LAKE MICHIGAN -  Even a dog has to take a break from all the excitement of his backyard kingdom.  On this sunny summer day, George, my husband, and I head to the beach.  Our friends, Nancy and Don, own a cottage on Lake Michigan, and they have invited the three of us to spend the day at the beach.

This is George’s first visit to Lake Michigan.  The waves were a little intimidating at first.  He would sniff the water, but he would not allow himself to get wet.  He wouldn’t even dip his paw into the water to check it out.  Then something caught his eye.  George noticed the beautiful white birds walking along the water’s edge.  He tried to get close to these interesting critters, but they would simply fly off.

Silly me, I thought seagulls only lived by the ocean, and then I moved to Michigan and discovered the Big Lake is home to a thriving population of seagulls.  I have since learned that seagulls or gulls will live al

I was so excited to see the male Oreoles back last week. I watched them all last week gathering dried grass, sticks, string & dog hair to get their nests built before their mate got there. I read in one of my bird books to put small pieces of string out and brush the dog where they can gather the hair to build their nest. I saw the first female at the dish of grape jelly on Saturday. They are incredible to watch and listen to. I had four males on my deck at the same time Saturday and have seen two other males as well. They have very distinct markings this year. One of them built their nest in a tree next to the Coopersville-Marne Railway. As the train went by this weekend, it didn't seem to bother them a bit.  I can't wait to see the young ones at our feeder. Between the Oreoles and the house finches at the dish of grape jelly, it is going to be a fun summer for watching birds.