Kirtland's Warbler
After a break, I'm back to a few more pics from my June trip to Michigan. This warbler was the whole reason for my trip to Michigan. This warbler is fairly rare and is difficult to see except in a very limited area. They winter in the Bahamas, and then migrate back to an area in northern Michigan, where they will only nest in Jack Pine forests, from 5 to 15 years old. They have had endangered status for quite a few years now, with funding for staggered plantings of Jack Pine forests, in order to provide adequate nesting areas "acceptable" to these (rather picky) birds. Their numbers have been increasing now, and may be taken off the endangered list within a few years.
I realized I'd likely never see this special bird without traveling to their nesting areas, so the Michigan trip was planned around this bird. We were fortunate to see two of them on our first attempt--yay! So we had the rest of the two weeks to explore, bird and see the sights.
Michigan, June 2019
Judith Sparhawk
