www.thefilemyrs.com > Birding > Kirtland's Warbler Cavort 2005 > Trip Report

Trip report by Bert Filemyr

Monday June 6, 2005
Karl Lukens had arrived at Bert Filemyr’s house the night before and Bert and Karl were ready for Connie Goldman’s arrival at 4:25 am. Being a warm weather birding trip there were not mounds of luggage to pack. In a few minutes the van was on its way. A brief, traditional, stop for coffee at Wawa and we were at Jane Henderson’s house shortly before 5 am. Jane was ready and with in 10 minutes we were at Bill Murphy’s house. By shortly after 5 am we were on the PA Turnpike heading west.

Our goal for the day was to get to central Michigan with time to bird before heading to our motel. We crossed the PA/Ohio state line a few minutes after 10 am, right on schedule. Lunch was at a rest stop in Ohio. The ride across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan was punctuated by spotting state birds as we moved along. Unbelievably we got almost all the way across Ohio before we spotted a Rock Pigeon in that state. Whew, we were worried.

At 3:30 pm, we arrived at Shiawassee NWR south of Saginaw, Michigan. It was hot and windy but we had a very nice walk along the refugee’s trails. Much of this refuge is managed for migratory waterfowl but we did manage to see some woodland birds including flycatchers, vireos and warblers. By 5:30, we were back in the van and headed to our hotel in Saginaw. At 7:15, we met in Karl and Bert’s room for some liquid refreshment and a checklist review. Dinner was at a local Applebee’s.

700 miles, approximately 43 species, high temperature 87 degrees, low temperature 65 degrees, cloudy/partly cloudy

Tuesday June 7, 2005
By 6 am we had breakfast, checked out of our rooms, had the van packed and we were on the road. We had three major stops this day and we needed to get and early start. Out first location was a general area in Northern Bay County. We had a location for possible Henslow’s Sparrows and we wanted to get there first thing. We found the location at the intersection of Route 61 and Flajole Road. The field looked super but there were not many sparrows there. We did get good looks at Savannah Sparrows, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Blue-winged Warblers and a distant flying American Bittern. A local person stopped by and told us of a perched adult Bald Eagle right down the road and we went down and had a great look. We then returned and started birding down Flajole Road, stopping at various locations that looked good. One stop was highlighted by a Pileated Woodpecker working the area. We also saw several Sandhill Cranes lift off from a field. Connie especially liked these birds. About this time a controversy arose that continued the whole trip. Karl set forth the definition of what is a peg, what is a post and what is a pole. This was to help us when pointing out perched birds at a distance. Karl claimed his definitions were clear and precise but the other four trip participants found his definitions to be foggy and confusing. This problem was the subject of considerable discussions during the remainder of the trip. On the nearby Grim Road, we continued to explore the farmland habitat of Michigan. The better part of a day could be spent here but we wanted to move on to different habitats.

Our next stop was Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area along Lake Huron. After checking for local information at the office, we headed down the dikes. Our first stop yielded a male Yellow-headed Blackbird 20 feet away. Great views of a great bird. We drove to the observation tower and spent the better part of an hour scanning the area. Black Terns flew by, a Virginia Rail put on a show and many other species were easily spotted. However, the highlight was a Yellow Warbler nest right below the platform. We then tried another part of the refugee for possible rails. We had a report that caused us to walk out a dike looking for specific habitat. We found the habitat but were unable to locate our target bird. Nevertheless, we did have a wonderful show by a Virginia Rail that decided to check out an iPod. Pretty neat.

After a late lunch at a local Subway, we moved up to Tawas Point State Park. This peninsula out into Lake Huron was our best shot at shorebirds. It was hot by the time we got there but we pressed on. We were rewarded by several Baird’s Sandpipers among more usual shorebirds. There is an area set aside for Piping Plover but we were unable to spot any of these endangered birds.

At 4:30 pm, we headed toward our destination for the evening, Mio Michigan. We arrived at the Mio Motel about 5:45 and had a nice conversation with the motel owner. Checklist and rehydration was at 6:45 pm. We ate at the restaurant across the street. Pegs, posts, and poles continued to be discussed.

184 miles, approximately 92 species, high temperature 92, low temperature 65, partly cloudy.

Wednesday June 8, 2005
This is the day the trip was centered around. It was the day for the Kirtland’s Warbler. Several of us were up early and watching the sky from the morel porch yielded a flyby Common Loon. Breakfast was at the McDonalds next door and we were hanging out in the parking lot of the Forest Service office by 6:45 am. At 7 am, we entered the video room and were shown two videos on the warbler. At the end of the second video the tour leader asked for questions. One person asked who the Kirtland’s warbler was named for. The tour leader explained that it was named in honor of Dr. Jared P. Kirtland who authored the first lists of birds, mammals, fishes, reptiles, and amphibians of Ohio. The tour leader also remarked that there is a Kirtland’s Snake named for the same person.

We loaded up into our vehicles and the group of about 20 people followed the Forest Service employee out into the habitat managed for Kirtland’s Warbler. After a 20 minute ride east of Mio, we stopped and got out of the vehicles. The leader pointed out a bare tree about 30 yards away and said it was a favorite spot of the local male Kirtland’s warbler. As if on cue, the warbler hopped up and started singing. A lifer for Bert, Karl, Jane and Connie! In the same area there was a Hermit Thrush and a Nashville Warbler. A great spot to bird.

The Kirtland’s Warbler worked the area around us and gave us great view. By 8:30, we were ready to move on. We stopped at a couple of locations on the way back to town but found nothing special. By 10 am we were checked out of the motel and working our way west of Mio.

