Happy Birthday Lark trip for me! or Let's go to Michigan and photograph the Kirtlands Warbler!

June 2016

The Lark tends to stay parked June-August.  That is the time we get our real life in order from being on the road.  I sell some homes.  Ed tends the garden, we both golf and get the house work done.  We visit and see friends and family and enjoy our National Park:  Cuyahoga Valley National Park...the Park service celebrating 100 years this summer.

Not that we don't think about hitting the road.  So when an excuse comes along.....

We can only really see the Kirtlands Warbers in the Spring nesting time.  Just a few short weeks. I can also spread my birthday out for at least a week to 10 days.  "Pure Michigan" was calling our name.  Grayling Michigan is the north end of the south part of Michigan.  About 90 miles south of the Mackinaw  Bridge to the UP  (Upper Peninsula).  A fast two day drive, a leisurely 3 dayer.  It looked as if we had three choices north.  After rounding the bend and spending our first nights layover in Maumee Bay State Park, Ohio, we headed north.  Did I mention that evening we watched the CAVALIERS become WORLD CHAMPIONS! Couldn't get too far from home to get the game on in The Lark.  

OK, north bound.  I75 is the eastern route.  Wide open highway, fast and super big truck route. We had a windy day and chose the western route Rt.69, a two-lane country ride.  Discovered on the way home using Rt127 was the perfect route up and down the middle of the state. A nice divided highway with no trucks and it was obvious with the rigs coming north as we were coming south, a favorite of many campers heading to the north country.

Pure Michigan

We stayed mid state at Ionia State Park, a so so place.  Was not impressed with Michigan parks so far. 

Our destination park was Hartwick Pines State Park, just outside of Grayling. This is where you pick up a tour to the Jack Pine forests of nesting Kirtlands.  A nicer park, more forest and remote.  Had a lovely hiking trail, a lumber camp outdoor museum which was very interesting.  On the way up we had a large black bear run across the road in front of The Lark.  That was exciting. As we entered a large nature center building in the park, I wondered up to the bird feeder window and what to my wondering eye did I see?  A LIFER, in 5 minutes, all time record spot...the beautiful evening grosbeak.  I guarantee a sighting for everyone.   They hold up there all summer!  Happy Birthday to me.  

That night we  heard coyotes yipping to the Strawberry Full Moon! 

Evening Grosbeak

We immediately signed up for the FREE Kirtlands tour given by the local Audubon club. They have the permits, with guides to walk just off the back roads to see the scarce warblers.  They warned us right away the fine for parking and walking without permit is $5,000.00.  Who doesn't like a guide service anyway.  

We had a delightful young college woman, really knowledgable and personable.  Kara even offered her back seat from the lodge to the site, as we could not park The Lark safely along the back roads.

Jack Pine Forest...Home of the Kirkland Warbler

Kirtlands

Most Photographed Kirtlands Warbler

She led our group, maybe 12 birders, to two sights and we had our pictures!  She assured us, the older male we shot was perhaps the most photographed bird in the US. If you see a great picture of a Kirtlands Warbler  published, it is probably the same bird that showed his colors and singing voice to our group. Kirtlands are a very friendly bird and not bothered by the paparazzi at all.

Happy Birthday to me, again.

Our guide, Kara...Ed is not paying attention!

We stayed another night and headed homeward bound. Picked up a bird alert on EBird that a whooping crane was spotted near Adrian Michigan. The exact spot was indicated. We were camped only 20 miles away, west of the Ohio line.  Couldn't pass on another Lifer....there are only about 600 whoopers,  mostly all tagged,  and followed closely. This one was "Lilly".  We followed our "Merlin" the Garmin GPS to "x" marks the spot.  The spot   was a gravel road turned into a narrower gravel road, in the middle of very rural southern Michigan. Backing The Lark, any distance, is not a fun maneuver. But how could we not pass up such an opportunity. We voted to proceed, cautiously .  We immediately spotted the Sandhill Cranes that were reportedly with the whooper.  But, alas, no whooper.  No traffic was a blessing, as we took up about 2/3 of the roadway along open fields.  We had the scope and bins out, as a small suv rolled up in a dustball.  A lovely couple from the area asked if we had seen the whooper.  Yep, we were in the right place, should have been here yesterday.  Oh, and not to worry about the country road...this was the worst of it...

 The bird has been making this stop for the last three years, in the same field.  We are aware that many birding spots are kept a secret..too many birders are not always a good thing.  I dropped a pin, to return another day.

I saw on Ohio Birding Facebook the following week, more pictures of the whooper.....someone also complained their post was removed ... too much information. 

Had a wonderful Birthday trip...

Next trip is to the "near North" in Ontario Canada in September.  Our good friends David and Linda and Mike and Claire are making arrangements for us to caravan to see the lake country  and if lucky, the Northern Lights. They live in London, Ontario.

A bucket list item for me.  Oh, we will have our passports with us. If it looks at that time like Trump might become president. I think we will just stay in Canada. :)

A quick stop of Magee Marsh on the way home.
Ed "captures" a yellow-billed cuckoo!