Birding Hotspot: Whitefish Point, Lake Superior, Michigan
Birding Hotspot: Whitefish Point, Lake Superior, Michigan
Piping Plovers and Great Lakes Shipwrecks
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a sparsely populated slice of rugged Great Lakes beauty and wilderness. Its land mass of 16,378 square miles, bordering three Great Lakes, contains numerous scenic areas all within easy drives between them.
Whitefish Point is one of these scenic spots that also is a birding hotspot. It is home of the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory which describes why this land area is so special:
The shape of Whitefish Point, a peninsula that stretches out into Lake Superior, creates a natural migration corridor. Hemmed in by water on either side, Whitefish Point’s land and water features create a natural corridor that funnels thousands of birds through the Great Lakes region during spring and fall migrations, providing unique opportunities for research, education, and conservation programs. As a concentration zone for migrating birds, the Point has been identified an Important Bird Area for several species of conservation need. Thousands of birds use Whitefish Point as critical stopover habitat to replenish energy reserves before venturing across Lake Superior during spring and fall migrations.
The habitats surrounding the Point are ideal for many of Michigan’s boreal birds. Along with summer and yearlong residents, the area attracts numerous winter migrants atypical in the southern part of the state.
Over 340 species of birds have been seen at the Point including: White-winged Scoter, Red-throated Loon, Spruce Grouse, Rough-legged Hawk, Jaegers, Great Gray Owl, Boreal Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, over 30 species of warblers and northern finches like Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Redpolls and Crossbills to name just a few.
This beach is a Great Lakes nesting site for the endangered Piping Plover. When a breeding pair arrives and lays eggs, the monitors at the Bird Observatory will enclose the nest area with fencing to protect them from people and predators. This summer, only one pair nested and laid four eggs, three hatched and now down to just one chick surviving.
Whitefish Point has a historic light house and a fantastic museum on the history of the Great Lakes shipwrecks. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is fascinating with creative exhibits and incredible maritime history on display. The amount of boat vessels traveling on Lake Superior in the late 1800’s is hard to fathom and its importance in building America is immeasurable. In 1893, 12,000 vessels passed through the locks at Sault Set. Marie on the eastern end of Superior. These ships contained over 10 million tons of coal, iron ore, copper, flour, grains and lumber.
Whitefish Point is a dangerous section to navigate prone to heavy fog, high winds, sudden storms and ice-cold water. This section of the Lake has more than 200 shipwrecks in its vicinity with the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald only 17 miles northwest of the Point.
