Looking for a new winter hobby? Try birdwatching on Belle Isle with Detroit Audubon.

Looking for a new winter hobby? Try birdwatching on Belle Isle with Detroit Audubon.
Birding is not just a springtime activity — but it requires patience and a tolerance for the cold

By Randiah Camille Green on Fri, Jan 13, 2023 at 2:40 pm


(Detroit Metro Times) Clouds hung in the sky over Belle Isle on a chilly January morning as a crowd gathered to look for new friends: birds.

“You never know what you’re gonna see, so may the gods bless us today,” Detroit Audubon volunteer Evan Deutsch tells the eager group bundled up in hats and scarves.

Birding may seem like a springtime activity, but Detroit Audubon hosts bird watching field trips throughout the winter season.

Perhaps the gods were taking a quick nap when we met the group for a bird watching outing on that dreary day.



We were hoping to catch a glimpse of Belle Isle’s majestic nesting eagles, which we’ve seen on other occasions. Instead, we saw a downy woodpecker jabbing at a tree in search of bugs. A tree full of what the group guessed were robins watched us as we walked past the Blue Heron Lagoon and onto the Ralph Wilson Gateway trail.

.....(snip).....

Birding is an activity that takes patience, time, and lots of curiosity, but it can be rewarding in the moments you spot a rare species or connect with like-minded folks.

“Birders are really passionate and interesting people, so I really like coming out and talking to people who are so excited to see an indigo bunting,” says Sarah Peterson, who became a Detroit Audubon member less than a year ago. “When I see someone who’s 50 years old jumping up and down and clapping because they just saw a bird that I didn’t know was rare, all of a sudden now I’m excited too.” .............(more)

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/birding-is-not-just-limited-to-springtime-on-a-trip-to-belle-isle-with-detroit-audubon-32100626