Join us for for an inspiring presentation by Marty MacCleery on how to transform your yard into a thriving habitat for birds using native plants. Marty will begin by sharing simple, practical steps for creating a native plant garden, centered on the four essentials birds need to survive—food, water, shelter, and places to raise their young. She’ll also explain why native plants are critical to the entire food web, benefiting not only birds and insects, but people as well.

The program will then dive deeper into specific Michigan native trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants that best support bird life, including eight native plants recommended by Michigan Audubon. Attendees can browse Marty’s garden signage from her October 2025 walkabout and explore the Wild Ones 2025 Michigan Native Plant Vendors list for local planting resources. You’ll also receive a beautiful, full-color brochure from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology outlining simple actions anyone can take to help birds. Marty brings a lifelong passion for education and conservation to her work—after rediscovering gardening later in life, she became a Master Gardener and Master Naturalist through MSU Extension, served five years as Education Chair for Wild Ones River City Chapter, and has spent over a decade inspiring young learners through 4-H natural science programs.

Our monthly membership meetings are FREE and open to the public.

Led By: Steve Minard

Explore the Allegan State Game Area, including the Swan Creek Highbanks and the Todd Farm Unit, for winter birds with Steve Minard! Bald Eagle and Rough-legged Hawk are likely to be near the flocks of Canada Goose at the Todd Farm Unit. Wild Turkey, Northern Shrike, and Ross’ Goose have been found here in past winters. With luck, winter finches will make an appearance. Birders of all skills are welcome.

Essentials: Meet at the McDonald’s in Hudsonville, and car pool from there. A spotting scope will come in handy on this trip. A bit of food and a warm beverage will take care of any hunger pains. We plan to bird until noon, lunch afterwards is an option.

Safety Hazards: Cold weather and slippery winter driving are the main hazards. As with winter trips in particular, bad weather may cancel the trip. Driving in a caravan can be hazardous. Get directions from the leader for travel to the next stop. Please exercise caution on the roads at all times, and watch the car ahead of you when driving in a caravan. Please have a passenger handle all radio or phone communications while in a car.

You’re invited to the kickoff meeting of the Bird City Grand Rapids Committee!

At this first meeting, we’ll review our scope and capacity, discuss what Bird City certification entails, and begin strategically mapping out a timeline and concrete steps to achieve certification for Grand Rapids. This will be a working session focused on collaboration, realistic goal-setting, and aligning our efforts with what we can accomplish together.

All are welcome.

Please note that due to extreme cold and treacherous weather, the January Membership Meeting scheduled tonight is CANCELLED. Chad Machinski, Conservation Manager for Michigan Audubon, will give his presentation to Grand Rapids in the Spring. Thank you for understanding.

Chad Machinski, Conservation Manager for Michigan Audubon, will talk with us about his efforts at properties managed by his organization.

Across many of Michigan Audubon’s Sanctuaries, active habitat restoration and creation is an ongoing project. Chad will discuss where this work is going on, why the work is going on, and how the work is happening. Chad’s presentation will focus on three Michigan Audubon Sanctuaries as examples of specific work: The Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary, the Otis Farm Bird Sanctuary, and the Martha Mott Bird Sanctuary. Attendees will also learn about ways they can get involved with Michigan Audubon work.

While Chad’s first love is botany, he doesn’t deny the intertwining nature of birds, plants, insects, and all other organisms we share the world with. As Michigan Audubon’s Conservation Manager, Chad is responsible for the management and care for all 20 of Michigan Audubon’s Sanctuaries around the state and bird specific programs such as Chimney Swift and Purple Martin conservation. In his spare time, Chad tends to think about many of the same things he does at work: plants, birds, and insects.

This program is open to the public, who may attend as guests of the Grand Rapids Audubon Club. Doors of the Donnelly Center open at 7:00pm; come early to meet fellow members, browse the large selection of library items, and connect with others about birding. The program begins at 7:30 pm.

Led By: Steve Minard

PLEASE ADVISE: This field trip has been canceled due to the inclement weather expected for Saturday. With frigid temperatures and unsafe driving conditions, we suggest you spend the day snuggled indoors watching the birds that visit your backyard instead.

This is planned a winter trip to search for winter birds such as Snowy Owl, Northern Shrike, and Snow Bunting.  These can be quite nomadic and hard to find, so we’ll try to cover lots of territory to look for them.  We’ll search fields in northern Ottawa County and Muskegon County northwest of Grand Rapids.  We’ll probably check some of the Crockery Creek bottom lands looking for Red-shouldered Hawk.  If conditions permit, we'll try to include the Muskegon Wastewater in our search.  Expect to spend most of the time in the car searching the fields for anything different.  Birders of all skills are welcome.

Essentials: Meet at the Boy Scout Headquarters west off Walker Road just north of I-96 at 8:00 AM.  We plan to bird until noon, you may want to bring a snack to hold you over until lunch.

Safety Hazards: Cold weather and slippery winter driving are the main hazards.  As with winter trips in particular, bad weather may cancel the trip.  Driving in a caravan can be hazardous.  Get directions from the leader for travel to the next stop.  Please exercise caution on the roads at all times, and watch the car ahead of you when driving in a caravan.  Please have a passenger handle all radio or phone communications while in a car.

Led By: Steve Minard

Get your bird list for 2026 started in Kent County.  We'll try to track down some of the birds seen on the Christmas Count, and just look for whatever sounds good.  We will start at 6:00 am to look for owls in the Cannonsburg State Game Area and vicinity.  At dawn, we will shift to looking for winter passerines, waterfowl and hawks.  Birders of all skills are welcome to join us and start their bird list for 2026.  

