Michigan Birding Trip Report - Day 5 (Tuesday 29th May 2018)

Heading out of Gaylord and travelling towards the Upper Peninsula, our first port of call en-route were the fields surrounding Pellston Airport, where a number of Upland Sandpipers were known to reside. Driving slowly around the field margins, several families of Sandhill Cranes foraged with their young, much smaller in size than the birds we’d previously seen down in Florida and as such clearly recognisable as the “Lesser” subspecies. 

"Lesser" Sandhill Cranes

Eastern Meadowlarks provided a welcome burst of spring song as we drove, while a pair of Killdeer patrolled the grassy edges warily. Parking up on a small lane at one of the junctions, our luck was in as we quickly located a family party of around 5 Upland Sandpipers, albeit distant - slightly wary at first but soon moving happily through the grassy tussocks as they foraged before us.

Upland Sandpiper

The fields at Pellston

Leaving the Upland Sandpipers behind, we quickly covered ground north, a handful of Common Terns flying alongside the Mackinac Bridge crossing the imposing Lakes Michigan and Hudson the only real birds of note as several small flocks of Goosanders sped by. 

The Mackinac Bridge

The shores of Lake Michigan

With scattered records of Gray Jay at Hulbert Bog, we made this our first port of call, arriving from the eastern section where the thick tree cover created a vast leafy canopy above the road. Less of a bog than a forest track, Alex’s sharp hearing immediately noted the distinctive calls of a Least Flycatcher and sure enough, upon stepping out of the car (artfully dodging hundreds of caterpillars dangling ominously from the trees) we locked on to a number of birds calling in the copse. 

Least Flycatcher

With a rather cute looking appearance and sporting a bold eyering and thick white wing bars, Least, along with Acadian, pose less of a headache ID wise than Alder/Willow, as well as being one of the smallest empids, making ID that little bit easier. 

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Once more we were serenaded by the haunting melodies of a number of Veery on territory, by far the most abundant species of thrush we encountered in Michigan and this time providing mouth-watering views as they perched out in the open, their mechanical flutey sounds cascading around us. 

Veery

Heading down the track to Hulbert Bog, our next new bird came in the form of a pair of Golden-crowned Kinglets, the bright yellow crest of the male flashing as their high pitched calls filled the forest. Similar in appearance to Firecrests in the UK, these two birds turned out to be the only individuals of the trip.

Golden-crowned Kinglet - superficially similar to a Firecrest

Enjoying a spot of lunch in the pines, the distinctive trilling of a male Blackburnian Warbler had us soon putting our snacks down and grabbing the cameras, providing our best ever view of what is surely near the top of many people’s American warbler list. 

Male Blackburnian Warbler - one of my favourite birds in the world

The king of the pines, we were treated to an outstanding performance as this smouldering beauty sang and paraded in front of us, his fiery orange throat positively glowing in the sunshine. 

One of my favourite species of bird in the world, Blackburnian Warblers hold a special place in my heart, and to see one so close was a magical experience I will never forget.

With no sign of any Gray Jays we pressed on, a lone White-throated Sparrow and the blazing tones of a male American Redstart the only birds of note in a disappointingly barren landscape. Exploring several other forest tracks further south also proved fruitless on the Jay front, the deep sand on the tracks hindering our progress and forcing us to turn back on more than one occasion. 

Cedar Waxwing - one of only a few individuals that stopped still long enough for a photo

The view down Hulbert Bog road

In a last attempt to find some form of life in the dense pines, we headed over to a local site where Black-backed Woodpeckers were known to reside. Again, we were met with a deafening silence, the only sign of life the hundreds of mosquitos buzzing around the car in an ominous swarm, making getting out an almost impossible task. Not anticipating there being many mosquitos in Michigan, we had come completely unprepared, all mosquito repellent clothing and net hats safely folded away in drawers back home thousands of miles away. With opening the window even a crack resulting in droves of mosquitos diving in to the car, the afternoon proved to be a bit of a nightmare, and we unsurprisingly couldn’t locate any Black-backed Woodpeckers (a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers did get our hopes up on one occasion) with just singles of both Nashville and Black-throated Green Warblers for our efforts along with a female Eastern Bluebird.

The views from some of the Forest Roads near Trout Lake

With Spruce Grouse remaining heard only as their calls echoed deep in the bogs, the onslaught of mosquitos eventually proved too much, attacking us in scenes reminiscent of a ghastly horror movie and forcing us to retreat and find our accommodation for the night, a small chalet set in the peaceful and tranquil setting of Trout Lake.

The bogs surrounding the Forest Roads - a haven for Mosquitoes and biting flies!

With very few towns and villages in the remote Upper Peninsula, unsurprisingly there were no local restaurants or bars around for food, the one shop for miles around also closed by our arrival, so a tea of pot noodles and grape jelly croissants was all we could muster up for the evening, watching a lone Common Loon drifting peacefully on the lake as we ate while a small Song Sparrow busied itself in the reeds.

The views over Trout Lake

Sadly, despite shelter, our mosquito nightmare continued thanks to a hole in the bathroom vent that ensured a steady stream could make their way in to our room come nightfall – our count of squashed mossies by morning reaching an alarming 40+ and the sinister buzzing as one approached our faces while trying to sleep making rest all but impossible.

