An Oakland Audubon Birding Adventure & More!

Oakland County, MI Government 1 Comment

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

Oakland Audubon Society offers free, fun filled trips for birders of all ages. They are enriching family-friendly events where participants often encounter the unexpected. As expected, my hike with their “young birders” last Saturday morning at 2,454-acre Indian Springs Metropark was no exception. Thirty-six species of birds, including five different species of swallows, were encountered during our two and a half hour meander, but my two favorite species of wildlife encountered were not birds. One had scales, the other fur. It’s not every day I witness an eastern garter snake up in a tree or go face to face with a pair of young thirteen-lined ground squirrels, but on Saturday I did.

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A Sunrise Paddle on the Wilder Side

Oakland County, MI Government 2 Comments

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

Summer is firmly taking hold on the wilder side of Oakland County. It’s a time for exploration and discovery, and without a doubt, it’s the perfect time to greet the sunrise while most of the human world is sleeping and the air is still cool. And so last Saturday morning, just a few hours after the last of the fireflies flickered in my meadow, I strapped my kayak into its carrier and headed for East Graham Lake in the Bald Mountain State Recreation Area. Although the drive took only twenty-five minutes, it felt like I had escaped to a far away hideaway. Continue reading →

Nature’s Way Hidden in Plain Sight

Oakland County, MI Government 2 Comments

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

You need not go on an epic journey to discover, explore and enjoy the ways of nature in the sultry days of summer. You need not leave the county or even leave the city or suburbs. Just walk to small bodies of water with vegetated edges and the subtleties and secrets of nature’s world unfold, often just yards from pavement and manicured lawns. Continue reading →

Do Coyotes Really Lurk?

Oakland County, MI Government 6 Comments

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

It happens every summer, a coyote is noticed for a fleeting moment in Oakland County and suddenly neighborhood Facebook chat groups explode with sensationalized reports of a coyote that is “lurking” about.

Words have power. “A deer was lurking in the woods and watching me” would be a laughable sentence. But when it comes to coyote sightings, “lurking” seems to be a word that makes its way into a descriptive sentence. Coyotes don’t lurk. They watch. They listen. They sniff. They observe. They act. And they respond to human behavior. Continue reading →

The Old Mill at the Top of Oakland County

Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

If it was not for springs bubbling up through the glacially sculpted hills of what is now the Ortonville State Recreation Area, and Kearsley Creek meandering through fertile woodlands, there might never have been a Village of Ortonville. And there certainly would not be an Old Mill Museum located at the “top” of Oakland County. Brandon Township Supervisor Kathy Thurman described the mill to me this way last month, “The Old Mill Museum is one of the finest gems in downtown Ortonville.” I agree. Continue reading →