2015 MBS Schedule

2015 Midwest Birding Symposium Complete Schedule of Activities Festival Headquarters @ DoubleTree by Hilton - Bay City Riverfront

Schedule subject to change with additions expected!

Wednesday, September 9

5:30-6:30 PM Cocktail Reception hosted by Great Lakes Bay Regional CVB

6:30-8:45 PM Pub Crawl

Thursday, September 10

NOON – WELCOME TABLE & WALK UP REGISTRATION OPENS @ FESTIVAL HEADQUARTERS

Pre-event Tours/ Workshops

2:00 – 5:00 PM Let’s Get Started Birding (Part I)

Join Bill Thompson III, editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest, for this classroom presentation designed for

anyone just getting into birding or the back yard bird watcher that wants to take their birding to the next

level. Participants will learn about use of optics and field guides, get helpful hints on bird identification -

both by sight and sound, and learn other helpful hints on finding our feathered friends. During part II of

the workshop (Friday morning) Bill will lead participants on a bird walk along the River Trail.

Tour Rating: Easy

6:30 – 9:30 PM Princess Wenonah Cruise

Join us aboard the Princess Wenonah, a refurbished car ferry, for an evening cruise up the Saginaw

River to Saginaw Bay. Enjoy fantastic appetizers from the Stein Haus and a cash bar while you view the

birds along the shore, and the gulls and waterfowl in the water and overhead. Cruise by a Bald Eagle

nest too. Make new friends to enjoy the rest of the Symposium with. FEE: $40

Tour Rating: Moderate - transportation by boat

7:00 PM - REGISTRATION TABLE CLOSES

Friday, September 11

6:30 AM - WELCOME & REGISTRATION TABLES OPEN @ FESTIVAL HEADQUARTERS

7:00 – 11:00 AM Guided Fieldtrips

Tall Ship Appledore Pelagic Climb aboard the Appledore, a two-masted schooner that will take you birding up the Saginaw River to

the Saginaw Bay. FEE: $35

Tour rating: Moderate – travel by boat

Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge by bus

Board a passenger bus at the Event Headquarters for a luxury ride to the Wildlife Refuge. Once there we

will pick up the Refuge Manager and Biologist to join us on the Wildlife Drive through the Refuge. The

bus will stop at key points along the drive where we will disembark for better viewing opportunities.

FEE: $20

Tour rating: Easy

Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area Meet your guides at the parking area for Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area. This is a haven for

common and rare species alike, and also the home of one of the oldest and largest colonies of Yellow-

headed Blackbirds in the state. It’s no wonder this is one of the most visited areas in the Saginaw Bay

for water birds! The YHBL will probably have migrated out by September but you never know when

one or two might decide to stick around. Tour rating: Moderate

Friday continued

Pinconning County Park

Board a van/bus at the Event Headquarters for a ride to Pinconning County Park, a gem that sits on a

narrow peninsula into the Bay that serves as a popular cove for birds. FEE: $5

Tour rating: Moderate

Fish Point State Wildlife Area

Fish Point is managed in order to preserve the diversity of wildlife that resides there. The site features a

wildlife viewing trail, as well as an observation tower. Birders can enjoy the numerous species of

waterfowl and other water birds that call this area home. Other sightings at Fish Point include short

earred owls, rough-legged hawks, and a variety of warblers during migration. FEE: $5

Birding with John J. Audubon

Join your guide in the Event Headquarters Lobby. Monsieur Audubon will lead you on a birding walk

along the River Trail from the hotel. You will see birds in a different light and learn about America in

the early nineteenth century while you look for species that call the Saginaw River home.

Tour Rating: Easy

Bay City State Recreation Area

The Bay City Recreation Area is the site of one of the largest freshwater coastal wetlands in the Great

Lakes, known as the Tobico Marsh. Meet your guides here to explore the shoreline and prairie as you walk

this area’s five miles of trails and two 32-foot observation towers.

Tour Rating: Moderate to Challenging

Birding Bigelow Park

Meet at Veteran's Memorial Park (across the river from the Event Headquarters – meet on the south side

of the park) where you will walk the River Trail and boardwalk to Bigelow Park and back. Total

distance: approximately 1.5 miles.

