Field Trip Reports

Piping Plover Trip Report

7/24/2025

Northern Michigan, June 20-22, 2025

A Trip Introduction by Killian Sullivan

A group of four students from the Ohio Young Birders Club, managed by Black Swamp Bird Observatory, traveled to Michigan to study the state's endangered breeding birds. The field trip began at the University of Michigan Biological Station, where experts discussed the challenges facing Great Lakes Piping Plovers and gave the students a tour of the captive breeding facility. Next, the group explored Douglas Lake by boat, inspecting Common Loon nesting platforms and observing loon families interacting and foraging. On the second day, they visited Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, where they observed Piping Plovers in their stunning natural habitat. The trip concluded at Hartwick Pines State Park with a visit to the young Jack Pine forests, home to the endangered Kirtland’s Warbler. Led by advisor Betsy McCaskey, the trip was an incredible opportunity for students Anya Poe, Joel Stiver, Killian Sullivan, and Winston Troutner.

Piping Plover Trip Report by Anya Poe

My name is Anya Poe. I’m seventeen years old and I’ve been birding for nine years, seven of those with the Ohio Young Birder’s Club (OYBC). This June I was invited to attend a trip to Michigan with the Northwest Tri-state chapter of OYBC. I had never birded in Michigan before and was excited to see how the birds would differ. We met early in the morning at an advisor’s house so that we could arrange for carpooling. My mom and I camped nearby the night before since we were meeting at 5am and didn’t want to wake up at an ungodly hour.
Birding started before the trip had even begun. Our campsite was surrounded by farm fields, a habitat I had rarely birded in. A few minutes of car birding introduced me to the Horned Lark and its lovely jumbled song, as well as the secretive Vesper Sparrow. When we laid down to sleep, the croaks of Great Egrets rattled all through the night, emanating from the darkness of a nearby lake.
In the morning, we set out. My mom drove all of the kids. It was five hours to our first destination and there wasn’t a moment of silence. Everyone buzzed with excitement, sharing stories and asking questions, the words tumbling from our mouths, about places we’ve been, birds we’ve seen, cool behaviors we’ve witnessed, inspiring birders we’ve met, bird books we’ve read. Anything and everything under the sun that had to do with birds. I had never had an experience like that before and was in complete heaven. Everyone was so nice and genuinely interested in hearing about each other’s birding experiences. The trip was two nights and every second possible was packed with birding. Our first destination was the University Of Michigan Biological Station near Pellston, MI, which hosts a captive breeding program for the endangered Piping Plover. We toured the station, seeing babies of all ages and eggs up close, asking lots of questions, and learning the intricacies of how the birds are cared for and how data is taken. I love to hear about successful conservation efforts, such as the Piping Plover captive breeding program which has helped to take the Great Lakes population from 13 nesting pairs in the 1980 to 85 pairs at present.

There was a lake in front of the biological station that contained Common Loon nesting platforms. After the tour, one of the people who built the platforms took us out on a pontoon boat to see the loons. All the babies had already fledged the platforms, so we scanned the water as we zipped past the forested banks. We spotted two different families of loons, each with two parents and two babies. They let us get very close. Loons are one of my favorite birds, so I was very excited to see their fluffy brown young for the first time. We even got to see a baby riding on a parent’s back.

The next day, we set out to find Piping Plovers nesting in the wild. First, we went to an area to meet with one of the nest monitors that works for the University of Michigan Biological Station. A series of monitors check all known active nests daily to see if any are abandoned or at risk. If the nest’s welfare is threatened, they’ll take the eggs back to the station, check viability, and raise them until they’re old enough to be released back into the wild. But, a massive thunderstorm called for a change of plans and we ended up driving three hours to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in order to escape the rain. There, we had the privilege of seeing two families of plovers scuttling through the sand. We got very nice looks at them. All the driving, sun, and biting flies were well worth it.

