• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Michigan (1 Viewer)

Cindy M

Guest
Michigan is an absolute birders' paradise. Our huge tracts of hardwoods are home to many upland game birds, diurnal raptors, and cavity nesters; our marshes support many waterfowl species and passerines ; and our beaches invite many shorebirds and waders. Michigan's diverse habitat is home to roughly 414 species of avifauna. Michigan also has more public/state owned land than any other state in the U.S. so that adds up to many places to bird- here are a few links to our favorite local areas:

Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area

Tawas Point State Park

Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area

Rifle River Recreation Area

a good webpage for Michigan 'hotspots':
http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/usmichigan.htm

and here are some others listed by county:
Alcona County
Negwegon State Park

Allegan County
Outdoor Discovery Center

Alpena County
Squaw Bay

Antrim County
Jordan Valley
Grass River Natural Area

Bay County
Bay City State Park
Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area

Berrien County
Grand Mere SP

Charlevoix County
Sportsman's Park
E. Jordan Settling Ponds
Fisherman's Island S.P.

Chippewa County
Whitefish Point Bird Observatory
Hulbert Bog

Emmet County
Wilderness State Park
Walloon Lake

Gratiot County
Maple River SGA

Ionia County
Lakewood Wastewater Ponds
Ionia Recreation Area

Iosco County
Tawas Point S.P.

Jackson County
Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center

Kalkaska County
Skegemog Pathway

Leelanau County
Suttons Bay Village W.T.P
Leelanau State Park

Manistee County
Arcadia Marsh
Red Bridge Area MNF

Marquette County
Presque Isle Bog Walk

Mason County
Ludington Wastewater Facility

Midland County
Chippewa Nature Center
Kawkawlin River Flooding

Monroe County
Pointe Mouillee

Muskegon County
Muskegon Wastewater Facility

Oakland County
Heritage Park
Kensington Metro Park
W.B. Woods Nature Preserve
Douglas Evans Nature Preserve

Oceana County
Pentwater River & Channel

Ottawa County
DeGraaf Nature Center
Window-on-the-Waterfront

Presque Isle County
Thompson Harbor S.P.
Ocqueoc Falls Pathway
P.H. Hoeft State Park
NettieBay Lodge
Black Mountain Forest R.A.

Roscommon County
Higgins/Houghton Lake Area

Saginaw County
Shiawassee NWR

Schoolcraft County
Seney Wildlife Refuge

Washtenaw County
Mallets Creek
Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center
Nichols Arboretum

Wayne County
Crosswinds Marsh

I'll add more to this thread as time permits :)

Good birding,
Cindy
 
Last edited:
hi Charles- whoops, I forgot to mention the Kirtland's Warbler ;)
a few quickies 'fun facts' ---

*Michigan has 90 state parks, six state forests, three national forests and three national parks.

*Michigan has more freshwater coastline than any other state.

*Stand anywhere in Michigan and you are within 85 miles of one of the Great Lakes. (The Great Lakes account for one-fifth of the world's surface freshwater supply. ) You are never more than six miles from a lake or stream in Michigan.

more birding hot spots-

Whitefish Point Bird Observatory in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (Paradise, Michigan)
Located adjacent to Whitefish Point National Wildlife Refuge, the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory (WPBO) documents the chronology and volume of migrating bird populations through the Whitefish Peninsula Migration Corridor. Being the northeastern tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Whitefish Point is a phenomenal concentration spot for migrating raptors, waterbirds, and song birds. the surrounding land and water features create a natural corridor, funneling thousands of birds directly to the Point each spring and fall as they travel thorough the Great Lakes region. This makes for spectacular bird-watching and provides tremendous opportunities to study and monitor bird populations.
(quoted from:)
Whitefish Point Observatory Website

and speaking of the U.P...

