Amos W. Butler Audubon Society
Kirtland's Warbler Foray


Friday-Monday
June 13-16, 2003
Leader: Bill Murphy
(317) 913-0690




Hello and welcome!
Here's information you'll need for our trip, along with an itinerary, links to some of the places we'll be visiting, and maps.

Important Tips for Field Trip Participants.


During our trip I'll have my cell phone (317-407-0467) with me most of the time. I'll also carry a Talkabout, tuned to Channel 11, subchannel 22. If you have a Talkabout without subchannels, just set it to Channel 11. If you find yourself beyond the Talkabout's range and need to reach me, try calling me on my cell phone. One of these two methods should work unless we're both too far from a cell phone tower. If that happens, we'll probably link up at the next scheduled stop.

I paid in full to reserve our rooms at the Mio Motel (415 N. Morenci Ave, Mio, MI 48647 989-826-3248), so I'd appreciate it if you would send me a check for your portion as soon as you can. The room cost is $74.20 per room per night ($37.10 per person per night) or $222.60 per room for the three nights ($111.30 per person). The Mio Motel is a very nice, clean motel. Most rooms have a small refrigerator, microwave, leather couch, and cable television with the Weather Channel. A medium-sized Glenn's grocery store is adjacent to the motel for food or supplies, and the diner across the street is excellent.

What to bring: Bring binoculars, a telescope if you have one, a camera, insect repellent, sunscreen, a hat, an umbrella or raingear, and plenty of warm plain-colored clothing (we want to be inconspicuous to the wildlife). Night temperatures in June can drop to freezing, but the average range is 50-76°. Click here for local Mio weather and forecast. Hiking boots are recommended. Bring rubber boots if you want to venture into bogs and marshes. If you have room in your car, you might want to bring a cooler to hold beverages and snacks.

General information: We'll arise early and retire fairly late on Saturday and Sunday and have a more leisurely day on Monday. Remember to turn your alarm clocks and watches forward -- Michigan time will be an hour ahead of Indiana time, with sunrise about 6 a.m. and sunset around 9:15 p.m. Carpooling from Indianapolis is strongly encouraged and will be essential on Saturday and Sunday because of limited pullouts on back roads. Breakfasts will be on our own. We'll have sit-down lunches and dinners each day unless the group concensus is to pack meals. The McDonald's next to the motel opens around 6 a.m. The pastry shop across the street also may open early.

Our itinerary is flexible. We'll spend more time at productive spots and less time where there's little to see. In addition to enjoying the birds, I'd encourage you to enjoy the trees, wildflowers, fresh air, lush meadows, and everything else in the areas we traverse.

Day 1. Friday, June 13.

We'll meet at 8 a.m. at the McDonald's at 8907 E. 116th Street in Fishers, Indiana. The McDonald's is on the north side of 116th Street at the west end of the I-69 overpass . If you wish to leave your car in Fishers, please arrange it in advance with April Sterling, (317-849-4868). April lives about a mile from the McDonald's. Plan to arrive at April's house no later than 7:40 a.m. because she and I will be leaving her house promptly at 7:50 a.m.

The first leg of our trip will take us from Fishers north on I-69 for 235 miles to Lansing, MI. On the north side of Lansing we'll take Exit 89b and head north on M-27. About 20 miles north of Lansing the road crosses a large marshy area called Maple River Flooding. Here we'll pull off M-27 at a parking area on the right just after crossing the bridge. This is a good spot for Mute and Trumpeter Swans. The latter species recently was voted by the Michigan Bird Records Committee as a 'countable' species in Michigan.

From Maple River Flooding we'll follow M-27 about 100 miles to Houghton Lake. The Higgins/Houghton Lakes area is good for waterbirds and a variety of landbirds. We'll exit M-27 onto M-55 and turn left onto Old Hwy 27, which hugs the west side of Houghton Lake. Along this road are at least three Osprey pairs nesting on platforms, a heron rookery in the tall trees, and a viewing platform with parking. This spot is often good for Black Terns. West of the town of Houghton Lake, we'll bird along Jeffs Road, which turns south from M-55 about 3 miles west of M-27. This area is called Dead Stream Flooding. Brushy areas hold Common Moorhen, Osprey, Sedge Wren, Ring-necked Duck, Wood Duck and other nesting ducks, Black Tern, and Mourning Warbler. Yellow Rail has nested in this general area.

From Houghton Lake we'll head north on M-27 for 22 miles to its junction with I-75, continue north on I-75 for 7 miles, and take Exit 254 (I-75 / M-72) on the left into downtown Grayling. After about a mile we'll turn right onto M-72 and follow it for 31 miles to Mio.

In Mio we'll meet briefly to review plans for Saturday morning, then check in at the Mio Motel.

Day 2. Saturday, June 14.

