Welcome to episode 20 of the Nature is my Jam podcast! We are 5 months into this journey and your support, kindness and generosity continue to amaze me. As we head into the inevitable winter of Northern Michigan, I am becoming even more excited and looking forward to the challenge of recording wildlife and nature in extreme cold and snow. There is also a sense of uncertainty since I have never recorded in the winter. I really enjoy the diversity of location and wildlife when I record, so I hope I don’t get six months of wind. 

Welcome to episode 19 of the Nature is my Jam podcast! We find ourselves out on Old Mission Peninsula (OMP) in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. The OMP is one of my favorite places to roam, especially on moody days such as I found during this recording. With rain and wind in the forecast, this was going to be a perfect opportunity to test out some new gear. As I mentioned after the trip to the upper peninsula, I upgraded the wind protection for my microphone and also added in some protection from the rain. I’m happy to report that both additions worked perfectly during this wet and windy night.

Whitefish Point is in Chippewa County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.) It is home to the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The area is popular for birding, rock hunting, beach walking and ship watching. It is also the home of a former United States Coast Guard station. On the days I visited, rain storms greeted me and regaled me with impressive wind, amazing cloud formations and giant crashing waves you will get to hear in this episode. 

Welcome to the 17th episode of the Nature is my Jam podcast! Because of some technical difficulties while I was in the upper peninsula, I had to dig into some older files for this week’s episode. Not to fear, though. We are in Leelanau County again and we are going to be spoiled with a menagerie of bird calls recorded in an open meadow. How many birds make up a menagerie?? I don’t know that answer but we have 10 birds for the price of admission. And not just any birds. We are talking Common Yellowthroats, Magnolia Warblers, Black-capped Chickadees, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-shouldered Hawks, Blue Jays (song and calls!), Crows, and more.