Friday, June 12:
I woke up Friday morning at 4 AM, put on my permethrin-soaked clothes, and hit the road. I was one of two drivers for our trip, so I picked up fellow Avid Birders Karl Mechem and Andy Sewell before heading north. After a brief rendezvous in Upper Sandusky with the birders in the other vehicle we gunned it for Lillie Park in Ann Arbor Michigan. This first stop was a great example of how birding trips tend to go. Up until the previous night the small, suburban Lillie Park was not on the itinerary, but a very lost Little Blue Heron changed that! These small herons typically don't move further north than the southeastern United States. Lucky for us, this fellow decided to wander up north at the same time we did, so we picked up a great bird for Michigan.
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| In Wolverine blue, he's the right color for Ann Arbor! |
Next we moved north to the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge near Saginaw. This Wildlife Refuge covers about 10 thousand acres, and proved to be a great look at some of the birds that move through Ohio in the spring and breed further north. We spent about almost four hours exploring the NWR by foot and by car. This awesome location provided looks at 70 species! You can see the full list here.
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| A long look at a family of eagles |
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| Trumpeter swans |
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| Nice look at a Black-crowned Night-heron |
Our next stop was Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area. This coastal marsh was right on the shores of Lake Huron, which means that I saw a new Great Lake (I still need Ontario and Superior)! It was cold and windy, which was nothing new to Ohio birders who have logged many hours in similar marshes on the Erie shoreline. The less-than-ideal weather meant that the Yellow-headed Blackbirds, our main targets, didn't make an appearance. However, while scanning the marsh I picked up Life Bird #324: a Least Bittern! These tiny herons skulk around in the reeds, and are heard more often than they are seen. The one that I caught a glimpse of was coming in for a landing in a vast sea of phragmites where it was likely working at raising its offspring. We racked up 36 species (full list here) and headed north for Grayling. I was pretty well exhausted when we reached the hotel, so I set the alarm and turned in.
Saturday, June 13:
Our group assembled in the hotel lobby and headed for Hartwick Pines State Park. We spent some time looking out the windows of the Nature Center where some bird feeders had been mounted. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were a treat, as these sharply-plumaged birds are only found in Ohio during migration. We watched several of them share the feeders with the familiar Black-capped Chickadees and Blue Jays. Suddenly, a bright flash of yellow announced Life Bird #325! An Evening Grosbeak descended from the trees to enjoy a breakfast of sunflower seeds. While it was probably just another morning for the grosbeak, I was ecstatic. These bulky sparrows only come south to Ohio during winter, and only when their food is in short supply in regions further north. I can't remember the last time I found a new bird at a feeder, so this was a real treat.
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| A little blurry through the glass, but that's Life Bird #325! |
As cool as the grosbeaks were, our real purpose there was to meet with a member of the Michigan Audubon Society for a primer on the ongoing project to restore the nesting habitat of the Kirtland's Warbler. The Kirtland's Warbler is a major conservation success story. This tiny songbird numbered fewer than 200 individuals in the 1980s. This bird is very particular about where it builds its nest, requiring Jack Pine forests where the trees are between five and fifteen feet tall. For most of history, this habitat was maintained by wildfires which periodically swept through northern Michigan and burned down patches of the forest that had grown too tall for the Kirtland's Warbler to use. When people eventually moved in and built homes and businesses, the forest fires were put out before they could create the necessary habitat. By working with the timber industry to cut down and replant the Jack Pines, the Forest Service has been able to recreate the breeding grounds of the Kirtland's Warbler, and the warblers now number an estimated 4,000 individuals.
We took a short drive to the habitat restoration area. As soon as we got out of the car we heard the distinctive sound of a singing Kirtland's Warbler! Our tour guide took us into the Jack Pines and within a few feet informed us that there was a nest just fifteen feet from us. We saw the male and female birds bringing caterpillars to the nest, where the tiny, high-pitched chirps told us these Kirtland's Warblers were taking their species one more step away from extinction.
We also got a look at the Brown-headed Cowbird traps the Forest Service uses to prevent the birds from parasitizing the nests of the Kirtland's. Without dramatic reductions of the local cowbird populations, many of the endangered warblers would end up raising the cowbird young instead of their own. Our guide informed us that the captured cowbirds were "sent to a farm upstate." Restoring habitat can be a messy process!
