One Birdathon Day…
I have been hitting up friends, family, and local merchants to sponsor my Friends of Whitefish Point Birdathon team over the last couple of months. Suddenly May 15 closed in and we needed a plan to find as many bird species as we could in Chippewa County in 24 hours…
I reflected over how last year my Avians and Arthropods team dodged some discouraging weather and stayed local. We took pride in the 78 species we tallied. My husband Michael’s team tied us exactly, birding in different places. At the 2025 evening gathering we learned we were in the middle of the pack of teams, which included hard-core ace birders, as well as beginners.
I listened to the stories from the other teams that night and took note of where they found some tougher species, and migrants which had not yet made it up to Whitefish Point in numbers.
This year, I consulted with my teammates: Lynn Miller, Mary Wise, and Jim Leitch. We decided to stay local Friday night. Next, we planned to set out in the wee hours Saturday morning to bird the famed Munuscong Potholes north of Pickford, and then the berm into Munuscong Bay that runs east of the Munuscong State Forest campground. None of us had been there before, though Eliot Nelson had encouraged me in the past to visit. It’s always hard to let go of Whitefish Point at this amazing time of year.
Preparing for Birdathon at the house
Our official 2026 Birdathon count started Friday night at 6 p.m. at the Whitefish Point bird feeders. Here we ticked off the Eurasian Tree Sparrows and lingering American Tree Sparrows among the many White-crowned Sparrows and other birds. Out at the tip of the point the wind was brutal, and we gave up some time working our way around the beach to the parking lot access in hopes the Piping Plovers also sought relief from the wind there. Nope.
We picked up a few birds such as swallows (Barn and Tree) and mergansers (Common and Red-breasted) at the harbor, and then a Ruby-throated Hummingbird and several warblers at the MA staff house. We missed some target birds in the Shelldrake/Vermillion Road area, but picked up Goshawk, Solitary Sandpiper, as well as a Spruce Grouse displaying in the encroaching darkness. There were a few, but not many, ducks (Ring-necked, Bufflehead, and Lesser Scaup) at the Shelldrake flooding.
We headed homeward for a late bedtime, and our 3:30 am arising time loomed large. A crazy lightning storm lit the sky and rumbled on and on. The last time I checked the clock, still wide awake, was 12:30 am…
So 3:30 came fast! Mary and I were ready to go, and Lynn was in the driveway before 4. We piled our gear and ourselves into our car and headed straightaway for Rudyard and Munuscong Bay. I missed our Tilson Road turn, where we might have picked up an owl, so we took the fast track down I-75. The darkness was slowly giving way to light as we crossed over I-75 heading eastward on M-48. At 5:45 a.m. we barely missed hitting a grouse (probably Sharp-tailed…) flying northward across the road. I pulled over, we piled out, and the morning greeted us. An American Bittern was gallumping, a Wilson’s Snipe winnowed. Crow, Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow Warbler, and Savannah and Swamp Sparrow vocalizations gradually added to the soundscape. We hurried back into the car, spotting a Red-tailed Hawk breakfasting on the roadside as well as a Wild Turkey.
At 6:10 we arrived at the Munuscong Potholes, more formally known as the Munuscong Bay Wildlife Management Area. We drove north on Gray Road and stopped several times, adding to our species list. A Black-crowned Night Heron gave us a long and satisfying look as it flew to the west of us. Bobolinks’ bubbling song rang out as the wetland transitioned to former farm fields, and Eastern Meadowlarks flew in the fence row and perched in the line of trees across the field from us. A lump in that tree convinced us to take a closer look. We were happy to confirm it as a Sharp-tailed Grouse after our very quick look in the darkness earlier. We also could hear Ruffed Grouse drumming nearby. All three grouse species for our list, yippee!
The dark clouds to the south finally caught up with us with rain for a short duration. Warbler activity also picked up with the rain as we headed west on 21 Mile Road. With stops along the way we continued east to a loop at the end that offers a broad view of marshes and Munuscong Bay, which is a wide spot in the St. Mary’s River. With Lynn’s scope we were able to add several duck species, my favorite being a Canvasback.
From there we turned northward toward the campground on Krause Road, which was full of bird activity. Singing Wood Thrushes and the magical ringing song burst from a tiny Winter Wren. A stunning drake Wood Duck grabbed our attention in a roadside pond in the woods.
At the east end of the campground road we parked and walked the berm that first follows the Munuscong River and then turns off through the marshes. Eastern Kingbirds appeared to have just arrived, celebrating with their buzzy calls and fluttery display flights to open perches. We added a few more bird species as we walked by extensive hummocks of grasses where battling Canada Geese made a racket. I had hoped for Sedge and Marsh Wrens, and we listened intently. After walking out a fair distance we considered turning around, until we noticed the grass hummocks transitioning to cattails ahead. Indeed, we found Sedge Wrens singing there, and a bit further out we found Marsh Wrens as well.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Heading homeward we added more warblers on Krause Rd, after leaving the campground. Later, we took a detour north in the Raco area seeking Kirtland’s Warblers, but it was late in the day and the dry jack pines felt like a quiet desert. We drove north to Pendill’s Creek National Fish Hatchery, then the Curley Lewis Memorial Highway, westward to M-123. No doubt that stretch was very birdy early in the day, but the afternoon heat, extremely dry conditions, and our waning energy led to diminishing returns, and we called it a day.
We got home with some time to clean up and prepare a bird list before the dinner gathering in Paradise. Lynn Miller kept our eBird lists all day and did the necessary compilation. He let us know that our total was 102 species. That’s a lot more than the 78 we had last year!
Michael Kielb and Martin Blagdurn, the Whitefish M&Ms team, were at the house when I returned. How many species? 102! We tied again. Crazy. The Knotty Pines team smoked us all with a total of 120.
All of us were, and continue to be amazed by the bird diversity and numbers here in the eastern U.P. It was great to use the Birdathon as an excuse to bird new places.
A few Birdathon shirts are still available- contact fowpoffice@gmail.com
The Saturday evening gathering of birders and nonbirders at the Paradise Community Center was great fun. There were many people to meet, silent auction items to yearn for, Friends of Whitefish Point merchandise (new mugs!) to peruse, abundant tasty food, a fascinating program about nesting albatrosses on Midway Island, and reports from each Birdathon team. All of this was capped off with the announcement that the teams had blown past the fundraising goal of $5000, with a grand total of over $6500 raised to fund the summer owl banding program. Sweet!
After a Birdathon we often obsess about “easy” species we missed. I won’t even list them! We start making plans for next year. If you didn’t join us this year, consider making a team for next year. Committed to other Birdathons? Try alternating a Whitefish Point year with your other favorite!
I just checked, and you can still make your donation to the Birdathon via this link!