The U.P is a place truly rich in bird life. With a good mix of northern boreal bird life as well as many species at the northern or eastern extremes of their ranges. Following are a few sites in the UP well worth visiting for any serious birder.
*Sault Ste. Marie on the Canadian border is one of the best spots in the lower 48 to see far northern species like the Gyrfalcon, Snowy owl, and Hawk Owl.
*Whitefish point is located in the northeastern UP. It is the best spot in the Upper midwest for viewing migration. In the spring huge flocks of raptors and waterfowl pass by here. Rarities such as the Boreal Owl and Jaegers are occassionally seen as well.
*Seney National Wildlife Refuge is in the Eastern UP. Consisting of large amounts of wetlands such as ponds, bogs, and Sedge Meadows, Seney is a haven for birds. Here Bald Eagles, Ospreys and Loons seem almost common. Much sought after species such as Le contes Sparrow and Yellow Rail occur here as well.
*The endangered Kirtland's Warbler, a bird that formally only inhabited the Lower Peninsula is now found in the UP as well. Although still rare, there are now a few Jack Pine forests neer Gwinn and Rapid River that have hosted a few of the Warblers for a few years now.
*One site not covered in a lot of books is the city of Marquette. In the summer Merlins and ather birds of Prey like Goshawks breed here and in the winter rare gulls and owls can be seen in the lower harbor.
quoted from:
Birding in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

During the autumn months, the skies over southeast Michigan are alive with tens of thousands of hawks, eagles, falcons, and other birds of prey.
In the fall of 1983, the Lake Erie Metropark Hawk Watch began recording this fall hawk migration over Lake Erie Metropark and Pointe Mouillee State Game Area. Incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1998 under a new name, Southeastern Michigan Raptor Research (SMRR) continues to monitor one of the largest hawk migration corridors in the western hemisphere.
(quoted from:)
Southeastern Michigan Raptor Research Website
 
Last edited:
Love Michigan birding

Cindy, my husband is from Michigan(Durand) and by visiting there the last 16 years I have really grown to love the wonderful birding opportunities there. His extended family is from the UP so that is my favorite place as we spend more time there. I enjoyed reading your posting and will try to hit some of those places when I return there . Have a good day. Maria(from Germany)
 
hi Maria from Germany :) are you still in Germany or ? gosh, what a small world, we know Durand quite well. My hubby has cousins that live there and we used to visit often. They used to have great county fairs there. :) I can't think of anyplace I'd rather spend a vacation as the U.P., there is just so much to see and do up there. As soon as we cross the Mackinaw bridge, everything changes- the geography is so different and I just love the whole peninusula. We're due for a trip this year, it's been way too long :)
 
Wow, it's amazing what a small world it really is. Yes I am still in Germany. My husband is over in Iraq. He is a soldier in the US Army(19 years). We will be here till next summer. I have not been able to do as much birding as I wanted, because I broke my leg skiing last winter. It put me out of commission for awhile. Thanks for the note. Take care, Maria
 
oh geeze Maria, I'm sorry to hear about your leg. With the 4th of July right around the corner, tell your hubby thank you for his service to his country, 19 years is a long haul. I hope you have a few good books while you recooperate, and take good care :)
 
Cindy,

Hi, Mark from Lansing (DeWitt), Mi. here. I purchased the parcel of land on the southeast corner of the Arcadia Marsh just over a year ago. I have to admit that I spend much more time fishing than bird watching when I'm there. The Eagles and abundant Cedar Waxwing, Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Great Blue Heron... are terrific to keep me occupied when the big lake gets too rough.

I have a serious dilemma that I hope you can help me with (nothing to do with Arcadia).

We have a pair of Peregrines in Lansing (Stelco and Alimak). I got wrapped up in the Peregrine restoration project in the late 90s. With budget cuts at the federal and state level we have lost our U.P. spotter of 18 years. This man knows more about birds than anyone I have ever heard of. He banded U.P. Peregrines, took blood samples, recorded data... The 2003 data is gone for good on this Michigan endangered species. I am hoping to get volunteers to help with identifying Peregrines in the U.P. (and hope for even more). Do you think that we could locate folks who would be willing to assist in this important effort? Spotters, qualified banders, climbers, folks with boats to get to islands... would all be beneficial to keep the work of a great man going. I know that this man would contribute all of his knowledge to this effort. We are talking about getting into remote areas and taking risks. I am dedicated to making this project work, even if I have to give up fishing. This is hard core birding, but needs to be continued if we want to be successful in restoring a healthy population of Peregrines in Michigan. I have data from many years on the U.P. birds and some sites are not dangerous (to a degree). Can you offer any help, or direction?

