A partial-albino Baltimore Oriole provided the best example of an individually marked bird and showed that it spent time visiting Paul’s feeding season in 2022 and 2023. Keep an eye out for any identifying plumage to help you study the behavior of individual birds in your yard.

Article and Photos by Paul Konrad

There are a lot of things you can learn about birds when you have a chance to recognize and observe individual birds that visit your feeding station and birdbath. Studying the behavior of individual birds can provide insights that take you to another level of enjoying birds. But too often, one male of a species looks like another, as do all the females – at least to humans. Every once in a while though, a bird comes around that shows some identifying characteristic, such as a male Baltimore Oriole that dropped by about 10 days ago that is colored yellow-orange rather than deep Baltimore orange.

It’s always something of a breakthrough when you have a bird that you can re-identify Read more

Many people who live in northern Michigan are still cleaning up and dealing with the effects of a major ice storm that hit at the end of March, leaving large swaths of downed limbs and broken trees in its path.

Ice storms are a recurring challenge in the Midwest. Freezing rain can add substantial weight to limbs, causing even healthy trees to snap. And Michigan is currently in thunderstorm and tornado season, which can also wreak havoc in forests and across urban landscapes.

While utility and public works crews have worked quickly to restore power and clear roads, the damage to community trees will take longer to fully assess and manage. Ultimately, events like this also can offer opportunities to reassess our approach to tree management and build stronger, resilient urban forests.

1. Safety first: Addressing immediate priorities Read more

In the wake of the March 28-30 ice storm in northern Michigan, the DNR and dedicated local communities have been relentless in their efforts to clear storm damage and restore facilities statewide.

We’re proud to report significant progress: 93% of parks and recreation facilities, 27% of state-managed nonmotorized and motorized trails and 36% of state forest roads have been safely reopened.

Witness the storm’s impact and our ongoing recovery through drone footage and photos on the DNR’s interactive ice storm story map.

Visit the DNR’s ice storm response page to view a dashboard with the latest status (open, partially open, temporarily closed) of state parks, state-managed trails, boating access sites, state forest campgrounds and state forest roads, as well as to find an interactive map, safety updates and more.

View ice storm story map ?

Mexican wolf fostering efforts for 2025 have been completed, with 17 wolf pups placed into wild dens. In total, six were fostered into a single den in Arizona and 11 into three different dens in New Mexico.

Fostering Mexican wolf pups from captivity into the wild is a proven approach to managing the genetic diversity of the wild population. Used since 2016, a total of 146 fostered pups have been introduced into wild dens in Arizona and New Mexico.

All Mexican wolves in the wild originated from seven founders — making genetic management a key to recovery and delisting of the Mexican wolf.

The goal for 2025 was to place a larger number of pups into dens in Arizona, which was relatively successful with twice as many pups going to Arizona compared to last year. Read more

During the post-fledging period, fledgling birds like this Orchard Oriole are fed and protected by the adults while they learn to fly and find food on their own. Even though the adult male just fed the fledgling, it continues to beg for more.

One of the most rewarding thrills of feeding birds comes when an adult brings new fledglings to your feeding station, or in this case a window feeder (Eastern Bluebirds photo by Duncraft).

As the nesting season becomes more obvious with each passing day, you may already have seen some of the first new fledglings that have started to leave their nests. As fledglings appear, witnessing the successes of the nesting season is a wonderful experience and a fulfilling part of providing nesting habitat in our yards, along with fresh water and a variety of bird foods for adults and fledglings. It’s a time we can all learn more about the behavior of birds when they venture beyond their nest, which is a time that’s not often described. Read more

Whitetail habitat expert and ScentLok pro, Jason Say, properly proves that creating a functional food plot is well inside your wheelhouse

The whitetail deer is the most popular game animal in the US, so it should be no surprise hunters spend plentiful time and money throughout the year on whitetail related matters. Firearm and archery equipment, treestands and blinds, optics, and of course clothing specifically engineered for hunting deer are all investments hunters justify annually, which is easy to do considering how technological advancements have tilted the advantage to hunters like no other time in history. Read more

May 28, 2025
Contact: Bill Scullon, 906-250-6781

Community groups, conservation clubs and even K-12 students in the Upper Peninsula will improve hundreds of acres of land to support the deer population through a matching grant program partially funded by deer license revenue.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is awarding a total of about $148,300 to 15 projects as part of the 2025 Upper Peninsula Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative. There are 14 new projects and one carryover from last year.

The projects include tree and shrub planting, turning forest trails into wildlife corridors, protecting existing habitat with fencing and other enhancements to private or non-state-owned land.

Partners include conservation districts, deer hunting groups, sportsmen clubs, schools and others. Grants can range from $2,000 to $15,000. Applicants match at least 25% of the cost either financially or through in-kind contributions. Read more