Essentials: Meet at the Ada McDonald’s on M21 at the Citgo Gas Station by 6:00 AM.  This is across M21 from Amway and near the Post Office.  We plan to be back at McDonald's at 8:00 am for a break and in case anyone wants to join us.  We plan to finish around 11:30 AM.  Dress for cold weather and bring a snack or warm beverage to keep you fueled up.

Safety Hazards: Cold weather and slippery winter driving are the main hazards.  As with winter trips in particular, bad weather may cancel the trip.  Driving in a caravan can be hazardous.  Get directions from the leader for travel to the next stop.  Please exercise caution on the roads at all times, and watch the car ahead of you when driving in a caravan.  Please have a passenger handle all radio or phone communications while in a car.

Help the Grand Rapids Audubon Club Survey Early-Winter Birds in West Michigan!

This is our club’s 65th year of the Annual Christmas Bird Count, and we look forward to having you help us survey our local birds.

To learn more about the Christmas Bird Count, where our survey region is, and what to expect from your participation in community science, visit the Christmas Bird Count page on our website.

To register to participate in our count, email our Count Compiler, Tom Leggett today!

Led By: Spencer High

Winter is cold, but the birding is HOT! Join us as we take a hike around the lakes at Dune Harbor Park Muskegon County to see what is spending the winter with us! Spencer High will take us throughout the park, explain why some of these birds are here and what they’re eating, and share some fun facts about them!

Thanks to the park’s proximity to the Lake Michigan migratory flyway, you never know what rare or exciting species might make an appearance!

Meeting Location: Seminole Parking Lot
(2161 Seminole Rd, Norton Shores, MI 49441)

Time: Meet at 9:00 AM — the hike will begin at approximately 9:10 AM.

What to Bring:
Feel free to bring your own binoculars. A limited number of binoculars and field guides will also be available to borrow.

Please dress for the weather — and keep in mind that it can get windy near the lakeshore!

Join us for our November Monthly Membership Meeting!

Our monthly membership meetings are FREE and open to the public.

William Rapai is an amateur naturalist and author of the 2013 Michigan Notable Book "The Kirtland's Warbler: The Story of a Bird's Fight Against Extinction and the People Who Saved It". He was an award-winning reporter and editor for the Grand Forks Herald, the Detroit Free Press, and the Boston Globe.

Led By: Steve Minard

We will plan to look for the best reported late shorebirds, winter ducks, winter gulls, or winter finches along the lake shore.  Winter ducks should be in the area, and the other late migrants should still be moving south.  This time of year presents an opportunity for birds that can difficult to find in our area, so we'll check the bird alerts and go with the best prospects.  We are likely to start on the lake shore with Holland State Park, Oval Beach or Douglas Beach as possible targets.  From Lake Michigan, we're likely to work inland with stops possible along Lake Macatawa, the Kalamazoo River, or the Todd Farm Unit of the Allegan State Game Area.  If we are lucky, a mega rarity will be chase able and we may travel further afield.  This is planned as a morning trip, but we could extend it with a lunch stop. 

Essentials: Meet at the McDonald’s in Hudsonville.  We can leave any extra cars in the car pool lot just north of the I196 freeway.  Be ready to head out at 7:30 AM.  You may want a drink or snack to keep you going until lunch.  Come prepared for cold weather.  A spotting scope could come in handy on this trip.

Safety Hazards: Cold weather and slippery winter driving are the main hazards.  As with winter trips in particular, bad weather may cancel the trip.  Driving in a caravan can be hazardous.  Get directions from the leader for travel to the next stop.  Please exercise caution on the roads at all times, and watch the car ahead of you when driving in a caravan.  Please have a passenger handle all radio or phone communications while in a car.

Hitchcock. Feathers. Fear.

Before Halloween takes flight, join the Grand Rapids Audubon Club for a special screening of Hitchcock’s The Birds — one of the most iconic horror-thrillers in film history.

A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people.

Dress in costume or your favorite bird colorway! Doors open at 6:30pm, show starts at 7:30pm.

$10 General Admission // $8 CMC & Wealthy Theatre Members

For October, we’ll continue our look at natural space conservation across Michigan and areas designated as preserves to help promote the wellbeing of wildlife across the state, especially birds.

Chad Machinski, Conservation Manager for Michigan Audubon, will talk with us about his efforts at properties managed by his organization.

Across many of Michigan Audubon’s Sanctuaries, active habitat restoration and creation is an ongoing project. Chad will discuss where this work is going on, why the work is going on, and how the work is happening. Chad’s presentation will focus on three Michigan Audubon Sanctuaries as examples of specific work: The Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary, the Otis Farm Bird Sanctuary, and the Martha Mott Bird Sanctuary. Attendees will also learn about ways they can get involved with Michigan Audubon work.

While Chad’s first love is botany, he doesn’t deny the intertwining nature of birds, plants, insects, and all other organisms we share the world with. As Michigan Audubon’s Conservation Manager, Chad is responsible for the management and care for all 20 of Michigan Audubon’s Sanctuaries around the state and bird specific programs such as Chimney Swift and Purple Martin conservation. In his spare time, Chad tends to think about many of the same things he does at work: plants, birds, and insects.

This program is open to the public, who may attend as guests of the Grand Rapids Audubon Club.

Doors open at 7:00pm; come early to meet fellow members, browse the large selection of library items, and connect with others about birding. The program begins at 7:30 pm.