • (517) 342-2714 • 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This four-season zoo is home to over 400 wonders of wildlife. Hands-on family activities will be going on throughout the zoo including face painting, games, educational programs, baby birds hatching, and live birds of prey 10 am- 5 pm.

For more information go to:  http://www.lansing.org/events/batyot/
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Who is Audubon and how did his name become synonymous with birds?

Happy Birdday Mr. Audubon!

Despite some errors in field observations, John James Audubon made a significant contribution to the understanding of bird anatomy and behavior through his field notes and art.

Audubon was named Jean Rabin on the day of his birth on April 26, 1785 in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). He was the son of a French naval officer, Lieutenant Jean Audubon and his mistress Jeanne Rabine, a 27 year old creole chambermaid who died a few months after giving birth.

In 1794 Audubon was brought to France and adopted formally by his father and his wife, Anne Moynet Audubon, whom he had married years before. There he was renamed Jean-Jacques Fougère Audubon.

From his earliest days, Audubon had an affinity for birds. "I felt an intimacy with them...bordering on frenzy [that] must accompany my steps through life." His father planned to make a seaman of his son, however he quickly found out that he was susceptible to seasickness and not proficient in mathematics or navigation. After failing the officer's qualification test, Audubon returned to exploring the fields again, focusing on birds.

In 1803, his father obtained a false passport so that an 18 year old Audubon could go to the United States to avoid conscription in the Napoleonic Wars. There he changed his name to an anglicized form John James Audubon and set about to study American birds, determined to illustrate his findings in a more realistic manner than most artists did back then.

He wandered around the country and earned a living as a portrait artist and art teacher, in preparation for the eventual publication of a book of all the birds of North America. In 1824 his book of bird drawings was rejected for publication in the US. So a couple years later, at age 41, Audubon took his growing collection of work to England where the British could not get enough of his images of backwoods America and its natural attractions.

He met with great acceptance as he toured around England and Scotland, as "the American woodsman" and raised enough money to begin publishing his Birds of America. Audubon’s birds were popular not only for their great detail but also because he tried to place them in their natural habitats. His drawings usually were based on long hours of observation, as well as specimens in the hand that he hunted and posed in lifelike positions. His monumental book ended up containing 435 hand-colored, life-size prints of 497 bird species. After its publication the name Audubon became synonymous with birds.

He continued to paint birds and animals successfully until his death in 1851.

Source: John James Audubon from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_James_Audubon

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Stay-at-home and vacation

If the price of gas is making you think twice about a trip to a National Wildlife Refuge remember that you can discover a refuge in your own backyard. To invite more birds to your yard you can set up a basic bird feeder, bird bath, or bird house.

Michigan has over 400 species of birds. A few of the most common birds seen at a seed feeder in mid-Michigan are the Cardinal, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, House Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, and Mourning Dove.

Or get your camera out as the squirrel miraculously makes his way up your pole and hangs upside down. I can’t wait for the Ruby-throatedHummingbirds and Baltimore Orioles to start visiting my feeders regularly. They are such characters and not afraid to buzz close when I’m watering the garden.

Many of us spend quite a lot of time and effort making our backyards places to enjoy and then become too busy to utilize them. So forget the crowds and stay home to relieve some stress from the everyday rat race. Let nature nurture.

And if you have children, the National Wildlife Federation is sponsoring a campaign called ‘Be Out There.’  April is Children & Nature Awareness Monthand they suggest lots of activities to get your kids unplugged and outdoors.

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Creative way to recycle eggshells

Cornell Lab of Ornithology and other scientists believe that pollution depletes calcium carbonate in the environment which results in a reduced population of some songbirds.

Eggshells are about 95% calcium carbonate. You can give birds additional natural calcium, especially in the spring when females need it to produce their own eggs, by mixing eggshells with your seed.

Rinse the eggshells and put them in a bag in the freezer. When you have a lot stored up, spread them out on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 250 degrees to make them safe for bird consumption. Have fun smashing the shells into pieces and scatter on a platform feeder or mix with your seed.

Putting eggshells on the menu may even attract species that don’t usually come to seed feeders, like orioles, gnatcatchers, and some species of wood warblers.

And for gardeners, eggshells around the base of plants deters snails and slugs from crossing the sharp eggshells barrier to reach your plants. It also boosts the nutrients in the soil and can be mixed together with dried coffee grounds, which provides a high content of nitrogen, to keep your plants healthy.
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Man builds wings to fly like the birds

A 31-year-old Dutch man has flown over a hundred meters using two Nintendo Wii controllers. Strapped to 55-foot wings, and using a GoPro-camera on his helmet to film the flight, Jarno Smeets became the first man to fly like a bird.

Translation: "I was running...and...At one moment you see the ground moving away, and then suddenly you're free, a really intense feeling of freedom. The true feeling of flying. A very magical moment! The best feeling I have felt in my life."

