Photos with this report (click to enlarge) | |||
 Kitkland's Warbler habitat |
 Kirttland's Warbler habitat |
 Au Sable River trail SB |
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 Au Sable River SB |
 Kirtland's Warbler |
 lily |
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Myself and Bud Floodman have talked about making this trip for more then a few years. It seemed something always came up to keep us from making it to this annual event. This year we cleared our schedules. Despite the price of gas (could be higher next spring?) and a cooler unsettled weather forecast with the large swirling Low Pressure system that has engulfed the entire Northeast and eastern North Central for the last week...we decided to do it, and we are glad now that we did.
Driving from Hamlin, NY (25 miles west of Rochester), the AAA trip ticket said 7.5 hours. Of course ,that does not include eating, bathroom stops, or the 1 hour plus traffic backup re-entering the US from Canada at Port Huron, MI. A great view from up top the bridge , but an hour was a little too long to spend way up there with the bridge vibrations of tractor trailers thundering by in the left truck lane to the customs stations. We also lost a little time (along with all of the speeding traffic) with our unplanned detour of the back roads west of Grimsby, Ont., to avoid the rush hour on the QEW near Hamilton and cut out the dreaded Burlington Skyway.
We left at 3PM on Friday 5-19, and arrived at the Kirtland’s College campus around 12:45AM. Our plan on arrival was to remove the backseat contents with our camping gear, recline the front seats, and cover ourselves with our sleeping bags and get a few hours sleep. We parked in an empty parking lot away from the festival tents and trailers. Getting out of the vehicle at around 4am, I noticed the sky was very dark, and crystal clear. Despite a waning moon (that was nicely covered by forest trees), I got my bearings of the sky and had a nice view of the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy, and then was able to find comet P73/Schwassmann-Wachmann ( "C" fragment) low in between the trees with my naked eye (which I confirmed with binoculars).......Fantastic !
We awoke for the pancake breakfast at 6am. We signed in and bought our festival button for $5, and were waiting with many other birders for the buses at 7am. The $5 button is for the Kirtland’s Warbler tour, and any other festival event scheduled for the day. This did not include the food or any other vendors items, of course. The food and drinks were priced very reasonable, and was plentiful and very good. While waiting, we had a fly over PILEATED WOODPECKER.
Three school buses pulled up and we were all invited on board. Each bus had two DNR officers that guided the tour. They were really decent guys, answering any and all questions, and seemed happy to be leading the groups. Our bus driver was the first to find a returning Kirtland’s Warbler on May, 4. The buses took us to the" Mio” track on a dirt road with 4'- 6' Jack Pines on one side, and more open grasslands behind us. The sky was blue, and there was a very cool breeze with temps in the high 40s. Before we left the bus, the DNR officers told us about the habitat, and explained how the warblers nest on the ground that is laced with wild blueberries and such for ground cover. The soil is sandy loom and very acidic . The Kirkland’s nests in the smaller ( 4-6') Jack Pine forests. The bigger the forest acreage, the more nesting pairs the habitat can support. We were asked not to go past the bank on the roadside, to protect this habitat.
It did not take any time at all, before we heard three different singing males in front of us. One was very close, just a few yards back, and the others back 20-30 yds or so. Seeing them was just a matter of waiting for the bird to come to the top of a Jack Pine, or on a dead snag branch. Several KIRTLAND’S WARBLERS did, giving us great views in the bright sunlight. Bud and I both had 10x50 binoculars, which was enough for a decent view. One of the DNR officers had a scope , and offering us close up views of a singing male in a small clearing on a snag. Many of us took advantage of the chance before the bird flew back down. It was a view that I won't forget. Overall, we had at least a dozen real good sightings over the course of our stay of at least an hour. Other species seen, were NASHVILLE WARBLER, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, FIELD SPARROW. CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was heard often ,in the distance, but not seen. One birder from the first bus to our right, had a scope, and spotted two AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS flying and landing in distance, in a marshy area.