After exploring the Kirtland's Warbler habitat we began a search for a Clay-colored Sparrow. This sparrow is a rare visitor to Ohio as it moves through toward it's breeding grounds in Michigan and places further north, and half of our group had never seen one. Our guide informed us of some good sparrow habitat nearby, so we drove down the road searching mainly by ear. We didn't have any luck with the sparrows, but we did get to see Common Ravens, Lincoln's Sparrows, and Brewer's Blackbirds. These are all species that are difficult to find in Ohio, so it was great to see them. We also heard another great bird, an Upland Sandpiper! No good looks unfortunately, so we decided to move on.
We made a stop at Wakeley Lake, where efforts were being made to maintain habitat for Common Loons. We didn't get to see any loons, but we did find some good birds including Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Pine Warblers. We ate a quick lunch in the parking lot and moved on to the Huron National Forest.
The National Forest has a large area being restored for Kirtland's Warblers as well, and there's a lengthy auto tour that winds around and through it. We spent several hours driving slowly through the woods, looking and listening for birds. Our route was about 35 miles long, and we really racked up the birds! Ovenbirds and Hermit Thrushes sang from just about everywhere, and Nashville Warblers were present in good numbers too. We were also glad to see a few Chestnut-sided Warblers and Veerys, two birds that are regularly seen in Ohio, but almost exclusively in the spring and fall when they're migrating. The highlight had to be the song of a Mourning Warbler, a secretive little bird that makes itself hard to see. We hoped to get looks of it by playing a recording, but had no luck. The auto tour had 42 species; the full list is here.
We grabbed dinner at a local pub, Spike's Keg 'O' Nails where I enjoyed some smelt, a Northern Michigan favorite according to the menu. After eating our fill we decided to check out Camp Au Sable, where Eastern Whip-poor-will had been heard in the past few days. We drove through the camp as the sun set, recording some common Michigan birds like Eastern Phoebes and Hermit Thrushes. Then we got a call from the other car: Bobolinks! The name might sound like birding code, but these are stylish blackbirds that are typically easier to find on the plains. It was a great bird for Michigan, so we were thrilled to add them to our list.
We took a short drive to the habitat restoration area. As soon as we got out of the car we heard the distinctive sound of a singing Kirtland's Warbler! Our tour guide took us into the Jack Pines and within a few feet informed us that there was a nest just fifteen feet from us. We saw the male and female birds bringing caterpillars to the nest, where the tiny, high-pitched chirps told us these Kirtland's Warblers were taking their species one more step away from extinction.
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| One of many Kirtland's Warblers who call this grove home |
After exploring the Kirtland's Warbler habitat we began a search for a Clay-colored Sparrow. This sparrow is a rare visitor to Ohio as it moves through toward it's breeding grounds in Michigan and places further north, and half of our group had never seen one. Our guide informed us of some good sparrow habitat nearby, so we drove down the road searching mainly by ear. We didn't have any luck with the sparrows, but we did get to see Common Ravens, Lincoln's Sparrows, and Brewer's Blackbirds. These are all species that are difficult to find in Ohio, so it was great to see them. We also heard another great bird, an Upland Sandpiper! No good looks unfortunately, so we decided to move on.
We made a stop at Wakeley Lake, where efforts were being made to maintain habitat for Common Loons. We didn't get to see any loons, but we did find some good birds including Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Pine Warblers. We ate a quick lunch in the parking lot and moved on to the Huron National Forest.
The National Forest has a large area being restored for Kirtland's Warblers as well, and there's a lengthy auto tour that winds around and through it. We spent several hours driving slowly through the woods, looking and listening for birds. Our route was about 35 miles long, and we really racked up the birds! Ovenbirds and Hermit Thrushes sang from just about everywhere, and Nashville Warblers were present in good numbers too. We were also glad to see a few Chestnut-sided Warblers and Veerys, two birds that are regularly seen in Ohio, but almost exclusively in the spring and fall when they're migrating. The highlight had to be the song of a Mourning Warbler, a secretive little bird that makes itself hard to see. We hoped to get looks of it by playing a recording, but had no luck. The auto tour had 42 species; the full list is here.
