Posted 3/20/08 by Carol Meyer, WIFL
Lighthouse Walk – May 17 & 18, 2008
The 15th Annual Lighthouse Walk is scheduled for May 17 & 18th. This event has many participants, and is sponsored by the Door County Maritime Museum headquartered in Sturgeon Bay. We recommend stopping at the Museum as your first stop, to gather information and to see the great exhibits there.
Besides the several maritime museums (Gills Rock also has a maritime museum, and so does Jackson Harbor on Washington Island), there are 10 lights to see and visit in Door County. What makes this weekend so special is that some of the lighthouses are available to visitors only at this time of year. Also, several special boat cruises are available to lighthouse locations that might not otherwise be offered. For more lighthouse information and tour reservations, contact the Door County Maritime Museum at www.dcmm.org or 920-743-4045.
Lighthouse Opportunity via Washington Island Ferries from Northport Pier
Washington Island Ferry Line will run its regular, full schedule of 11 round trips that weekend which enable visitors to travel by ferry to Washington Island. For days with good visibility, sightseers will pass within a half-mile of the Plum Island rear range light, and approximately 1 ½ miles from the Pilot Island Light while enroute.
Rock Island’s Pottawatomie Lighthouse
Once you’ve crossed Washington Island from the Detroit Harbor ferry landing and you’ve driven the 7 miles to Jackson Harbor, you’ll see Rock Island State Park. The Park can be contacted at www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/specific/rockisland/index.html or 920-847-2235. Capt. Jeff Cornell of the Karfi ferries you to the Rock Island Boat House, and from there you can hike the mile or so to the oldest light on northern Lake Michigan. The Pottawatomie Lighthouse is celebrating its sesquicentennial on the Saturday of the Lighthouse Walk and cake and refreshments will be served at 1 p.m. on the lighthouse grounds. Beautifully restored, the Light will open for guided tours of the keeper’s quarters and the lantern room. This is an excellent opportunity for all ages . . . a beautiful island and lots of great history . . . but you must be able to make the hike to and from the light. (Note: There is a moderate uphill climb toward the light.)
For photos and details, visit our Rock Island webpage.
Our ferries run 11 round trips daily from Northport in May on this weekend.
(Printable ferry schedule and rates are on our webpage.)
Posted 3/20/08 by Carol Meyer, WIFL
2nd Annual Washington Island Bird Festival Update: The latest news is the Bird Festival webpage, part of the Art and Nature Center website, at www.washingtonislandbirdfest.org. Check it out, it’s still in the construction stage, but the Program Schedule and Registration Form are posted. Also, it has been announced that Sunday, June 1, the after dinner presentation will be by Patrick Ready, Madison Audubon Society and Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin, speaking on “Attracting Yardbirds”. Check back here for future developments.
Posted 1/31/08 by Carol Meyer, WIFL
Planning is now underway for the 2nd Annual Washington Island Bird Festival on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, 2008. Washington Island, four and a half miles off the tip of the Door Peninsula and across Death's Door, is a place of natural diversity and bird life abounds during migration and in the breeding season. The 2008 Bird Festival's theme on Saturday, May 31, will be "Water, Shore & Forest" and on Sunday, June 1, "Interior Grasslands/Wetlands and Rock Island". During last year's festival, approximately 70 participants spent the better part of the weekend in the field and identified over 100 species of birds. The time of year coupled with the island's geographic location made it possible to pursue varieties of birds not always found in just a few square miles. Birders will want to mark May 31 and June 1, 2008, on their calendars and begin to consider lodging choices. The Ferry Line Customer Desk will try to be as helpful in answering questions as possible. Questions or comments expressing your interest may be addressed to Carol at the Ferry Line Office, or Carol@wisferry.com
Posted 7/23/07 by Carol Meyer, WIFL
Washington Island Bird Festival 2007
Bird species seen/heard:
Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Wood Duck 5, Mallard, Redhead 1, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Ring-necked Pheasant, Wild Turkey, Common Loon 1, White Pelican several, D.c. Cormorant, Great Blue Heron 2-3, Great Egret 1, Black-cr. Night Heron 2, Turkey Vulture, Sharp-sh. Hawk 1 (UCP), Northern Goshawk ?, Broad-winged Hawk (many immatures, some adults), Red-tailed Hawk 1, Merlin 1 (Dale), American Coot 1, Sandhill Crane several, Black-bellied Plover 5+, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper several, Ruddy Turnstone ?, Least Sandpiper 1-2, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Caspian Tern several, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1, Great Horned Owl 1 (Chari), R.t. Hummingbird, Red-headed Woodpecker 2, Down Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker 1-2, Olive-sided Flycatcher 1, E. Wood Pewee, Alder Flycatcher 1-2, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo 1-2, Warbling Vireo ?, Philadelphia Vireo ?, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, B.c. Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Veery ?, Wood Thrush ?, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula W. 1, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green W., Blackburnian Warbler, Pine Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Am. Redstart (W.), Ovenbird (W.), Northern Waterthrush 1, Mourning Warbler 1, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Canada Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow 1, Savannah Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow 1, Dark-eyed Junco 1, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Bobolink, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Brewer's Blackbird (Larry), Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore Oriole, Purple Finch, House Finch, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow.
Note: Many species have no counts which we need to do in the future.
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