Tour Rating: Easy

8:00-10:30 AM

Beginning Birding Workshop Part II (Pre-requisite: Let’s Get Started Birding Part I)

Meet Bill Thompson II at the tent located outside the Event Headquarters to begin part II of your birding

experience.

10:00 AM-6:00 PM Vendor Marketplace Open

11:30 AM- Noon WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Noon-1:15 PM Lunch & Keynote

We’ll have a delicious buffet lunch in the Grand Ballroom located in the DoubleTree and then John J.

Audubon himself ( a.k.a. – Brian “Fox” Ellis) will arrive to regale us with tales of his life and amazing

birding adventures across this great nation in the early 19th

century.

1:30-2:30 PM Breakout Sessions


4:00-5:00 PM Vendor Marketplace and Happy Hour

Nosh on snacks and purchase a drink from the cash bar as you take this opportunity to try out all the

optics equipment and shop all of the great vendors located in the Wheeler Room, Grand Foyer, and the

lobby of the Planetarium.

Friday continued

5:00-6:00 PM Special Keynote

Presented by Kevin Karlson, this keynote shares a new slant to field identification that Kevin and his co-

author and wife Dale Rosselet call Birding by Impression: A Different Approach to Knowing and

Identifying Birds, which is the title of their recently released book in the Roger Tory Peterson Reference

Series at Houghton Mifflin Co. (April 2015). The topic of this multi-media presentation includes a

merging of right and left brain strengths to enhance your birding skills as well as a greater appreciation

of birds as fascinating members of the natural world rather than just a check on your list.

6:00-8:30 PM Dinner Out and About Bay City

Downtown Bay City is home to an amazing number of wonderful restaurants and local bars where you

can grab dinner with your favorite birders. Just don’t forget that the night isn’t over yet – we reconvene

for some additional activities in and around the Event Headquarters at 8:30.


8:30-10:00 PM Evening Activities (additional activities to come)

Mysteries of the Great Lakes

View this incredible film in the Planetarium Auditorium.

Mysteries of Migration You already know that many bird species migrate at night, but did you know that you can identify who’s

flying overhead by the chips and chirps that you hear? We’ll go up to the roof of the Planetarium to

listen for the night travelers.

Saturday, September 12

6:30 AM - WELCOME & REGISTRATION TABLES OPEN @ FESTIVAL HEADQUARTERS

7:00 – 11:00 AM Guided Fieldtrips




Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge by bus

Board a passenger bus at the Event Headquarters for a luxury ride to the Wildlife Refuge. Once there we

will pick up the Refuge Manager and Biologist to join us on the Wildlife Drive through the Refuge. The

bus will stop at key points along the drive where we will disembark for better viewing opportunities.

FEE: $20

Tour rating: Easy

Chippewa Nature Center Birding Board a passenger bus at the Event Headquarters for a luxury ride to the Chippewa Nature Center, one

of the best nature centers in the United States. You meet their naturalists for a guided walk on some of

the over 15 miles of trails there. FEE: $20

Tour Rating: Moderate

Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area Meet your guides at the parking area for Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area. This is a haven for

common and rare species alike, and also the home of one of the oldest and largest colonies of Yellow-

headed Blackbirds in the state. It’s no wonder this is one of the most visited areas in the Saginaw Bay

for water birds! The YHBL will probably have migrated out by September but you never know when

one or two might decide to stick around. Tour rating: Moderate

Saturday continued 7AM tours

Pinconning County Park

Board a van/bus at the Event Headquarters for a ride to Pinconning County Park, a gem that sits on a

narrow peninsula into the Bay that serves as a popular cove for birds. FEE: $5


Fish Point State Wildlife Area

Fish Point is managed in order to preserve the diversity of wildlife that resides there. The site features a

wildlife viewing trail, as well as an observation tower. Birders can enjoy the numerous species of

waterfowl and other water birds that call this area home. Other sightings at Fish Point include short

earred owls, rough-legged hawks, and a variety of warblers during migration. FEE: $5

Big Green Birding Tour of the Saginaw Bay Birding Trail

Join Josh Haas for a bike birding tour of the Saginaw Bay Birding Trail. A 30+-mile route begins at Bay

