Midwest Birding Symposium approaches!

If you've attended any of the past Midwest Birding Symposiums, you'll recall what a blast they were. Ohio played host to the past three MBS's, at picturesque Lakeside on the shores of Lake Erie. It's time for this biennial event to pull up roots and shift to another state, but it's not going far. Bay City, Michigan, has hosting honors this year, and MBS takes place from September 10-13. Come for some, or all. The complete conference scoop is RIGHT HERE.

Your narrator (R) with Doug Tallamy in what is certainly Michigan's most iconic bird habitat, the elfin Jack Pine forests of the northern Lower Peninsula. Doug is the Saturday evening keynote, and I could not think of anyone better for the role. While renowned as an entomologist and leading advocate of using native plants to foster animal biodiversity, Doug is huge into birds. That's why we were in the jacks last May, and why Doug was armed with his massive black Nikon bird rig.

Not long before the previous photo was taken, we had shot images of the "Jack Pine Warbler", more precisely known as the Kirtland's Warbler, Setophaga kirtlandii. In three days of exploration, we saw scads of other bird species that inhabit northern Michigan, and I won't be surprised if Doug works some of them into his talk.

MBS also attracts a who's who of birders from around North America and beyond, and attendees will be hearing from many of them. Get the complete agenda RIGHT HERE. It promises to be a great time, with lots of interesting presentations and field trip opportunities. Hope to see you there, and again, GO HERE for the details.