Pilgrimage for a Lifer: The Kirtland's Warbler

Today was the day.  Well, yesterday was the day of travel to get to Grayling Michigan.  Well, to get to Gaylord Michigan, where Sue and I spent the night in excited anticipation of waking up early to return to Grayling for a tour with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to the secret habitat of the Kirkland's Warbler.

The USFaWS conducts daily tours throughout he nesting season to see this very rare bird.  It's not hard to see, once you're in the correct habitat, but it's habitat is confined to a small part of Michigan and only in Jack Pine forests with trees just the right hight for the Kirtland's breeding and nesting purposes.  The Kirtland's warbler is the Goldilocks of the bird world.  Trees not too big, not too small, with the habitat having to be ever just so or it won't nest there.

And because of this, every May through July birders from all over the world make the pilgrimage to Grayling, MI to see this endangered bird.  There are estimated to be just over 1000 Kirtland's Warblers remaining.  At one time the population had dipped to below 300 and that's when the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Forest Service, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan Audubon stepped in to help save the Kirtland's Warbler.

For most people on our tour today, and there were nearly 40 of us,(the average on the weekdays is usually 4, so we came on an auspicious day), the Kirtland's was a Life Bird.  Claire, our guide to the protected Federal lands where the bird nests, started our tour with a video that told the history of the Kirtland's, who winters in the Bahama Islands, and then had us caravan out to the nesting grounds.  We walked a dusty path and within minutes were hearing the bird call.  Over the next half hour everyone got glimpses of the male and many got a great close look at the female.

Eventually, further down the path, past the spot where they capture Brown-headed Cowbirds, to protect the nests of the Kirtland's, a singing male was spotted high atop a dead tree.  It sang for nearly 5 minutes and everyone in the group got great looks and some nice photos.  My first look had been at the back of a male, just before seeing the female.  This last look was fantastic.  Afterwards we heard more calling but didn't see one again.

All in all a great day and lots of fun, along with seeing a nice bunch of other birds along the way.  Oh, and as for the Cowbirds, they lay their eggs in the Kirtland's nests and steal the original eggs.  The Kirtland's Warbler has no defences and ends up raising the baby Cowbirds.  In order to have the Kirtland's Warbler survive, they capture and "relocate" many of the Cowbirds each breeding season.

Brown-headed Cowbird Trap

Male Kirtland's Warbler Singing - North American ABA Lifer # 605

Male Kirtland's Warbler not singing

Female Kirtland's Warbler posing for all to see

After many attempts I finally got photos of Wilson's and Canada Warblers, at Col. Sam Smith Park.