Indigo Buntings fill the warm moist morning air with their bright and cheery song of "fire; fire; where? where? here; here; see it? see it?" as I walked along the grass-lined sandy path to the campground's Nature Trail. Warren Dunes State Park, Saywer, MI is located on the eastern shores of one of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan. My family likes to call this area "Poor Man's Florida" and for good reason; the beaches are beautifully sandy, the temperature is hot (when we go in July) and the water isn't salty (a BIG plus when you are in the throes of a huge wave, and you end up swallowing a mouthful!) But the biggest advantage is the close proximity to Milwaukee, WI, and the fact that you can reach your vacation destination in under 4 hours, even driving around the black hole of timely vehicular travel, Chicago. As my blog often tends to be travelouge and personal review of various destinations (both birding and non-birding related) anyway, I might as well share with you my little secret drivning tip for getting around Chicago; leave EARLY in the morning and have in your vehicle, an "I-PASS" device. There are many ways around the "Loop" but I'll stick to the I-294, (9 times out of 10) so I can set the cruise control and relax as the automated tolls tick off all fifteen dollars from my account balance, for the entire run around the horn. (You pull a camper or trailer, you pay for another axel (or two) and the price rises accordingly...crooks!) So now with the I-Pass, the money still evaporates from my wallet, but I (at least) don't have to GIVE it to them...
Back to the campground and the birding thing again...the Nature Trail splits at a tee section 50 yards in from the camping access roadway. Right takes you north along (and behind) the campsites on a narrow pathway (mostly) devoid of nasty plants that can make you itch and scratch uncontrollably. Left heads south for a bit, turning west at the foothill of a 100 foot tall sand dune that rises up from the forest floor at roughtly a 50 degree angle. This challenging climb was the favorite of the many campers and hikers throughout the 3 days of our stay, and a particular favorite of my daughter and her friend in the evening, because of the only cell-phone reception at its summit. 
Right (north) was the direction I spent the most time exploring as it seemed to provide the greatest variety of species during the broadest part of the day. In addition to the aforementioned buntings, I also cataloged the following; American Redstart, Chestnut Sided Warbler, Blue-Winged Warbler, Yellow Warbler, House Wren, Song Sparrow, Northern Flicker, Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Eastern Towhee, Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Least Flycatcher, Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Wood Pewee, Eastern Phoebe, Mourning Dove, Red-tailed Hawk, and Chipping Sparrow. Along the lake shore few other birds congregated, however I did get to see Ring-billed and Herring Gulls, along with one solitary Royal Tern flying north towards Benton Harbor, MI. A single Yellow-headed Vireo was also sitting in a tall tree near the beach house power station. I had a great time plodding along the sand dunes looking at, and listening to Savannah Sparrows at sunset one evening. .jpg)
The sun had turned orange as it slowly sank into the horizon, bringing a candy-coated hue to the area, as a few children slid down the inclines on boards strapped to the bottoms of their feet. I hiked up and over, back toward the comfort of the Jayco, just as darkness won the battle over light for another day. Birding is a great excuse for taking vacations both far away, and just around the corner. Try it sometime.
Right (north) was the direction I spent the most time exploring as it seemed to provide the greatest variety of species during the broadest part of the day. In addition to the aforementioned buntings, I also cataloged the following; American Redstart, Chestnut Sided Warbler, Blue-Winged Warbler, Yellow Warbler, House Wren, Song Sparrow, Northern Flicker, Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Eastern Towhee, Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Least Flycatcher, Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Wood Pewee, Eastern Phoebe, Mourning Dove, Red-tailed Hawk, and Chipping Sparrow. Along the lake shore few other birds congregated, however I did get to see Ring-billed and Herring Gulls, along with one solitary Royal Tern flying north towards Benton Harbor, MI. A single Yellow-headed Vireo was also sitting in a tall tree near the beach house power station. I had a great time plodding along the sand dunes looking at, and listening to Savannah Sparrows at sunset one evening. .jpg)
The sun had turned orange as it slowly sank into the horizon, bringing a candy-coated hue to the area, as a few children slid down the inclines on boards strapped to the bottoms of their feet. I hiked up and over, back toward the comfort of the Jayco, just as darkness won the battle over light for another day. Birding is a great excuse for taking vacations both far away, and just around the corner. Try it sometime.
No comments:
Post a Comment