City SRA and will take riders north along Saginaw Bay via the SBBT in search of waterbirds,

shorebirds, and those confusing fall warblers. The group will enjoy a restful lunch (provided) while

birding Tuttle Marsh before returning to BCSRA, birding all the way. FEE: $15

Tour Rating: Challenging

Bay City State Recreation Area

The Bay City Recreation Area is the site of one of the largest freshwater coastal wetlands in the Great

Lakes, known as the Tobico Marsh. Meet your guides here to explore the shoreline and prairie as you walk

this area’s five miles of trails and two 32-foot observation towers.

Tour Rating: Moderate to Challenging

Birding Bigelow Park

Meet at Veteran's Memorial Park (across the river from the Event Headquarters – meet on the south side

of the park) where you will walk the River Trail and boardwalk to Bigelow Park and back. Total

distance: approximately 1.5 miles.

Tour Rating: Easy

8:00-10:00 AM Birding by Impression Workshop: A Different Approach to Knowing & Identifying Birds

This is an indoor/outdoor workshop. A short description of Birding by Impression is followed by unique

digitized photos from the new book that encourages the audience to spot differences between similar

species in direct side-by-side comparison. Videos of some bird behaviors illustrate how certain

movements are also helpful to the ID process. After the classroom session you will head outdoors to

learn how to use this process to identify the birds you see. Come and try something different that could

enhance your birding skills and elevate your appreciation of birds to more than a check on your list.

FEE: $30

10:00 AM-6:00 PM Vendor Marketplace Open

10:30 AM Morning Announcements

11:00 AM-Noon Breakout Sessions

11:15 AM-12:30 PM Author Signing

Noon-2:00 PM Lunch Out and About Bay City (optional lunch available at the DoubleTree – not included in

registration)



Saturday continued


4:15-6:00 PM Vendor Marketplace and Happy Hour

Nosh on snacks and purchase a drink from the cash bar as you take this opportunity to try out all the

optics equipment and shop all of the great vendors located in the Wheeler Room, Grand Foyer, and the

lobby of the Planetarium.

6:00-8:00 PM Dinner and Keynote with Dr. Douglas Tallamy

Finish your Symposium off right with a great dinner in the Grand Ballroom, a wrap up of the event with

your hosts, and a special presentation by Dr. Doug Tallamy, "Rebuilding Nature's Relationships."

Specialized relationships between birds and plants are the norm in nature rather than the exception.

Plants that evolved in concert with local birds provide for their needs better than plants that evolved

elsewhere. Tallamy will explain why this is so, why specialized food relationships determine the

stability and complexity of the local food webs that support bird reproduction, why it is important to

restore birds to our residential properties, and what we need to do to make our landscapes living

ecosystems once again.

8:30-10:00 PM Evening Activities (additional activities to come)

Mysteries of Migration You already know that many bird species migrate at night, but did you know that you can identify who’s

flying overhead by the chips and chirps that you hear? We’ll go up to the roof of the Planetarium to

listen for the night travelers.

Sunday, September 13

7:00 – Various Ending Times GUIDED & SELF-GUIDED FIELDTRIPS




Destination Tawas Point State Park This begins as a self-guided trip to East Tawas along the Saginaw Bay Birding Trail. Stop at birding

locations along the way as you make your way to Tawas Point State Park, a fantastic birding location on

the northern point of Saginaw Bay. Once you arrive at the State Park there will be guides available to

lead you on the trails there and tell you a little more about this incredible birding hotspot.


Charity Island Boat Trip Enjoy a boat trip to Charity Island in the middle of Saginaw Bay. Many birds land on the island to rest

before continuing their migration north. Lunch (included) will be served on the island at the lighthouse

before departure. Festival registration packets will be provided when you board the boat. FEE: $50

Trip will depart from Caseville, returns at approximately 1:30 PM

Tour Rating: Moderate - boat travel of 1 hour each way

Self-guided Birding Visit a variety of birding locations on your own. Information and maps will be available at the event.

2015 MBS Schedule

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Transcript of 2015 MBS Schedule