Spring birding tours at Michigan’s Wetland Wonders

 Nothing says spring like the “conk-a-ree” call of a red-winged blackbird or the raucous sounds of a sandhill crane. Celebrate spring and explore Michigan’s Wetland Wonders with a birding tour at one of the Department of Natural Resources’ Saginaw Bay managed waterfowl areas.

Highlights of the birding tours may include diving and dabbling ducks in full breeding plumage, trumpeter and tundra swans, osprey, bald eagles, sandhill cranes and many more. The tours, led by DNR wildlife biologists and technicians, will include a “sneak peek” driving tour into refuge areas that are normally closed.

Birding tours will be held on the following dates:

• May 3 at 8 a.m. – Shiawassee River State Game Area 225 East Spruce St., St. Charles; 989-865-6211
• May 10 at 9 a.m. – Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area 1570 Tower Beach Road, Pinconning; 989-697-5101

For questions about bird tours, please contact the office of the appropriate managed waterfowl area at the phone number listed above.

 

All tours will meet at the area’s headquarters building. Please dress for the weather and bring binoculars. Spotting scopes are also helpful for long-range viewing. The ground may be quite muddy and wet, so plan to wear boots.

 

These birding tours are part of the Michigan Waterfowl Legacy (MWL), a 10-year, cooperative partnership to restore, conserve and celebrate Michigan’s waterfowl, wetland and waterfowl hunting community. The initiative is a “call to action” to honor yesterday, engage today and build for tomorrow.

 

To learn more about Michigan’s Wetland Wonders, visit www.michigan.gov/wetlandwonders. See how the DNR plans to increase waterfowl hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities with license dollars on the More Bang for your Buck Sheets found at www.michigan.gov/hunting.