We were all a little amazed when a mega Ford truck towing a large trailer with dirt bikes and another large SUV behind with a full family came flying down the road , only to realize there were 3 buses and 100 or so birders blocking the path . After the dust cloud settled, the driver of the mega Ford got out and demanded the buses move...now ! The bus driver told him to be patient (and not to be so rude), and that it would take a while for the drivers to get back in the three buses, and maneuver to squeeze the vehicles by the lane and a half wide dirt road with 2' high banks. It took a while with lots of hand waving and eye rolling, but it did happen. The seasonal roads are open to the public, but the off road habitat is protected from any public use. We reboarded the buses and drove by 100s of acres of charred Jack Pine habitat. The DNR officer explained that the fire was caused by a careless individual that is not a "happy camper" at this time. He was caught by the officers and confessed, and was prosecuted. Other charred areas were controlled burns that were done to head off any other natural or accidental man made fires to protect the nesting warblers. We also passed what we were told was prime Upland Sandpiper habitat, but the buses did not stop, which was the only minor disappointment of the tour. We were taken near another Kirtland’s Warbler habitat called the " Eldorado” tract, to look at one of the large Cowbird traps that have been constructed by the DNR. Lots of Cowbirds were inside. One officer explained to us how the Cowbird, along with habitat loss, are the two biggest threats to the endangered nesting Kirtland’s. Before the traps ( maybe 15' x 20' x 6' high ?) were constructed, there was a Cowbird egg found in 70% of the monitored Kirtland’s nests. It was explained to us how only an average of one Kirtland’s click would survive to fledge, with the others losing out to the more aggressive, larger feeding cowbird chick....certainly one fledgling was not enough to maintain the species population. After constructing the traps near each Kirtland’s nesting area, there was immediate results. Cowbird eggs were only found in 7% of the monitored Kirtland’s nests, the next season...a great success story ! One women in our group asked about how the Cowbirds were treated after capture. The officer told us that they are given plenty of food and water, and live a great life, so they can attract other Cowbirds in the area, being the very social bird that they are.....until they are euthenized, by gently (?) snapping their necks with a one handed technic demonstrated by the DNR officer (not with a live bird). Mentioned to us also, was the fact that the Cowbird is a native American bird of the Great Plains, while not originally native to Michigan, came into conflict with songbird species such as the Kirtland’s Warbler by following human movements and food sources north, and east, and across the nation. We were told the Cowbird still deserves respect and is protected by native species laws, and can only be destroyed in controlled situations regulated by the DNR. All that were on the buses were given an official certificate (first year for this) that we had seen and heard the Kirtland’s Warbler, which was a real nice memento.
We were dropped off back at the festival, which by then was getting a good crowd. Lots of activities included birdhouse workshops, nature art displays with a nature drawing class, nature photography class (which I attended), a petting zoo for the kids (goats..big and tiny, lamas, with one that could be in the next George Lucas movie), a rolling zoo with many exotic animals, reptile mini zoo, many vendors selling their wares. Inside, there was a large nature book selection, for sale. Also, the Michigan Bluebird Society had a section. Bud and I enjoyed chatting with the gentleman, since we both had Bluebird trails with many boxes. There were certainly other activities at the Festival ...too many to mention. Friendly people, and well organized. I can highly recommend attending the Festival.
The lack of sleep caught up with us around noon, so we decided to find our campground for the night, set up and relax. The campus lots were full when we left the festival with more cars coming in. Several Michigan State Police cars were there to make sure all went smoothly. We headed north on Rt. M55 until it merged with Rt M18. We passed the "Eldorado" tract, with many acres of prime Kirtland’s habitat roadside, so it is very possible one could hear and sight the warblers from the paved roadside during nesting season, without a guided tour.