We checked out the Mio Pond Overlook and the surrounding habitat. Our ultimate destination was the Hartwick Pines State Park near Grayling Michigan. JoAnn Raine had been there recently and told us about Evening Grosbeaks coming to the feeder. We got to the park, walked into the Education Building and looked at the feeders and there was a gorgeous Evening Grosbeak feeding right in front of us. Other birds coming into the feeder included Pine Siskin, Purple Finch and Red-breasted Nuthatches. A great location and a completely different set of birds for the trip.

Back in Grayling, we stopped at a Subway for lunch and then headed back to the Mio area. A quick stop at the local campground did not yield the hoped for Red-headed Woodpeckers. We decided the best use of our time was to try the Wagner Lake area south of town. Here at the campground and the nearby day use area we saw Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Brewer’s Blackbirds among the more expected species.

We left the Wagner Lakes area at 3 pm and headed to Toledo Ohio. Along the way a stop for ice cream did not deter the ongoing discussion of pegs, post and poles. By this time stakes, snags and stumps had been mentioned and that in everyone’s mind, except Karl’s, only confused the issue.

We arrive at our motel east of Toledo at 6:30 and at 7:30 we met for checklist review and rehydration. We then set off for dinner based on some local information. The information was not quite accurate but we did chance upon a local establishment, Fat Jacks, that served the purpose well. The end of a wonderful day.

304 miles, approximately 67 species, high temperature 94, low temperature 65, partly cloudy with some afternoon thunderstorms.

Thursday June 9, 2005
Back on the road at 6:15 am. This was our day to bird the refuges along the Lake Erie shoreline in Ohio. Our first stop was the Maumee Bay State Park. Here, besides the a golf course, picnic areas, and other usual state park facilities there is a wonderful 2 mile boardwalk through a freshwater tidal marsh. As we walked the trail, cuckoos were everywhere, both Yellow-billed and Black-billed. An American Woodcock was a surprise as it flew out of the marsh beside us. After leaving the boardwalk area we cruised the park and checked out the lake and fields. A lone Bonaparte’s Gull was a surprise.

Our next stop was the Magee Marsh / Crane Creek State Park Area. At Magee Marsh, we were treated to great views of a nesting Prothomary warbler. Looking over the marsh, we saw numerous birds sitting on either pegs, posts or poles. We could identify the birds. However, the names of the structures still confused us. At the nearby Crane Creek State Park we walked the boardwalk and happened upon a lone Black-throated Blue Warbler. One of the few migrants we saw on this trip.

We headed back toward Toledo and had lunch at Subway. After lunch, we stopped for ice cream. It tasted good in the heat.

Our last birding stop of the day was the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge which is in the same general area as our two stops in the morning. The heat was oppressive and Bill and Jane chose to butterfly around the office area rather than venture out in the heat. The walk around one of the impoundments was quite nice. We had about 120 Great Egrets in the marsh, a Black-necked Stilt (a major record) plus some of the few non Mallard ducks of the trip. But the neatest thing was not a bird. It was a snake up in a snag (?) with its head in a bird nest hole having lunch. We had a reptile book back in the van so we made note of the field marks for later identification. When the walk ended at 2 pm and the five of us were back in the van we looked up the snake and discovered to our amazement that we had seen a Kirtland’s Snake. We had managed to see in two days, the two species named in honor of Dr. Kirtland. It was a Kirtland’s sweep!

Heading east out of Ohio, we headed towards Clarion PA, our stop for the night. We expected to arrive at 6 pm but heavy traffic west of Clarion added 40 minutes to the trip. Checklist and liquid refreshment were at 7:30. We found a local place, the RRR Roadhouse, for dinner. A great place with lots of free peanuts.

304 miles, approximately 76 species, high temperature 96, low temperature 65, cloudy

Friday June 10, 2005
Our major destination today was the reclaimed strip mines near Clarion PA. This area is locally known as the Piney Tract. Before 6 am and we were in the van and on our way to the area. It was about a 25 minute drive and we were worried about getting there to late to see and hear the Henslow’s Sparrows. Rick Mellon had provided us with information and we knew a spot. We got there and when we opened the van doors we were greated to calling Henslow’s Sparrows all around us. We quickly found one sitting up and got it in the scope. Fantastic! We then walked up the dirt trail and encountered numerous Grasshopper Sparrows. A fantastic area! We continued to bird this area for about an hour. We then headed down to another area, on Mount Airy Road, to look for Upland Sandpipers. On the way we stopped at a couple of places and in one place found a nice Hooded Warbler on territory. We found the area for the sandpipers and shortly found two uppies calling and displaying. One was in a field and the other was on a peg, a post, or a pole

While watching the uppies a local gentleman stopped by and talked with us. He offered us access to a property he owned nearby. We drove down and found his property that included a small lake. There was nothing special there but was a nice gesture by a local person.

By now, it was lunch time and time to head home. We made a stop at our previous night’s dinner location for lunch. It was a nice way to end the trip. At 12:30 pm, we headed home via Route 80. We expected to be back in our home area by 5 pm. We tried to resolve the peg, post, pole, stump, snag issue on the way home but we were unsuccessful. Unfortunately, there is major construction on Route 80 and that added 2 hours to our trip. Therefore, it was close to 7 pm when we got back to the Philadelphia area.

371 miles, approximately 65 species. High temperature 85, low temperature 68, partly cloudy

This trip had been thought about for several years. It was great to finally do it.