Kirtland's Warbler country birding

[Overman, Karl (USAMIE)]

Robert Epstein and I birded southern Oscoda County on May 29th in and
around Kirtland's  Warbler areas.  We did hear a couple Kirtland's
Warblers on Merritt Road a quarter mile east of road 4472 (Deeter Road).
More interesting to me was what seemed to be a territorial Cape May
Warbler about a mile south of there on 4472 just south of Briggs Road.
There is a narrow wet forested area with spruce and this male Cape May
Warbler was singing from the top of spruce trees as if on territory.  Of
course it is still within the time of migration for this species but we
found no pockets of migrant warblers away from Lake Huron in three days
of birding in the area. Cape May is not a common breeding bird in
Michigan and this would be near the southern limits of breeding for that
species in the state.

The main reason we were in the area on May 29th was to check on the
recent burn area that is centered around Valley Road and Mapes Road.  We
did not see any Black-backed Woodpeckers in the short amount of time we
looked but hopefully others will find them.   We had Upland Sandpipers
at a couple of places, including at a gravel pit on Valley Road-the
first time I have seen an Upland Sandpiper on a "shore."

Cheers,

Karl Overman
Farmington Hills, Mi
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