Spring migration in the eastern United States is an avian phenomenon that draws people from all over the World. We have been doing American spring migration for over ten years as well as migration in Europe and Asia, and nothing, nothing, comes close to the photo opportunities in Ohio at this time. Undoubtedly the main attraction among the hordes of migrants are the eastern warblers, and this tour has been designed as the ultimate tour to photograph them all. The tour is about getting the migrants at migrants traps when the winds are good, and when they are not, visiting the breeding grounds in other areas. The trip is very fluid in nature, and you are depending on your guides phenomenal birding abilities to know which opportunities to take depending on weather and migration.

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The tour starts in the south, where the state of Kentucky will offer up some of the southern warblers often missed at sites in the north, like Swainson’s, Kentucky, Hooded and Worm-eating. Moving north into southern Ohio will ensure Yellow-throated, Prairie, and Cerulean Warblers, and Yellow-breasted Chat are shoe-ins for the bird list, with a visit to Shawnee State Forest. Continuing north the tour will have an extended stay at the so-called Warbler Capital of North America, Magee Marsh, where at this time of year 20+ warbler days are commonplace. No warbler tour would be complete without the rarest of them all, Kirtland’s Warbler, which will be seen on their breeding grounds, where it will be combined with a visit to Michigan’s own migration Mecca, Tawas Point. The final stop of the trip will be made further north still, in the boreal forests of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where we will hope to add the most tricky warbler of them all, Connecticut, along with a handful of boreal forests specialties like Evening Grosbeak and Spruce Grouse. If you are looking for the ultimate North American spring migration tour, this trip will ensure you leave very little behind.

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Day 1: Arrival in Lexington (Kentucky). After arriving in Lexington airport, a hotel shuttle will be taken to our nearby airport hotel.

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Day 2: Red River Gorge (Kentucky) to Southern Ohio. We will leave early (5:30am) to reach the gorgeous Red River Gorge Geological Area, where we will spend much of the day. A visit to forests in this area is a must, for our first chance at some breeding southern warblers, unlikely at other sites in the north later on the tour. The beautiful mixed woods of sugar maples, oaks, hemlocks, white pines and hickory are home to more than 100 species of birds, including Worm-eating, Hooded, Prairie, and Swainson’s Warblers, which will be our primary targets. After much of the day in this area, we’ll travel north to Ohio for a two-night stay, close to the beautiful Shawnee State Forest.

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Day 3: Shawnee State Forest (Ohio). A full day day will be spent in Shawnee, located within the Apalachian foothills, an area of such scenic beauty it has been nicknamed the “Little Smokies”. Southern warblers will again be on the agenda, with such thrillers as Cerulean, Kentucky, Blue-winged, Prairie, and Yellow-throated Warblers all on our hit list, as well as Louisiana Waterthrush and Yellow-breasted Chat. Other warblers that may feature include Ovenbird, Northern Parula, and Pine Warbler. Other birds we may find in this verdant area include Scarlet Tanager, Red-headed and Pileated Woodpeckers, Yellow-throated Vireo, Wood Thrush, and Acadian Flycatcher.

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Day 4: Shawnee to Magee Marsh (Ohio). After a final morning at Shawnee, mopping up whatever we still need, we will head north to one one of the most revered sites in North America: Magee Marsh. This is area has become so hallowed that it was voted in a recent US Today survey as the top birding destination in the US, and is often referred to as “The Warbler Capital of the World”. The sheer variety of warblers, and the supreme quality of warbler viewing, making this a must visit site for anyone interested in this stunning group of birds. Four nights will be spent in the quiet nearby town of Port Clinton.

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Days 5-8: Magee Marsh (Ohio). Four full days will be spent around this mega site on the southern shore of Lake Erie. It is famous, as twenty species warbler days are the norm in this season, and the views they often give are simply unbeatable, making this a favorite for both birders and bird photographers.

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A simple, mile-long boardwalk snakes its way through the woods, where birds like Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Blackpoll, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-and-white, Prothonotary, Nashville, Cape May, Mourning and Tennessee Warblers are all regularly seen, and regularly seen well. We shall also visit nearby sites like Ottawa NWR for waterbirds, and Metzger Marsh, a tiny lakeshore woodlot, also famed for getting stellar looks at migrant birds, including warblers. These nights will also be spent in Port Clinton.

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Day 9: Magee Marsh to Oscoda (Michigan). Depending on weather conditions, we will either have another full morning at Magee,or have an early start to continue our migration north into the state of Michigan, where we’ll make our way to another migration hotspot, Tawas Point for the afternoon. We spend one night in Oscoda.