Sources: Wild Birds Unlimited April Fools Day Joke;   

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Red-tailed Hawk Nest

In the images above, the hawk with the band on the right leg is the female. The male has a band on his left leg. See live stream

Cornell Lab eNews Flash
LIVE: Red-tailed Hawk Nest


A new nest camera high above a Cornell University athletic field is streaming crystal-clear views of a Red-tailed Hawk nest via the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds website. The new camera stream puts viewers 80 feet off the ground and right beside the nest, where they can watch the hawks arrive, see them taking turns incubating the eggs, and compare notes on the two birds—the male has a more golden-tawny face and is slightly smaller than the female, who has been nicknamed "Big Red" for her alma mater.

The nest should be active for at least the next two months, and we hope you'll join us as we watch the young birds hatch and grow. The parents have raised young here for at least the last four years. As signs of spring began to show, the pair began adding sticks and green pine boughs to the nest, and the male started bringing prey, such as squirrels and pigeons, to offer the female. The pair now has two eggs, laid last Friday and on Monday, and we're waiting to see if they lay a third. The birds will incubate for 28-35 days from the date the first egg is laid.

To make sure no one misses out on the early stages of this Red-tailed Hawk story, we've put together a temporary page on our All About Birds website where we invite you to watch these magnificent birds. The site will be live 24 hours a day and the video can be streamed in HD. You can also watch on mobile devices such as smartphones and iPads. A full-featured BirdCams site will launch in late April with many more species, including  Osprey, Black Vulture, and Great Horned Owl.

Enjoy the view!

www.allaboutbirds.org/cornellhawks
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Great Backyard Bird Count Begins

GBBC eNewsletter

Blue Jay by Marie Lehmann, Florida, 2011 GBBC
Are You Ready? The 15th Great Backyard Bird Count starts February 17-20. You are invited to be part of a massive citizen-science effort across North America. Tens of thousands of fellow bird watchers will be counting birds and submitting their checklists to www.birdcount.org. Just watch birds for at least 15 minutes at any location and tally the highest number of each bird species you see at any one time. Submit a new checklist for each day and each new location where you count.

Things You Can Do During the Countdown to the GBBC:
• Forward this message to neighbors, friends, and relatives, asking them to participate. Every checklist counts!
• Fill your bird feeders if you plan to count birds at your feeders.
• Charge up your camera batteries so you can capture that perfect picture for the GBBC photo contest, or document a rarity.
• If you'd like a preview of the birds you might see in your area, enter your zip or postal code on this web page to get printable tally sheets.
American Robin by Jean Hale, Massachusetts, 2011 GBBC

Things to Watch for During the GBBC
• In past counts, participants were most likely to report American Robins in areas without snow. Will more robins be seen farther north this year?
• Will some birds, such as Eastern Phoebes and geese, begin their migrations earlier because of the warmer temperatures and lack of snow or ice in many parts of the country?
• Fewer Blue Jays have been reported in the Northeast in recent months; will GBBC reports show the same trend?
• Where will the Snowy Owls turn up next?


Free Snowy Owl Info

Because the Snowy Owl irruption has captured so much attention in recent months, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is providing free access to comprehensive information about the species from Birds of North America Online, typically only available by subscription. See info

To learn more about Snowy Owl sightings, read the eBird article "The Winter of the Snowy Owl." Go

Snowy Owl by Kim Graham, Ohio, 2006 GBBC
Orange-crowned Warbler by Linda Alley, Texas, 2006 GBBC

Get the Picture

We’ll have a 2012 GBBC photo album set up so you can enjoy some of the images that are uploaded for the annual photo contest. In recent years we’ve been getting 6,000 to 7,000 images and have posted a few hundred of them during the count. Be sure to read over the photo contest rules and terms of use before submitting your entry.
Visit Wild Birds Unlimited, a sponsor of the Great Backyard Bird Count!
Keep up with us on Facebook and join the flock! 

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Can birds predict your Valentine?

Curious about what your romantic future holds, you may want to look to the birds. Ornithomancy is an Ancient Greek practice of reading omens based on the birds. According to the ancient practice, the first bird that an unmarried person sees on Valentine’s Day can foretell their future partner’s character.

The following is a list of birds and the type of person you could end up with, supposedly, if you spot them on Valentine’s Day:

- Cardinal = Romantic person
- Chickadee = intelligent, long-term thinker
- Nuthatch = A scientist or mathematician
- Finch = A very sociable person
- Robin = A person in uniform 
- Turkey= Environmentalist
- Bird of prey = A politician
- Bluebird = Someone who makes people smile
- Pigeon = A homebody
- Wren = Likes material possession
- Blackbird = A spiritual, charitable guy
- Sparrow = A farmer
- Owl = An academic
- Hummingbird = One that travels
- Swan = A partner for life
- Duck = A homely but stable person
- Kingfisher = Has inherited wealth
- Goose = Someone who works in communications
- Dove = A happy marriage
- Woodpecker = No marriage
- Crow = No relationship

Finally if the big question is popped and you are contemplating what to say, sit outside and wait for a little birdy. If one flies past you on your left, the answer is "no" and you may want to change your plans. If a bird flies past you on your right the answer is "yes" and all will be well.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Happy Birthday Michigan: How the state got its name

On January 26, 1837, President Andrew Jackson signed a bill making Michigan the nation's 26th state. "Michigan" is believed to come from the from the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigami, meaning "great water" and referred originally to Lake Michigan itself. The Great Lakes account for one-fifth of the world's surface freshwater supply.