After breakfast on your own, at 7:15 we'll assemble, prepared for a day of birding, at the U.S. Forest Service Mio Ranger Station, 401 Court Street (517-826-3252), directly across the street from the Mio Motel. The Forest Service charges $5 per person for the Kirtland's Warbler program. Joe Gomola or an intern will give a short talk and present a video on the warbler and the Forest Service's efforts to increase and maintain its numbers and save its habitat, and answer any questions.

We'll then get in our own cars and follow the ranger to the Mack Lake area as the ranger searches for a spot where a male Kirtland's Warbler is singing. We'll listen and look and finally see the bird (most of the time). The tour should be over no later than 10 a.m., usually earlier. While looking for the warbler we'll also be looking for other birds in the area such as Clay-colored and Vesper Sparrows and Nashville Warbler.

The benefits of taking this tour are 1) the ranger knows where male Kirtland's are singing and 2) he or she will let you walk into the forest. If you are alone, you CANNOT walk into the forest on your own. It's posted, and there are stiff penalties for trespassing on National Forest posted property.

Here are some good links to information on the Kirtland's Warbler:

From the Kirtland's Warbler area we'll head back to Mio. Then we'll follow M-72 west for 8 miles to Deeter Road, turn left onto Deeter Road for 1/2 mile to Galloway Road, then left again for 3/4 mile to the Luzerne Swamp parking area and trailhead.

We'll cover this area by walking along a 1/4-mile segment of a horse trail that winds through a cool, dark northern white cedar and balsam swamp to a boardwalk. The boardwalk leads to a wooden bridge that crosses a trout stream. Marsh Marigold, Sundew, Turtlehead, Partridgeberry, Twinflower, and Fringed Polygala add color to the moss-covered ground. Species often observed in this area include Ruffed Grouse, American Woodcock, Winter Wren, Veery, Hermit Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Black-thrated Green and Canada Warblers, American Redstart, Ovenbird, and Northern Waterthrush.

From the Luzerne Boardwalk we'll return to M-72 and continue west for 12 miles to the highway sign for the Wakely Lake Foot-Travel Area. Wakely Lake is about 1/2 mile from the parking lot. Some of the species to be found here include Common Loon and Barred Owl. The cry of Common Loons often echoes across the lake, and Bald Eagles and Ospreys frequently are seen foraging for fish. We'll check the alder and willow thickets around the lake for Alder Flycatcher and Common Yellowthroat and look for Wood Duck, American Black Duck, Hooded Merganser, and Common Snipe at the beaver ponds. Virginia Rail and Sora frequent the cattail swamps and may respond to our tapes. We'll listen for Black-throated Green and Pine Warblers in stands of mature Red and White Pine. Also found in the forested areas are Broad-winged Hawk, Ruffed Grouse, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Black-capped Chickadee, Scarlet Tanager, and Evening Grosbeak. If we return through this area after sunset, we might stop to listen for the hooting of Great Horned, Barred, and Northern Saw-whet Owls and the incessant chanting of Whip-poor-wills.

After lunch, probably in Grayling, we'll head north on I-75, exit east onto M-93, and enter Hartwick Pines State Park. This old-growth pine forest is good for Pileated Woodpecker, Blue-headed Vireo, Northern Parula, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, and Pine Warblers, Rose-breasted and Evening Grosbeak, and Purple Finch.

If we have time we could visit a burn area (uncontrolled) southeast of Mack Lake, the northern edge of which reaches Curtisville Road. This is a good area for Black-backed Woodpecker, Spruce Grouse, nesting Lincoln's Sparrow, and possibly Clay-colored Sparrow. Once we're back in Mio, we'll assemble for a short briefing on tomorrow's plans before dinner and retiring.

Day 3. Sunday, June 15.

We'll meet a 6 a.m. at the motel and head to Mio Dam Pond, where we'll look for waterbirds and landbirds. The Mio Dam Pond is just northwest of Mio; access is from Cherry Creek Road. Just north of this spot, along the access road both on the way to the pond and along the road north of Cherry Creek Road, are temporary farm puddles that we'll check for puddle ducks and Wilson's Snipe.

The largest open area in Oscoda County is from Mio east to the village of Fairview and south to the Au Sable River. This is the most varied habitat in the county. It will give us the largest number of species per hour. This morning we'll explore 600 / M-32 (McKinley Road) east from Mio to the village of McKinley. On our last visit here we found Upland Sandpiper, Brewer's Blackbird, and Alder Flycatcher along this route in burned-over areas.

From McKinley we'll head south for about 2 miles on Au Sable Road. Here we can decide where to go next -- to Hoist and Reid Lakes or farther south. If we decide on Hoist and Reid Lakes, we'll drive north three miles on Aspen Alley Road to M-72 and then south 1/2 mile to Hoist Lake. Reid Lake is 3 miles farther south on M-72. Trail maps are available at both sites. Some of the birds reported from this hiking area include Spotted Sandpiper, Northern Goshawk, Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey, Red-headed Woodpecker, Olive-sided and Least Flycatchers, Black-throated Blue and Black-throated Green Warblers, Baltimore Oriole, and Bobolink.