Mark
 
hi Mark- we have good friends in Dewitt, what a small world. Don't often get down that way, but know the area well.. sounds like you have a lovely piece of land, have never birded Arcadia marsh myself but have heard good things about the area.
and yes, there are probably quite a few people that would be interested in helping out with your peregrine surveys. Please go to this link:


Northern Michigan Birding


then click on the message board- it's pretty simple to use, and here you'll find banders, compilers, and a great group of folks from all over Michigan (including the UP) that can offer their advice and energies. Summer season sees a real slow down at the website because folks are on vacation and busy doing important things like.. fishing :) So instead of me relaying this message there for you, it would probably be better if you posted- that way they could reply directly to you on/off the forum. Many of the members are already doing counts for the breeding bird surveys, USFS surveys, and much more. There is quite a comprehensive database available for anyone to use there, and NMB is *the* best way to get in touch with some of the most active birders/spotters/compilers in Michigan. Was your spotter Joe Rogers by any chance? I've met him a few times- wonderful person and his bird rehab presentation is the best I've ever seen. So many unsung heros are out there doing important work and hard work at that- doing it for no other reason than it needs to be done.
Cuts are happening in all areas of our state & federal governments, especially true with the state DNR, that funded many surveys in the past. This is one of the first springs in quite a few years that we weren't asked to help out with the Northern Goshawk surveys and I shudder to think how many nests were destroyed by logging because there were no volunteers or USFS workers out there to do the field work.
So please visit the NMB website and post your concerns. I can guarantee you that you'll get responses. In the meantime, feel free to drop me an email at [email protected] if I can be of further help. I'd like to hear more details and may have more sources for you soon.
Hope this is helpful and keep me posted-
Cindy
 
Last edited:
THANK YOU CINDY!!!

I thought that I was nuts for even asking if we had a chance at getting something done for our U.P. Peregrines. You have given me the hope that I needed to go forward with this effort! Here's to you!B :) :t:

You hit the nail on the head. It is Joe Rogers. I will meet him for the first time on September 20th. He is doing two presentations at the Flint River (something, or other) in Flushing. They will have other outdoor types of presentations. One is being done by the Bat Conservation people and they will have live music, food, drink... If you are interested I can give you directions. I spoke with Joe yesterday and he may let me visit his aviary some day. I am just thrilled about all of this!

I will be posting on the site that you gave me and with an entire winter ahead maybe it will give time to find some folks to help out. The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota puts together a report on the Midwest Peregrine program each year. I have been involved with them for many years and have been asked to help collect the data for our state. I just couldn't say no, but was so upset to find out what a mess we have. This economy is hurting wildlife as much as (or more than) us. It just makes me sick to think about all of the hard work that has been done over the years to help wildlife dissolve because it's an easy place to make budget cuts.

Thanks again for everything. I'll keep your e-mail address handy in case I need to contact you personally. Mine is [email protected] if you need to reach me. I can't thank you enough!

Mark
 
hi again Mark :) You'll love Joe, he's quite the character. He's got such a great sense of humor and the man literally lives and breathes birds. His knowledge is vast and his daughter is a smart cookie too. She works together with him on many of his presentations/programs. I first became familiar with Joe through the Michigan Loon Preservation Society, where he is a fellow member and 'loon ranger' for his area. Good man, you're in good hands :)
where there's a will, there's a way- you sound pretty dedicated to this, so I'll be interested to see how it progresses.
For the birds,
Cindy
 
Wow what a great faq! I wish I came upon this the four years I lived in Michigan. I really miss the amazing variety of birdlife, Michigan is blessed with. I used to love to go to a local park called Indian Springs State park. This place is a Northern Hardwood swamp alive with so many creatures along with birdlife. First time I had ever seen a Wood Duck perching in a tree! Was so great to walk the trails here, because almost everytime I would see some wierd and wonderful new wildlife.

Man I guess I left my heart in Michigan, oh wait its probably 20 below right now, okay I came to my senses. Lol!
 
Just thought I would bump this thread back to the top. (Then see if this thread shows up in the Michigan sub-forum.)

Edit: It did! Now this thread shows up in the sub-forum "Michigan".
 
Warning! This thread is more than 16 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top