Description: Tours to see the federally endangered Kirtland’s warbler are offered from May 15 to July 2 each year. The tours begin at the Mio Ranger Station. Participants watch a short video, and then follow the tour guide in their own vehicles to the viewing site. Viewing sites are generally less than a 20 minute drive from the office. There are entry fees for this site: $5.00 per person.

Wildlife to Watch: The tour guide almost always able to provide good sightings of the Kirtland’s warbler and other songbirds in the jack pine ecosystem. Other birds that can be viewed include the Clay-colored Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Upland Sandpiper, and Brewer’s Blackbird.

Special Tips: Participants generally walk a short distance along a dirt road to get sightings of the Kirtland’s warbler and other species. Abundant blackflies can be annoying and can bite. Insect repellent, a hat, long sleeve shirt and long pants are recommended.

Driving Directions: Tours start from the Mio Ranger Station, 107 McKinley Road, Mio, MI 48647. If you are travelling north on Interstate 75, get off at Exit 202 and travel north approximately 36 miles to Mio, Michigan. Continue north past the only traffic light in town, and then go over the bridge that spans the AuSable River. Immediately after the bridge, get into the right turn lane, and turn right onto McKinley Road. Travel east approximately 3 tenths of a mile and then turn left into the Mio Ranger Station which is clearly marked with a large sign.

Ownership: USDA Forest Service
Size: NA
Closest Town: Mio, MI

Facilities:

Best Seasons for Wildlife Viewing:

Main Photo Credit: Kirtland's Warbler by Andrew C [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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Huron-Manistee National Forest—Kirtland’s Warbler Tour

Verified Listing

Huron-Manistee National Forest—Kirtland’s Warbler Tour

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