On our last day, we woke up early to meet Upland Sandpipers. We pulled off on a random dirt road in their preferred habitat after one of us had spotted an individual. We were surprised to see lots of them during our time there, perched on dead trees or gliding high overhead, singing. Their song is magical, softly winding up to a high note and then slowly dropping down again. At the same place we heard Kirtland’s Warblers singing - another species we had hoped to see on the trip and the rarest songbirds in the U.S. After scouring the landscape, we eventually saw several, belting out their songs from the tops of bushes.
Next we headed to Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling, MI, where we would take a Kirtland’s Warbler tour. There had been sightings of Evening Grosbeaks at the nature center’s feeders, so we went to have a look. After enjoying close up views of Red-breasted Nuthatches, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and a Pileated Woodpecker, a beautiful male Evening Grosbeak showed up, flashing his bright yellow plumage. That was the first time I had seen one.
Then, we hopped in our cars to follow our tour guide a short distance to a spot where Kirtland’s Warblers were regularly seen. A young Jack Pine forest that did not disappoint. Kirtland’s Warblers nest on the ground under 5-20 foot tall Jack Pines. This habitat has grown scarce because in order to create it, forest fires must come through to allow for new Jack Pine growth. There wouldn’t be enough small Jack Pines for Kirtland’s Warblers to nest under if it weren’t for these fires. But, since humans have built towns everywhere we must control forest fires to ensure people’s safety. As a result, the Kirtland’s Warbler population plummeted to a mere 400 birds in 1971. Conservationists have worked hard to rectify this problem, cutting down portions of old Jack Pines routinely, so that young ones may take their place. Today there are 4,600 individuals. It was amazing to see this thriving conservation effort in person.
Our final destination was Houghton Lake Flats observation platform in Lake Township, MI, where we saw a variety of wetland birds, including elegant Black Terns soaring above the water. A first for me.
The trip was so much fun and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to see so many beautiful habitats, new bird species, and meet lots of passionate birders. A big thanks to everyone who made this trip possible.

Top to bottom, left to right: Red-breasted Nuthatch, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pileated Woodpecker, Evening Grosbeak, Brewer's Blackbird, Black Tern - Photos by Killian Sullivan

My Favorite Parts of the Northern Michigan Trip by Joel Stiver

An unforgettable excursion to the refreshing lakeshores and young, hilly jack pine forests of northern Michigan, provided some fantastic memories with people and new, thrilling looks at multiple bird species that call these diverse habitats home.
While I had many personal highlights throughout the trip, I will name a few of my favorite experiences. Some of these include touring a captive rearing facility for the endangered Piping Plover, hiking the short jack pine forests that present a flourishing population of breeding Kirtland’s Warblers and good numbers of Upland Sandpipers, and of course, watching multiple nesting pairs of Piping Plovers interact with their chicks in the wild. Learning about the enormous amount of data collected by the conservationists caring for the young plovers was inspiring, and studying the ways in which they teach the chicks how to survive in the wild gave me the comfort of knowing these birds were in good hands. The group was even given the opportunity to view a two hour old chick! It was one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen.
After this, seeing plovers successfully breed in their natural habitat in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, was no less than endearing. A magical walk in the early morning hours, the jack pine forests in the north-central part of the state were glowing as the soft sun continued to rise over the landscape. Hearing the sweet song of the ground-nesting Kirtland’s Warbler, was a completely new and wonderful experience. An unbelievable comeback from sitting at just under 200 individuals remaining in the wild, it was unreal and motivating to be walking through a region where ninety-seven percent of the world’s population of around 4,000 breed today. A bizarre and elusive shorebird known as the Upland Sandpiper was constantly flying overhead and sputtering a musical series of high-pitched warbling notes. Engaging in aerial courtship displays, the group eventually could barely see them even through binoculars, as they were ascending hundreds of feet in the air. An honorable mention from the trip, would have to be the Common Loon families the crew was able to watch for quite a while.

Without the Ohio Young Birders Club, and the phenomenal people who are responsible for leading this organization, this trip of a lifetime would not have been possible, and the youth such as myself would not have witnessed these amazing species.

-Joel Stiver

From the top left to right: Pine Warbler, Kirtland's Warbler, Upland Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper - Images by Joel Stiver

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Detroit River Hawk Watch

9/16/2023

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Northwest Ohio Tri-State Chapter - 9/16/2023

Broad-winged Hawk Kettle - Photo by Sam Cox

Report by David Kline-Parker

On Saturday, September 16th, the NW Tri-State Chapter of Ohio Young Birders Club went to Lake Erie Metropark for the Detroit Hawk Watch. Mrs. McCaskey, one of our advisors, drove Sam Cox and I, who are both members. Joel, another member, rode with Cherie Yarger the other advisor, and her husband, Mr. Yarger, who are Joel’s aunt and uncle. Ethan Walz, the last member, could not make it because he had a cross country meet. Afterwards we went to the Detroit International Wildlife Refuge. I got two birds to add to the list of birds I had never seen before: a Black-Crowned Night Heron and a Broad-Winged Hawk.

At the hawk watch we went down to the Detroit River. We met one of Mrs. McCaskey’s friends. His name is Mark Hainen. He is one of the volunteer hawk counters. While we were there, Mark helped Joel with settings on his camera so it would take better pictures. It worked! We also met Mr. Buster and three of his OYBC students from OYBC NE, which was nice. While at the river we saw three kettles of hawks, which is a big group of hawks. Two of the kettles were Sharp-Shinned Hawks, and one was Broad-Winged Hawks. Joel, Sam, and I went for a walk on a boardwalk they have there. We saw Great Egrets, Mute Swans, lots of Mallard Ducks, Canada Geese, Gulls, and Terns.

