Everybody has to start somewhere
We headed back to Chicago today, but we made three stops first: Fayette State Park, the Mead Paper Company’s Auto Tour, and the Nahma Marsh Trail. Nothing at Fayette, Nahma was a decrepit dump, and so the Mead corporation’s ill-kept trail provided the only thrill: a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Not worthy of a post, really, except I wanted to show this sign, which we saw on our way south to Menomonee. That’s worth a bird or two, so I hereby declare today a success.
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Today was devoted to Hiawatha National Forest, which is on the east side of the peninsula. The forest is laced with dirt and sand roads, and it’s also supposed to be laced with birds. We found the roads all right — they had beautiful names like FR3344 and FR3145 — but the birds were no shows. It was a pretty place all the same, especially since we were the only people there. We didn’t leave the car very often, though, because of the bugs. So I guess today was a typical Little Year day: beautiful scenery empty of birds. If we want lifers, maybe we need to go somewhere butt ugly, like Texas. The highlight for me, though, was the abandoned Raco Airport. Continue reading →
If only my own mother were so tender . . .
Just about 45 miles away from where we were staying on Michigan’s Garden Peninsula is the gargantuan Seney National Wildlife Refuge. I’ve been wanting to go there for some time, but since it’s only open from May 15th to October 15th, I’ve always just missed that small window of visiting opportunity. But not today, Seney will not be missed, no sir, Seney will not be missed.
The official Edmund Fitzgerald puzzle — a lifer for us both
Today we were finally on our way to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Our stated objective was the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory to try to pick up some late migrants, but the unstated real objective was the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, which is located at the exact same place.
We both managed to see CHIMNEY SWIFTS in our respective neighborhoods, about a week apart. As usual, Pole saw it first. End of transmission.