Birdsong Bay - Birding Trail Hotspot

Greenways Birding Trail

Birdsong Bay: South of the City of Alpena on US-23, look for the 45th Parallel sign; you will be halfway between the Earth’s equator and the North Pole. Limited parking along the shoulder, and be careful of highway traffic. It's a long walk out to the water and watch for holes. Rubber boots are necessary. While the walk across the marsh is very demanding, on good days the shorebirding is well worth the effort.

This site is the premier shorebird site in the county. Species include: Herons, Bald Eagles, Common Snipe, Plover, Yellowlegs, Sandpipers, Sora, Dowitchers, Secretive Yellow Rails, and Least Bitterns. Migrants include: Wilson's Phalarope, Horned Lark, American Pipit, Great Black-backed Gulls, Terns, Buff-breasted Sandpipers, and Lapland Longspur. Rare sightings of whimbrel, marbled, and Hudsonian godwits, and both dowitcher species. Loon, Double-crested Cormorants, & flocks of Ducks can be spotted with a scope out in deeper water.

This property is owned by the State of Michigan, and the bay is open, but you can't use the privately owned land along the shoreline.

Nature Conservancy: On the west side of US-23, adjacent to Birdsong Bay, there is a large parcel with a drainage ditch owned by the Nature Conservancy.

Herons, Belted Kingfisher, and Bald Eagles are found along this overflow. The Eagles perch in the large pine trees at the south end of the bay. Both sites host innumerable Red-winged Blackbirds, European Starling flocks, & migrating Warbler species.

Key for best birding season- y (year round) s (spring) su (summer) f (fall) w (winter)

Source: Linda Klemens, Thunder Bay Audubon Society

Things To Do: Birding, Plant Viewing, Scenic Viewing, Water Feature Viewing