Birding Tours

  ALDO LEOPOLD FESTIVAL
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All of our birding tours have limited space available.
Avoid disappointment and register early. Click here to visit our registration page.
Registration Page
June 1, 2017
Upper Peninsula Kirtland’s Warbler Watch
Time:  5:30am – 3:00pm
Registration Limit:  12 participants
Location: You may meet the caravan either at the Hessel School House at 5:30 a.m. or at the post office in Trout Lake, MI, at 6 a.m
Meet Elliot Nelson, MI Sea Grant Extension Educator for a fun filled day exploring the wild regions of the EUP. We will target boreal breeding birds in the Trout Lake area including Olive-sided Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Lincoln’s Sparrow and Canada Warbler. We will also venture to a nearby area to see one of the rarest birds in the entire world, the Kirtland’s Warbler. These amazing birds were brought back from the brink of extinction with less then 500 individuals alive in the 1970’s. The population is now solidly on its way to recovery and is expanding its range throughout Michigan, including into the Upper Peninsula. We will bird the areas around Trout Lake and Hulbert and possibly work our way up to Paradise or over to Rudyard depending on conditions. We will caravan throughout the day, stopping at one point to eat lunch at a restaurant (feel free to brown bag it as well if you prefer). EXPECT MOSQUITOES. Wearing bug proof long sleeve shirts and pants is strongly suggested.

June 2, 2017
Birding for Grasslands and Marsh Birds

Time:  7:00am – 10:00am 
Location:  Hessel School House (map)
Registration Limit:  15 participants
Join birder Elliot Nelson at the Birge Nature Preserve. We will search Loon Lake, Lake Huron and the marshland of the preserve for waterfowl, marsh birds and warblers. American Bittern, Black-throated Green Warbler and many others will be our targets for the day.

June 3, 2017
Birding for Warblers and Waterfowl
Time: 7:00am - 10:00am
Location:  Hessel School House (map)
Registration Limit:  15 participants
Join Elliot Nelson, MI Sea Grant Extension Educator as we tour the Cedarville Wastewater Plant, as well as a few nearby protected bays and marshes.  The wastewater and other nearby marsh areas are a hot spring for amazing breeding bird species.  We will look for breeding waterfowl, shorebirds and warblers at the wastewater location and target Black Terns at the bay marshes.


Birding for Marsh Birds, Waterfowl and Warblers
Time:  4:00pm – 6:00pm 
Location:  Hessel School House (map)
Registration Limit:  15 participants
Join Elliot Nelson, MI Sea Grant Extension Educator, as we tour the Cedarville Wastewater Plant, as well as a few nearby protected bays and marshes.  The wastewater and other nearby marsh areas are a hot spring for amazing breeding bird species.  We will look for breeding waterfowl, shorebirds and warblers at the wastewater location, and target Black Terns at the bay marshes.

June 4, 2017
Birding for Grasslands and Marsh Birds

Time: 7:00am – 10:00am 
Location:  Pickford Sunoco Gas Station – M-129 – Pickford (map)
Registration Limit:  15 participants
Join MI Sea Grant Extension Educator, Elliot Nelson, as we tour the grasslands of the Pickford area for rare upland species.  The hay fields and marshes of the Pickford region are some of the highest quality in the state, and attract a large number of unique species.    The LeConte’s Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Sedge Wren, Upland Sandpiper and Sharp-tailed Grouse will be our top targets for the day. Also expect Bobolink, Wilson Snipe, and possibly the American Bittern. 


Bird Walk at Gerstacker Preserve with Dave Ewert
Time:  7:00am – 10:00am 
Location:  Hessel School House (map)
Registration Limit:  15 participants
Join birding expert, Dave Ewert of the Nature Conservancy, on a hike through the Gerstacker Preserve. You may see American Redstarts, Black-throated Green Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Black Capped Chickadees, Common Mergansers and Common Loons. Bring insect repellent and binoculars.
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  • Home
  • Event Schedule
  • Explore the Area
  • About Leopold
    • Historic Photo Gallery
  • Lodging