The Warbler Tour! Magee Marsh, Ohio, & Michigan *FULL*

Magee Marsh has a well-deserved reputation as one of the premier spots in the country for observing spring songbird migration. As wood warblers, all in their breeding plumage, head north to their nesting grounds in Canada, they stage at the southern edge of Lake Erie before making the long flight across the great lake. And the Magee Marsh boardwalk is perfectly situated to showcase these beautiful birds.

For the first three days of this trip, we will explore Magee Marsh and the adjacent Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, looking for Bay-breasted, Black-throated Blue, Chestnut-sided, Cape May, and Magnolia Warblers, and many others, while also hoping for chance encounters with rarer species like Connecticut Warbler.

Of course, this trip is more than just warblers: we’ll have the opportunity to search for birds in a variety of habitats, looking for American Woodcock, Least Bittern, White-rumped Sandpiper, Forster’s and Common Tern, Grey-cheeked and Wood Thrushes, and Scarlet Tanager.

Up next we’ll head north to Michigan, where Tawas will be our home base as we explore Tawas Point State Park for more migrants, and visit the Huron-Manistee National Forest where we will be guided by the Forest Service to look for the incredible and rare Kirtland’s Warbler, which breeds only in limited patches of Jack Pine forest. We’ll spend the rest of our time in the area searching for such specialties as Upland Sandpiper, Clay-colored Sparrow, and Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos, before departing from Detroit on the final morning.