In 1836 a pair speculators from Lansing, New York sold land to a non-existent city in mid-Michigan known as "Biddle City." The New Yorkers arrived to discover that the plots they had purchased were located in a marsh or underwater. Some of the pioneers stayed, and developed a village in what is now Old Town Lansing a mile north of the non-existent "Biddle City."

In 1847, the legislature passed a law to locate the state capital in mid-Michigan because many were concerned about Detroit's proximity to British-controlled Canada, which had captured Detroit in the War of 1812. Unable to publicly reach a consensus because of constant political wrangling, the Michigan House of Representatives privately chose the Township of Lansing as the capitol out of frustration. The sleepy settlement of fewer than 20 people transformed quickly into the seat of state government and individual settlements began to develop along the Grand River.

State Symbols:
Bird - American Robin
Fish - Brook Trout
Reptile - Painted Turtle
Wildflower - Dwarf Lake Iris
Flower - Apple Blossom
Tree - White Pine
Stone - Petoskey Stone
Fossil - Mastodon

Fun Facts:
Michigan is simultaneously known for its cities, supported by heavy industry, and its pristine wilderness. Michigan has the largest state park and state forest system of any state. It is home to a number of areas maintained by the National Park Service with 78 state parks, 19 state recreation areas, and 6 state forests.

Michigan State University was founded in 1855 as the nation's first land-grant university and was the first institution of higher learning in the nation to teach scientific agriculture.

Michigan was the first state to provide in its Constitution for the establishment of public libraries and the first state to guarantee every child the right to tax-paid high school education.

Vernors ginger ale was created in Detroit and became the first soda pop made in the United States. In 1862, pharmacist James Vernor was trying to create a new beverage when he was called away to serve our country in the Civil War. When he returned, 4 years later, the drink he had stored in an oak case had acquired a delicious gingery flavor.

The Kellogg Company has made Battle Creek the Cereal Capital of the World. The Kellogg brothers accidentally discovered the process for producing flaked cereal products and sparked the beginning of the dry cereal industry.

The Detroit Zoo was the first zoo in America to feature cageless, open-exhibits that allowed the animals more freedom to roam.

Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes, more than 36,000 miles of streams and 116 lighthouses and navigational lights.

The Upper Michigan Copper Country is the largest commercial deposit of native copper in the world. Detroit is known as the car capital of the world. Alpena is the home of the world's largest cement plant. Rogers City boasts the world's largest limestone quarry. Elsie is the home of the world's largest registered Holstein dairy herd. Michigan is first in the United States production of peat and magnesium compounds and second in gypsum and iron ore. Colon is home to the world's largest manufacture of magic supplies. Grand Rapids is home to the 24-foot Leonardo da Vinci horse, called Il Gavallo, it is the largest equestrian bronze sculpture in the Western Hemisphere.

Sources:
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Great Backyard Bird Count

Participating in the GBBC is a family affair for these siblings.
Photo by Jerald Reb, Delaware, 2011 GBBC.
Counted and Be Counted!
Make sure your local birds are represented in the upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count—they won’t count unless YOU do! Save the dates: February 17-20 is the 15th annual GBBC.

Everything you need to know to participate is on the website at www.birdcount.org, including downloadable instructions, FAQs, and a how-to video. Get a regional list of the birds you might see in your area in February so you can brush up on your identification skills ahead of time.

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The Tradition of feeding the Birds at Christmas Time

Birds are considered to be among the most common Christmas tree ornaments. They have religious symbolism as being biblical messengers that bring love and peace to the world. Even today, birds represent good luck and good fortune.

It is said that many German families felt that finding a bird’s nest in the Christmas tree meant the gift of health, wealth and happiness throughout the year. And in southern Germany corn is placed on the roof to feed the birds on Christmas Eve.

In Denmark, the father of the household erects a “juleneg” on Christmas Eve. This is a corn stalk hung in a tree, just to let the birds know that Christmas has arrived.

Feeding bread crumbs, seeds, or a sheaf of grain to the birds on is also a Swedish tradition. The last sheaf of grain from the harvest, known as the Julkarve or the Christmas sheaf is hung out for the birds on Christmas Eve.

According to legend if lots of birds come, a good crop will follow the next year. The very act of giving to the birds signifies a reminder that no matter how lean the times, when people share, good fortune will follow.

If you would like to join the time honored tradition of feeding birds this time of year, you can fill your feeders or make edible ornaments to hang from the trees. Then as you enjoy your traditional Christmas meal inside, you can watch the birds and squirrels enjoy their meal outside the window. I wish every one peace, good health, and a happy new year.

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