Tweeters, I pursued a hobby of nature observation and photography
(particularly birds) in N. Indiana/S. Michigan for 24 years. If any of you
are headed into that part of the country to bird (but...who would given the
relative nearness of Pelee and Grayling [Kirt.Wrblrs.]?) feel free to
contact me for tips on some of the more obscure places with-in 50 miles of
South Bend, IN. A recent May birding trip back to the area after having
moved from there in '85 still produced resident Cerulean and Prothonotary
Warblers at two disparate old haunts I hadn't been to since 1980 (Cerulean)
and 1971 (Proth.). Woodcock (in March) are common and for me not much
rivals a crispy-aired, russet sunset watching the aerial courtship flights
w/twittering and peenting accompaniments against a distant back drop of
Spring Peeper chorii. The highlight of my years in that area was the
discovery (and close fotos) of a White-Faced Ibis at a marsh I frequented
near Cassopolis, Michigan. Germane to this letter in that it points up the
possibilities of this fairly small area of the country. That rarity
notwithstanding, the marsh also produced a Black Tern colony, and most bird
and other animal species one can associate with a mid-west
spatterdock/cattail marsh. This particular site also sported a creek delta
which attracted fall shorebird migrants as; Snipe, Least Sndpr., Semi-Palm.
Plvr., and even a Stilt Sndpr. one time. As a brief aside to nature
enthusiasts in general I also saw at this spot : Snapping, Box, Map,
Stinkpot, Spotted, and abundant Slider turtles; N. Water, Hog-Nosed,
Garter, and a Massasauga Rattle snakes; Bull, Green, Leopard, Peeper,
Chorus and Grey Tree frogs; a beautiful array of wild flowers and fall
mushrooms; and various insects galore. A local birding "hot spot" near-by
is Indiana Dunes State Park at the south end of Lake Michigan which is
worth a May visit in its own right. I've also lived in and birded the
environs of Charleston, S.C. recently and can give some neat spots to bird
around there. Red Cockaded are heavily protected in most of their known
hangouts but we found several spots where there was no restrictions to
public access and hence, great views. Sorry! No Bachmans Warblers. And,
extinct though they are, we still hoped while trekking the old rice dikes in
I'on Swamp just north of Charleston where they were last seen. Ron
Simcox...Bremerton e-mail: "feathered.friend at worldnet.att.net"