I had researched several public rustic type campsites in State Forest lands. We decided on the Canoe Harbor campsites, located in the Au Sable SF, which are off a dirt road that runs off of M72 heading west ,toward Grayling. $10 per night. Just fill out the info form, display your copy on your selected site, and pay the metal pipe. The sites were very nice, and generously spaced (about 4 times as far apart as a typical NY State campsite...nice!) We had a few neighbors down the road, but it was very peaceful . A nice mixture of pine and deciduous forest , that runs along the South Branch of the Au Sable River. A well groomed trail ran a ways in back of the campsites that leads down to the river. The same type sandy loom soil , with the wild blueberries growing everywhere like ground cover. Very nice country that is relatively flat with some gentle rolling hills. One thing we noticed...not a whole lot of rocks, like on the trail in NY, or PA. Much softer ground. Bud pitched the tent and we unloaded and set up camp. Very nice day , still clear blue sky with temps in the 60s. Black flies were plentiful , and landed on us as we sat lounging in the sun. Fortunately for us, they were not biting in the cooler temps. We only spotted three different butterfly species, all near the camp in mid afternoon, and they were good ones. Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, Brown Elfin, and Northern Crescent We relaxed and took it all in, until we decided to take a nap to make up for the 2 hour max total of sleep we had the night before. We ate camp dinner and took a walk down the trail to the river , taking numerous photos of the surroundings . I took a few macro shots of some of the native plants and flowers. Birds we saw on the walk and at camp included BLUE JAY, PINE WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, VEERY, BLACKBURNIAN and TENNESSEE WARBLER high in the trees, EASTERN PHOEBE, RED-EYED and WARBLING VIREO, a pair of YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS that seemed to follow us from the river back to the campsite. I also heard the nasal Pee-eent of a COMMON NIGHTHAWK, and later saw the bird circle above the trees before dusk.
The weather began to change on the walk and clouded up . Before it got dark, the rain began with a driving wind, and things really cooled down very quickly from the 60s to the mid 40s (I learned after we were back home that tornado warnings were up for some of lower Michigan. We sat in the vehicle until the rain let up, and came out fully dressed with jackets, hoods and hats. The wind calmed down for a few hours , but it was damp and cold. We kept the wood dry and had a small campfire until we retired. We bundled up in the bags for a very cold ,damp night. I woke up maybe an hour later and was treated to the sounds of a BARRED OWL, and a distant WHIP-POOR-WILL, before falling back asleep. We woke up to the sounds of a cold whipping wind inflating the tent like a balloon. It was a morning you did not want to get out of the bag and look outside. Fast moving low clouds with a steady 40MPH wind with stronger gusts. Our plans of cooking camp breakfast were canceled. Could not keep the burner lit for.. even coffee. I started the car, cranked the heat, and I do believe we set a speed record for breaking camp, and packing the gear in the car. When our numb hands warmed, we looked at the map and set out for Rose City where we grabbed breakfast at the golden “M” arches drive through , drove south to Rt. 55, and then East toward Lake Huron. We had planned to make a stop at Tawas Point SP, in hopes of the possibility of seeing a nesting Piping Plover. I had not seen a report of such recently, but researched the park as a great place to see migrant species , anyway. Tawas Point is know as the "Cape Cod of Michigan". We could see it as soon as we reached Rt. 23 and Lake Huron, which had some whitecaps and a howling strong wind, that was really intense as we drove out onto the point. We stopped at the entrance to the park and spoke to a young lady that informed us that Piping Plover had not nested there in the last several years (2004 was the last report). We knew that the wind would ruin our birding plans for Sunday in Michigan. Gas was $2.73 for regular, in Tawas City, which was the best price we saw on the trip. Our only bird of the day was an EASTERN PHOEBE that was taking cover in a small park where we stopped to eat , off Rt. I-69 near the border to Canada.
We discussed taking Rt. 3 back after passing London, Ontario, to possibly stop at one of the parks on the N. shore of Lake Erie, but decided against it after stopping in a rest area and feeling the wind chill. Well, at least we had a great day on Saturday. I believe I can speak for both Bud and myself in mentioning that we are both campers, hikers, amateur naturalists, photographers, as well as birders. We are more interested in the quality of the experience as a whole, rather than the quantity of our species counts.
Thanks for reading this report !
Best Regards to All,
Bill Ruscher Jr. (imonacan@rochester.rr.com )
Rochester, NY