December 6, 2025: The Birds of Winter

I arrived at the Ayurvedic Wellness Center on the morning of Saturday, December 6 to teach an indoor lecture-style class on “The Birds of Winter”. My local community of birders showed up once again, strengthening their commitment to fostering deeper and deeper relationships with the birds (and thus, nature) surrounding them.

Though the weather has been particularly cold (recent temperatures plummeted to near 0 degrees), I found great delight immediately upon stepping out of my parked car. The sounds above flooded my senses, and I knew immediately what was happening above; flocks of American Robins and Cedar Waxwings were feeding on winter berries surrounding the venue. A quintessential soundscape of winter birding, I was instantly delighted that these friends would be joining us today.

An American Robin in Kleinstuck Preserve. March 8, 2022.

My inspiration for creating the content of this class was designed to inspire a steady connection to nature through the colder, harsher months. Recognizing that while the elements may not favor long, wandering strolls through the woods, there is still plenty of opportunity to go birding, and discover new species that call SW Michigan their home, only for the winter months.

So we gathered around in a circle, homemade spicy chai in hand (this morning’s batch turned out exceptionally delicious!), and explored the birds of winter.

Participants expressed their reasons for joining; to to deepen their education around birds and birding, and to strengthen their sense of community.

I began by providing context so we could understand where in the cycle of migration we were, so that we have a better sense of what to expect. I also broke down, in detail, what birding can look like throughout the winter. One tool I shared and explained was the Winter Finch Forecast, and how that can shape expectations around what species to expect this winter.

Dark Eyed Junco in winter. December 17, 2022.

We then took a deep dive into six winter species. We discussed where to find these unique birds, how to identify them, and we examined their unique behavior and traits. Some species discussed were the striking Evening Grosbeak, the cute Snow Bunting, and the gorgeous Lapland Longspur. We learned, we asked questions, and we practiced noticing traits and describing them by using field guides, and examining their behavior via short video clips.

Snow Buntings in agricultural field. January 9, 2022.

Towards the end of class, I enlisted the help of my “round skin specimens”. Round skins are essentially taxidermy birds that I use as study tools. I laid out nine species of birds, and set my birders to the test! Their challenge was to positively identify all nine birds using their field guides.

Students hard at work using round skins to identify bird species.

After the workshop, we covered a few more ways to stay engaged with birding this winter, including the Winter Feeder Count, put on by the Kalamazoo Nature Center, and the Christmas Bird Count, by the Audubon Society. Both programs are excellent ways to not only go birding in the winter, but also to actively contribute to citizen science by submitting observation data. I have participated in both of these events for many years, and they give me something to look forward to during winter.

I am delighted to have shared my knowledge, spent time in community, and to have learned from my cohorts on this chilly Saturday morning. Just before I knew it, it was time to wrap up and say goodbye.

I’ll leave you all with one more photo I took in January of 2022; a pair of Horned Larks, or as we called them, “Grumpy birds”.

A pair of Horned Larks. January 9, 2022.