Michigan Birding Trip Report - Day 2 (Saturday 26th May 2018)

Leaving Detroit and the hustle and bustle of the city behind, our second day saw us heading much further north to the rather promising looking Haughton Boardwalk, an extensive reedbed supposedly home to a plethora of rails, soras and wrens. Upon arrival at the turn off and with no signposts in sight, we headed down the small wooded driveway slightly baffled at the lack of reeds – instead finding ourselves in woodland and scrub. Nevertheless, the area still seemed relatively birdy, and several Veery singing their distinctive flutey yet somewhat mournful sounding song were a welcome surprise - eliminating the heartbreak at failing to find them on territory in New York three years prior as they gave brief views in the treetops. 

The reedbed at Haughton Boardwalk

Parking up in a small clearing also yielded good results where our first calling empid of the trip was able to be nailed down as an Alder Flycatcher while a stunning Golden-winged Warbler (a prize very high up on our target list) gave brief but mouth-watering views before flitting off. 

Alder Flycatcher - identified through sound recordings from the similar Willow Flycatcher

With an ominous looking storm approaching and having located the hidden entrance to the boardwalk on to the reeds, navigating the many invading thorns and brambles blocking the path we made our way on to the reedbed before the rumbling thunder came too close, gingerly stepping over the many slimy flooded sections and avoiding the thick pipe that ran all along the wooden frames. 

Despite the abundance of records for this site, Haughton Boardwalk unfortunately remained relatively unproductive during our visit, most probably due to the baking hot sun keeping the birds hiding in the cool shelter of the reeds. A handful of Swamp Sparrows and Marsh Wrens kept us entertained (though neither of them lifers), but in the hour or so walking the boardwalk we had not so much of a sniff of our target Sedge Wrens. It was also relatively quiet on the rail front, with no sign of our hoped for Soras and only a brief flight view of a flushed Virigina Rail our only consolation. 

A chance encounter with a Blandling's Turtle crossing the driveway

Heading back to the car before the thunderstorm finally hit, a brief stop on the drive to admire a Blandling’s Turtle (itself a species of special concern in Michigan due to being endangered in much of its US range) also resulted in a chance encounter when a Ruffed Grouse crossed the road in front of us. A species that we had thought we would see with relative ease during the trip, this turned out to be our only individual, so all in all an incredibly lucky encounter!

Monarch Butterfly - always a favourite

A brief stop at the nearby Mickelson Landing during a break in the weather resulted in nothing much of note bar a pair of American Black Terns and a docile Monarch showing off its underwing, so we cut our losses and headed up to Grayling – our base for the next few days.

Our first Wild Turkeys of the trip were seen en route to Grayling

With a hint of light still left we decided to explore the first of two well-known roads in the Grayling Forest, but with the sun setting it was now far too late for any singing warblers. 

Dusk on one of the Grayling Forest tracks

A small handful of Vesper Sparrows preparing for roost were our first of the trip, the pale spots on their cheek distinctive even in the poor light, as were a number of Brewers Blackbirds lining up in the dead trees at the side of the road. A Rose-breasted Grosbeak added a splash of colour to proceedings while a Porcupine slumped lazily on a thick tree branch was an unexpected bonus of what was our first encounter with this bizarre creature.

Vesper Sparrow - one of a handful of birds heading to roost

Brewer's Blackbird

Porcupine!

With Grayling Forest a hotspot for nocturnal birds such as Nighthawks and Whip-poor-wills, as the last of the light started to fade it suddenly clicked that the high pitched screeching we’d been hearing for the past ten minutes was in fact 3 Common Nighthawks gliding high above our heads, starting their evening breakfast and providing an aerial display above the trees. Not having any experience with nighthawks apart from a single bird accidentally flushed during the day from the Dry Tortugas in Florida, we were expecting a flight style similar to Nightjars back in the UK, swooping low down over vegetation as opposed to soaring high above the treetops. Once we were locked on to their presence however we were treated to amazing views as they fed above us, amazing scenes and a top moment of the trip. 

Common Nighthawk

With the light now having all but disappeared, after a well-earned pit stop of pepperoni pizza at the nearby Pizza Hut, we were soon back in the forest – this time on a different track on the hunt for Eastern Whip-poor-wills. Much smaller than the Nighthawks and with a different style altogether, we had barely driven down the road before we heard our first individual, calling softly beside us next to a small row of houses. 

A favoured perch of the Whip-poor-wills. Sadly we weren't fast enough to get a photo!

Getting out of the car and using our torch to try and locate it proved all but impossible, but after a frustrating few minutes we eventually scored as a whip-poor-will came powering towards us to investigate, displaying above our heads with the flashing white on its outer tail and matching throat shining in the torchlight. In a remarkable hour or so and not having to venture very far down the road at all, we managed to hear another 13 or so birds, several sat at the side of the road, their huge saucer-like eyes shining in the car headlights and getting further outstanding views as birds flew around the car, passing right next to us on occasion. For me this was a real highlight of the trip and an incredible experience to see these fascinating birds so close. Leaving the whip-poor-wills in peace we headed back to the hotel happy for a much needed rest ready for the main event the next morning…when our quest for Kirtland’s Warblers would begin!