We grabbed dinner at a local pub, Spike's Keg 'O' Nails where I enjoyed some smelt, a Northern Michigan favorite according to the menu. After eating our fill we decided to check out Camp Au Sable, where Eastern Whip-poor-will had been heard in the past few days. We drove through the camp as the sun set, recording some common Michigan birds like Eastern Phoebes and Hermit Thrushes. Then we got a call from the other car: Bobolinks! The name might sound like birding code, but these are stylish blackbirds that are typically easier to find on the plains. It was a great bird for Michigan, so we were thrilled to add them to our list.
It was pretty dark after we left the Bobolinks, so we drove to the Nature Center and walked down to the water. There was a bridge stretching across a more narrow portion of the lake, so we walked out over the water. It didn't take long for us to hear the calls of a Barred Owl, a common owl for Ohio and Michigan alike. What I thought was the song of an Eastern Screech-owl turned out to be a trick of sound from the nearby highway. Another strange sound turned out to be the awesome display of Common Nighthawks, who were feeding right above our heads! The nighthawks, close relatives of the Whip-poor-will, have an elaborate courtship flight that involves the male bird plummeting toward the ground. At the last minute he unfolds his wings, and the sudden drag creates a loud "BOOM!" I had never heard the sound before, and it was really incredible. The nighthawks moved away, and as a last-ditch effort we decided to play the song of the Whip-poor-will to see if we could get a response. To our surprise, not one but two Whip-poor-wills responded to the song of the digital intruder! A third might have flown in nearby, right over our heads, but it was too dark to say for sure and that bird stayed quiet.
The camp was a great stop, you can see the full list of birds here. The nocturnal birds were a perfect end to our second day, and I returned to the hotel with a Michigan list of 111 species!
The camp was a great stop, you can see the full list of birds here. The nocturnal birds were a perfect end to our second day, and I returned to the hotel with a Michigan list of 111 species!
Sunday, June 14
Sunday was looking like a bad day for birding, with scattered rain being predicted all day. We decided that our best option was to search again for the Clay-colored Sparrows that had eluded us the previous day. We drove down some of the nearby roads that had the preferred habitat for the Clay-colored Sparrow. They like to build their nests in mostly open areas with scrubby young deciduous trees. This habitat was great for Chipping Sparrows, Brewer's Blackbirds, and Brown Thrashers; we saw several of each along with some other good birds. Finally, Karl told us to stop the car. I turned off the engine and then I heard it: the Clay-colored Sparrow! There were two, well out in a field, singing for mates. Between the distance and the fog, we had no chance to see them. The song is distinctive though, a harsh buzz that no other bird makes. That was Life Bird #326, and my third for the weekend!
We headed back toward the interstate to start our journey home, and found some more new Michigan birds: Wild Turkeys and a Least Flycatcher! We also managed to get a good look at one an Upland Sandpiper, one of the birds we had heard but not seen the previous day.
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| Wild Turkeys eyeing us warily |
It was time to head south, and that meant another shot at finding the Yellow-headed Blackbirds at Nayanquing Point. We pulled into the marsh and headed for the observation tower. The weather was much better, to the point that a Common Snapping Turtle was out and about. Bad news for us, he decided to stop in the road!
A driver behind us had just the tool for the job though, and picket up the cranky reptile with a shovel. After being deposited safely on the side of the road, we continued to the observation tower.
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| He looked about ready to fight my car |
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| Another driver tries the old "poke it with a stick" |
It didn't take us long to find the blackbirds, well out in the field. We saw at least two, bright yellow heads leaving no doubts about the origins of their name. The much warmer day also meant that we saw Least Bitterns and American Bitterns flying in and out of the reeds. We also got to see Sandhill Cranes and heard Virginia Rails calling from hidden spots in the marsh. You can see my full list here. Nayanquing Point may have been our last stop, but we had not seen our last bird: an Osprey flew over the car on the way home!
I finished the trip with 118 birds, three of them new! I've compiled the full list here. After Ohio, Michigan is now the state where I've seen the second-highest number of birds. I'd really like to thank Andy Sewell and Donna Kuhn for all of their planning. It was a great experience and a true birding adventure. I'll post again after some of the group pictures make their way around, so stay tuned!
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