Free guided tours to Kirtland's warbler nesting areas depart from the US Forest Service Office in Mio, Michigan and from the Holiday Inn in Grayling, Michigan.
Tours from Mio start on May 15th, and the last tour will be conducted on July 3rd, 1997. The tours are conducted Wednesday through Sunday only; no tours are offered on Mondays and Tuesdays, including Memorial Day, May 26. Tours start promptly at 7:00 am each day. An additional 11:00 am tour is conducted on Saturday and Sunday.
Tours departing from the Holiday Inn in Grayling are offered daily at 7:00 am and at 11:00 am from May 15th through July 4th. For more information on the Grayling tour, contact the US Fish and Wildlife Service at the address below.
The Mio tour begins with a brief video on the Kirtland's warbler. Participants then follow the tour guide in their own vehicles to a Kirtland's warbler nesting area to try to see a singing male. The nesting areas are closed to public entry, so the best opportunity to see a Kirtland's warbler is on this guided tour. The best time period to see the bird is from about May 20th to June 20th. Upland's sandpipers, clay-colored sparrows, brewer's blackbirds, black-billed cuckoos, eastern bluebirds, Lincoln and vesper sparrows can also be seen in the Kirtland's warbler nesting areas.
Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars or a spotting scope. Cameras are allowed, but special efforts will not be made for photographers. Tape recorders, pets and smoking are not allowed. Early morning tours are often cold, so a warm jacket may make you more comfortable. Blackflies are abundant in the nesting areas, so insect repellant or a hat may be desirable.
Small groups create less disturbance and are preferred because they are more likely to see a Kirtland's warbler. No reservations are necessary for individuals or small groups, but groups of 5 or more are urged to contact the appropriate office for reservations.
Other activities include the Jack Pine Wildlife Viewing Tour, a 48-mile self-guided auto tour through the scenic AuSable River valley and jack pine ecosystem (chances of seeing a Kirtland's warbler on the auto tour are slim to none). The Fourth Annual Kirtland's Warbler Festival will be held on May 17th and 18th, 1997. For more information on the Festival, contact Kirtland Community College at the address below.
Michigan is home to one of the world's rarest birds . . . the Kirtland's warbler. This small, energetic bird was one of the first to be listed as endangered after the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was passed by Congress. One reason this bird is endangered is the extremely limited area in which it nests -- young jack pine forests growing on sandy soil in northern lower Michigan. The US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and Michigan Audubon Society are working together to save this endangered bird from extinction.
Title: 1997 Kirtland's Warbler Tours
Author: P. Huber, USDA Forest Service
Email: fswa/s=p.huber/ou=r09f04d05a@mhs.attail.com
Phone: 517-826-3252
Publish date: 11/22/96
Expires: 07/05/97