Port Huron (from Allen Chartier) ~~~~~~~~~~ Most people do go to the Canadian side, as there are some advantates for viewing the lake, but many of the birds seen at Pt. Edward, including jaegers, often head westward inland over Port Huron. I think that Lighthouse Park is probably the best place for this, though birds that are flying along the Ontario shoreline could be missed from there. Birds that fly down the river, including scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, and often gulls, loons, grebes, and phalaropes, are just as easily found at Edison Park in my opinion. Of course my motive is to include Michigan sites for the guide, since an Ontario birdfinding guide has already been written. A portion of the ABA Guide that immediately precedes what was published in BIRDING on the Port Huron SGA as an excerpt may be helpful to you, so I have copied it below. Note that Hancock Road is currently under construction, but the detour onto Garfield Road gets you there OK. A map of Port Huron could be helpful too. SE-77 Port Huron, St. Clair River mouth By Allen Chartier (DeLorme: 53, D7. 43*01', 082*26') Spring: ** Summer: - Fall: **** Winter: *** (see locations marked on map) The southern end of Lake Huron funnels migrating waterbirds, including loons, grebes, scoters, gulls, and jaegers, past Port Huron. September through November are the peak dates here, and northwest or northeast winds following a cold front are the prime weather conditions to watch for. On such a day, the resemblance of the birding to the north Atlantic coast is uncanny! Most Michigan birders head across the Canadian border to the opposite shore of the river at Point Edward north of Sarnia (see A Bird-Finding Guide to Ontario by Clive E. Goodwin, 1995). Most of the sightings from this area, especially the confirmed rarities, are from the Canadian side. But this is a reflection of local birder's habits more than bird distribution, because many birds migrating past this site do actually cross into U.S. waters, and almost all are visible from Michigan shores. Fortunately, international travel is not necessary, as there are three good vantagepoints in Michigan that are under-visited by birders. "Edison Park" (A). Take I-94 east to its end (38 miles past Metropolitan Parkway, and 58 miles past the junction of I-94 and I-75 in Detroit). Stay in the left lane after passing Water Street. Exit left to Pine Grove Avenue (M-25). NOTE: This is the last exit before entering Canada! At the first traffic light (0.5 miles) turn right onto Hancock Road. Go straight through the traffic light at Pine Grove Avenue (0.1 miles). Go 0.7 miles past Pine Grove Avenue to Wright Street and turn right. Go 0.1 miles to the parking area on the left, which provides a view of the mouth of the St. Clair River. You can easily watch the river from the warmth of your car here. A scope is essential. Be sure to check the shoreline from the paved walkway here, as there could be an eider or Harlequin Duck hidden there! More likely it will be just Mallards, but who knows!. Important for listing purposes, the International Border between the U.S. and Canada runs up the middle of the river, and a red buoy to the north in Lake Huron is also a good indicator of the border. Continuing south on Thomas Edison Parkway, with the river on your left, you can check three other pullouts along the river, all of which are past where the Blue Water Bridge to Canada passes overhead. The southernmost of these observation sites provides a distant view of Sarnia Bay (in Canada) where good numbers of ducks and gulls often congregate in winter. On birdless days, you may want to stop in at the historical Thomas Edison Depot Museum. Good days can produce good numbers of migrating loons, with Red- throated being occasional among the more numerous Commons, and much more rarely Pacific Loon has been reported only from the Canadian side. Red-necked Grebes occasionally pass this site also, along with more numerous Horned Grebes. Shorebirds are not numerous here, but occasional flocks of yellowlegs, dunlin, and Sanderling, may occasionally include a Red-necked Phalarope, or very rarely a Red Phalarope. Waterfowl migrants include all three species of scoter (White- winged is by far the commonest) and Long-tailed Duck, as well as good numbers of both scaup, Common Goldeneye, Common and Red- breasted Mergansers, and rarely Harlequin Duck and Brant. Both of these latter species are more frequently found along the Lake Huron shore several miles east of Sarnia, Ontario. King Eider is another rarity that has shown up here, far from annually and quite scarce in recent years, and this site hosted the first of Michigan's only two records of Common Eider. Barrow's Goldeneye has been reported once from the Canadian side of the St. Clair River, several miles south of here. During warm winters (becoming more frequent), most waterfowl may remain on Lake Huron and may not continue southward down the river. Bonaparte's Gulls are the most visible component of the small gull migration, and interesting species that are occasionally mixed in include Black-legged Kittiwake, Little Gull, and rarely Sabine's Gull. Jaegers are the big draw to this site, this being one of the most reliable sites for them in the state (Whitefish Point Bird Observatory is another), and close views are perhaps more likely here given the right conditions. A good day could produce several Parasitic Jaegers, the commonest species, with an occasional Pomarine Jaeger (later in the season) and more rarely Long-tailed