At the International Wildlife Refuge we took a path down by a river. There were lots of Cormorants. It was a rookery. Sam got pooped on. Mrs McCaskey said that was good luck. Then we saw the Black-Crowned Night Herons. There were two of them.

We had a lot of fun at the Hawk Watch. We were all happy that we got to see the Herons. Joel, Mrs. McCaskey, and I agreed that the heron was our favorite part. We all thought it was a good experience. All the bird pictures were taken by Sam Cox. Mr Yarger took our group photos at the river. Mrs. McCaskey took them at our pictures at our other stops.

Broad-winged Hawk Kettle - Photo by Sam Cox

Black-crowned Night-Heron - Photo by Sam Cox

Double-crested Cormorant - Photo by Sam Cox

Double-crested Cormorant Colony - Photo by Sam Cox

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Shorebird Photography

8/19/2023

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Northwest Ohio Tri-State Chapter - 8/19/2023

Least Sandpiper by Joel Stiver

Report by Joel Stiver

On August 19, 2023 a group of young birders from various regions in Ohio set out to the Lake Erie regions in search of shorebirds. The group of young people was led by Sabrewing Nature Tours guides and professional photographers, Brian Zwiebel and Jamie Cunningham. Every year around late June, shorebird migration officially begins. This calls for birders around the world to venture to areas potentially appealing to different shorebirds such as sandpipers, knots, dowitchers, stilts, and many others. Some shorebirds are even known to migrate year-round covering such far distances, only being able to lay a brood and watch their young fledge then find their way back into migration. Lake Erie is a major stop for a variety of migrating species, being a point in between their breeding grounds on the Arctic tundra and their wintering regions in Central and South America. The group explored Maumee Bay beaches for various species migrating through at the time. It ended up a successful trip, with multiple shorebirds such as the Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, and non-shorebirds such as the Least Tern, Great Blue Heron, and a few Osprey. Although the shorebird species were beautiful and captivating, the main point of this trip was actually photography. Shorebird photography takes a unique perspective to really dive into their world. The tour guides taught the young birders group how to properly photograph shorebirds and the different ways to do it. Part of the experience was getting wet and sandy… calling for towels and junky clothes. Laying on the ground to be on their eye level is the ideal way to photograph shorebirds, giving you the best possible image in that scenario. Although, being on their eye level is not just for the simple purpose of taking gorgeous photographs, but to really see and study the behavior of a shorebird. Watching a Least Sandpiper dig up small invertebrates along beaches is truly phenomenal, or being in the presence of a scurrying plover in the sand shows their skeptical personality. Seeing the world how they do, really teaches a person more about a shorebird’s view on life. The group also learned more about ideal lighting and time of day for shorebird photography. To be a shorebird photographer is to be an early riser, often needing to be at the beach by sunrise to ensure the best lighting possible in a shorebird photo. The plumage on a shorebird can often shine as golden in the early morning and late evening, being a gorgeous time for photography. The later in the day, the more harsh the light is. Silhouettes can also make shorebird photos more interesting, depending on the composition.

Shorebird composition can also determine someone’s satisfaction with their photo. In the early morning, shorebirds can be photographed in almost any setting, a beach, wetland, swamp, lake, and many more areas. As the day gets later, ideal habitats to photograph shorebirds are in more shaded areas with vegetation or possibly in fields. The light gets harsher as the day goes on, making shaded areas with a green or a vivid color background better for photography. The positioning of a shorebird also impacts the whole photo. The guides explained that where the eye is looking, is the area that should have more space. The bird should be on one of the sides with available space in the direction it’s looking. In a photograph, its emphasis should never be in the middle. Overall, this makes the photo more interesting. Using the tips given, the young birders took the advice and began to practice their new photography knowledge on the shorebirds viewed.

Enjoying the day, the young birders also grew in their knowledge of shorebirds. Some of the species were new to the group, learning and observing their behaviors and habitats for future reference. This attached some of the group members to shorebirds and the photography that can be done with them, drawing attention to potential future trips dedicated to these fascinating birds. Finishing up the day, the group headed into the lodge resort for lunch and more photography tips. Each student presented a few of their photos to be critiqued by the guides, allowing the students to be informed of how to improve their photography with the tips they learned during the shorebird workshop that day. In conclusion, it was a great day of education and fun for both the students and guides.