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Day 10: Tawas Point and Kirtland’s Warbler (Michigan). Today we will visit three fantastic birding areas. We’ll start our day in an area of stunted Jack Pines near Tawas, where the rarest of all the breeding warblers can be found: Kirtland’s Warbler. After enjoying this local breeding specialty, we will make our way over to the migrant trap of Tawas Point. While Magee Marsh has received considerably more publicity in the birding press, Tawas Point arguably equals Magee in many aspects: good variety of warblers in this season is also commonplace.

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It is impossible to know which warblers will be on show on any given day, but birds like Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Mourning, Blue-winged, Golden-winged, Canada, and Blackburnian Warblers are all regular here during this birding high season. In the afternoon we will visit Au Sable State Forest, where Cerulean, Golden-winged, Blue-winged and Mourning Warblers all breed in the same woods. 

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We will continue our northward journey, this time out of Michigan’s “glove” and into the very different Upper Peninsula. As we travel north the landscape changes dramatically, and we will enter into the deep, boggy boreal woods of the north, home to Ruffed and Spruce Grouse, and Boreal Chickadee. We will spend a single night in a hotel on the Upper Peninsula.

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Day 11: The Upper Peninsula to Detroit (Michigan). We’ll scour the boreal forests for our final warbler of the tour, and the toughest of them all, the skulking Connecticut Warbler. This bird can be notoriously hard to find at migrant traps, so this will be our best chance for it, although it is still a scarce bird in these parts. We will hope to see this, but also target some other boreal specialties while in the area, like Black-backed Woodpecker, Gray Jay, and Spruce Grouse. In the afternoon we will return south, and spend the final night in a hotel near Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

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Day 12: Departure from Detroit (Michigan). A hotel shuttle will be provided to connect with flights out of Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport.

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TRIP CONSIDERATIONS

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PACE:Moderate to Intense. There are some early starts, and some long days in the field.

PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY:Easy. All of the walking will be easy, with no tough hikes. There are a number of long drives (drives of 4 hours are undertaken on 4 days of the tour).

CLIMATE: At this time of year the weather is changeable, varying from cool to warm, with regular rain showers. Temperatures range from lows of around 40 Fahrenheit (4.5 Celsius) to highs of around 68 Fahrenheit (20 Celsius).

ACCOMMODATION:Good to excellent throughout, with full-time electricity, hot water and en-suite facilities at the standard motels used everywhere. All places used have Wi-Fi Internet.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND GEAR: This is a full on photography tour. We will be in the field shooting every morning and every afternoon, with us in the field for most of the middle of the day as well. This is not a feeder or set-up based trip at all with pretty little perches to sit at. All photography is opportunistic with the guide looking for the species to photograph. At times this will require long periods working a very small areas in the migrant traps, so there is time to relax between waves. Other times we will be tracking down the species in the forest. A minimum 400mm lens is required for this trip with preferably a 500mm with extender or a 600mm. An 800mm is overkill for this type of trip and the minimum focusing distance will result in you missing shots. 

WHEN TO GO:This tour is timed when the peak of warbler migration occurs in the Midwest – around the middle two weeks of May – but also after the southern warblers have arrived on their breeding grounds in Kentucky and southern Ohio.

 

OTHER INFO:

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TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:A valid passport is required for non-US citizens; the passport must be valid for at least six months past your intended stay. Most foreign visitors to the USA need to APPLY FOR AN ONLINE ESTA BEFORE LEAVING THEIR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE. Travel requirements are subject to change; if you are unsure, please check with the nearest embassy or consulate, or ask our office staff for help..

WHAT’S INCLUDED?:Accommodation from the night of day 1 to the night of day 11; meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 12; spare drinking water in the vehicle when required; Tropical Birding tour leader (who is also the tour driver) with scope and audio gear from the evening of day 1 to the night of day 11; one hotel airport shuttle per person, on the arrival and departure days; ground transport for the group to all sites in the itinerary from the morning of afternoon of day 1 to the evening of day 11 in a rental vehicle; entrance fees to birding sites mentioned in the itinerary; a printed and bound checklist to keep track of your sightings (given to you at the start of the tour – only electronic copies can be provided in advance).

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED?:Optional tips to the Tropical Birding tour leader (who is also the driver on this tour); tips for any luggage porters used; international flights; alcoholic beverages; travel insurance; excursions not included in the tour itinerary; extras in hotels such as laundry service, minibar, room service, telephone calls, and personal items; medical fees; other items or services not specifically mentioned as being included.