Jaeger (earlier in the season). A very lucky few birders have seen all three species on the same day (from the Canadian side), but this has only ever happened two or three times. Occasionally birds approach closely, but most are some distance out and a scope is very helpful. Many jaegers seen here are juveniles, so are a considerable challenge to identify. Bear in mind that Pomarine and Long-tailed Jaegers are rare enough that documentation is requested by state compilers and the records committee before sightings of these species can be published. Later in the year, large gulls migrate through, and among the many Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls, you may find an occasional Glaucous or Iceland Gull, or rarely a Thayer's. As with waterfowl, how far these birds move south into the river is dependent on the amount of ice present on Lake Huron. Both Ross's Gull and Ivory Gull have been reported from the Canadian side of the St. Clair River, but have yet to be reported from the U.S. side. Michigan has but a single record of Ivory Gull (from Marquette in the UP) and none (so far) of Ross's Gull. The St. Clair River mouth is a better spot than most in the state for these mega-rarities to show up. Lighthouse Park (B). Often, jaegers seen in the mouth of the St. Clair River circle high and head southwest over Michigan. Lighthouse Park near the Port Huron Lighthouse provides an excellent vantagepoint on such days, with the possibility that the birds would fly directly overhead. This park also provides more open views of the shoreline west of the St. Clair River mouth, but is completely exposed to north and northeast winds on the beach, the best conditions for birding at this site, and you must leave your car to view the lake. From "Edison Park" go back north on Wright Street 0.15 miles to Garfield Road and turn right. Go 0.05 miles to Omar Road and turn left. The parking area for Lighthouse Park is 0.1 miles on the right. Walk a short distance to the beach and scope the lake. Lakeside Park (C). Farther from the bottleneck at the mouth of the St. Clair River, this site is less likely to produce sightings of jaegers, but is a good vantagepoint for viewing rafts of migrant waterfowl offshore. Migrant Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, and American Pipits occasionally use the beaches here to rest briefly on their migrations. From Lighthouse Park, take Garfield Road back west to Gratiot Avenue. Go north about a mile to Holland Avenue. Continue north on Gratiot Avenue about 0.1 miles past Holland Avenue to the entrance to Lakeside Park on the right. The beach is open to the public between mid-June and Labor Day, which means that during the best birding seasons human disturbance will be minimal. You must walk about 100 yards to the beach to view Lake Huron. Dress warmly. Allen Chartier amazilia1@comcast.net 1442 West River Park Drive Inkster, MI 48141 Website: http://www.amazilia.net Michigan HummerNet: http://www.amazilia.net/MIHummerNet/index.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 28 May 1995 08:52:16 EDT From: FWMX74A@prodigy.com ( JIM LESSER) To: alb@UMCC.UMICH.EDU Subject: Port Huron Game Area -- [ From: James Lesser * EMC.Ver #2.10P ] -- Hi Al - You reach Port Huron via I94 East. When I94 ends continue north to Mich 136 West. Turn left (west) onto 136. Go another 15 minutes west to Wildcat road. This is sort of the eastern edge of the game are. If you need the Henslow's sparrow, go to the corner of Graham and Hewitt roads which lies a few miles north of the game area. The sparrows were .1 mile west of Graham along Hewitt (south side of Hewitt road). Try to be here at dawn. On the north side of the street, in the pine tree area, there have historically been Clay-colored sparrows, but I didn't hear any yesterday. Next, go back to Wildcat and M136. Go west. You will go to the second parking area on your left. It's an area where a bridge crosses the Black River at Abbotsford Road. On that bridge there is a phoebe. Listen for yellow-throated vireo. Next, go southeast along Abbotsford road. There are lots of birds singing along the road. Go as far as a mile or so. Turn into the two major open areas, 1 on left and one on right for additional species. These areas should have Hooded, Mourning, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Green, and Blue-Winged Warblers, etc. Turn back when you reach the first unpaved road that runs to your right (Bryce Rd.). Go back to M136 and turn right (east). Park at the next pull off. Go south along a dike to a forested area. Alder Flycatcher was here. Walk a short distance into the woods for Acadian Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, etc. Do not miss the following area: Shoefelt Rd. Get there by going west on M136 past Wildcat, to Vincent Rd. Turn right (south), and go 1/2 mile or so to Shoefelt. Turn right (west) onto Shoefelt until you reach the parking area on the left, nearly at the dead end. Very rough drive near the end. This is the classic area for Golden-winged warbler breeding. Also had lots of Blue-winged warblers along the road and in the adjacent fields. Take the trail toward the river at the end of the road. There was a singing male Canada Warbler there just as the vegetation on your left clears (1/4 mile). There were 13 warbler species in all. Historically the area has had 16 or more nesting species. I missed Pine, Northern Waterthrush, and Black- and -Whites which have been here in other years. Good luck. Please tell me (or the whole group) what you saw. Jim