If we decide to proceed past Hoist and Reid Lakes, we'll take Au Sable Road south a few miles from the McKinley area, turn right onto Sunny Lake Road, and follow Sunny Lake Road about 6 miles to the village of Glennie, where we can have lunch at the Chat & Chew Restaurant. Check out their menu online.

From Glennie we'll continue south on M-65 for about 8 miles to the River Road Scenic Byway. This 22-mile route follows the Au Sable River east to the town of Oscoda, providing glimpses of the area's history (map). We'll stop at Iargo Springs, 1 mile east of the M-65/River Road junction, where the birding can be excellent in the mixed forest at the base of the stairway that descends to the springs. Possible species here are Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-throated Vireo, Louisiana Waterthrush, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Winter Wren, Black-throated Green Warbler, Pied-billed Grebe, and Marsh Wren. There are 294 steps down to the spring, which has been used continuously as a drinking source since pre-settlement times. It was long considered a sacred place by Chippewa Indians, who believed the springs held curative powers. Along the way are a number of strategically placed benches. The bottom is a pleasant and tranquil spot where the springs gurgle out of moss-laden bluffs and into the AuSable under the canopy of towering pines. At the bottom is an observation deck and a boardwalk.

East of Iargo Springs 1/2 mile is Eagle's Nest Overlook. Bald Eagles are often seen flying up and down the gorge. Two miles beyond the overlook is the Lumberman's Monument Visitors Center. In the pines around the Visitors' Center we'll look for Pileated Woodpecker, Common Raven, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hermit Thrush, Blue-headed Vireo, Yellow-rumped and Pine Warblers, and Scarlet Tanager. If you're feeling energetic, you can walk down to the pond, which is really a small lake, but be prepared to walk up 300-plus steps.

From the Lumberman's Monument we'll continue along River Road 2-3 miles east to Wilber Road, turn right, and proceed about 3 miles to Cornett Road. We'll turn left onto Cornett Road for 2 miles to Brooks Road, turn right, and drive to the end of the road 5 miles farther. Here we'll explore Tuttle Marsh, a 5,000-acre area of wetlands and mixed forest. We'll scan the marsh and impoundment for Pied-billed Grebe, American and Least Bitterns, Blue-winged Teal, Black Tern, Hooded Merganser, Virginia Rail, and Sora. Grasshopper and Clay-colored Sparrows utilize the grassy areas near the entrance to the area. Literally thousands of migratory Tree Swallows use the flooded section, which abounds with dead trees. Other breeding species in the neighborhood include Blue-headed Vireo, Golden-winged and Chestnut-sided Warblers, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, and Field and Vesper Sparrows. We'll look for Upland Sandpiper in large, dry openings, Alder and Least Flycatchers and Yellow Warbler in willow swamps, Winter Wren in the cedar swamp, Sedge Wren in large, wet sedge openings, and Marsh Wren and Swamp Sparrow in the cattail marshes.

Afterwards we will explore Tawas Point, one of the top migration spots in Michigan. All kinds of rarities (waterbirds and landbirds) show up at Tawas Point State Park -- this may be the best warbler migration spot in the Lower Peninsula. Here's a full write-up with directions. Our last stop before heading home (or dining in Tawas) will be the fallow fields around the town of Alabaster for Clay-colored Sparrow and other weedy field specialists. We'll then return to Mio via M-55 west about 20 miles, right onto M-33 north, and about 25 miles to Mio.

Day 4. Monday, June 16.

Today we'll check out of the Mio Motel and head toward home. Along the way we'll stop at Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area on Saginaw Bay for Great Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Mute Swan, Whimbrel, Dunlin, Caspian, Forster's, Common, and Black Terns; Marsh Wrens, Swamp Sparrows,and Yellow-headed Blackbird. Nayanquing Point is well known for sightings of some of the most interesting species recorded for Michigan. Here's a full write-up with directions.

We'll head south from Mio on M-33 37 miles to its intersection with I-75 at Exit 202 near the town of Alger. From there we'll take I-75 south for about 35 miles to Exit 173 at Linwood. Head east (right) on E. Linwood Road about one mile. Turn left (north) onto M-13 and follow it about 4 miles to Kitchen Road. Turn right (east) and proceed 1.2 miles to Tower Beach Road. The headquarters is visible just to the northeast of this intersection. After we're through birding, we'll retrace our route to I-75, follow I-75 56 miles to its intersection with I-69 at Exit 117 in Flint, and follow I-69 back home.


Special thanks to Dan Leach and Steve Santner for his generous help.