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A black and white bird with a red crown brings grubs to offspring poking their heads out of a tree.
Dinnertime Male pileated woodpecker brings grubs to his two male offspring. © Liz Holmes/TNC Photo Contest 2021
Stories in Michigan

Eyes to the Skies

Michigan’s most magnificent birding opportunities rely on spectacular habitat.

May 04, 2026

The sun is shining, the lake is a deep blue and a light breeze rustles dune grass. A footstep falls on a forest trail. A warbler sings from a hemlock branch. A brook trout swims away into a cold stream after a gentle release. A child shines through an ice cream smile. We all have a vision of the perfect Michigan summer, and outdoor recreation is at the heart of much of what we envision, because it’s at the heart of the experiences we share.

Nature Grows Economic Prosperity

Perhaps money does grow on trees! Discover how protecting nature boosts our economy.

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Outdoor recreation contributes $13.9 billion annually to Michigan’s economy, supporting 118,000 jobs across more than 7,000 outdoor recreation industry companies. However, without conservation of the woods, waters, wetlands and wildlife that support recreational opportunities, that economy would not exist.

In Part 1 of our Field Guide to Michigan Summer, we share some of our favorite places to bird, along with some of the ways that we work to conserve the natural systems which support our feathered friends.

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A big white bird soars through the air over a body of water.
Great Egret Erie Marsh Preserve offers refuge to tens of thousands of migratory birds that touch down to rest, like great egrets. © Ken Salzman

1. Erie Marsh

TNC’s 2,200-acre Erie Marsh Preserve is one of the largest marshes on Lake Erie and a vital source of safety, food and nesting sites for waterfowl and migratory birds, including American white pelicans and great egrets. TNC recently completed a 12-year restoration of Erie Marsh, which occupies 11 percent of the remaining marshland in southeastern Michigan.

Sunrise at Erie Marsh Preserve
Sunrise at Erie Marsh Preserve Erie Marsh Preserve sunrise. © Jason Whalen

Coastal Pit Stops

It should be no surprise that some of our best birding locations are in Great Lakes coastal habitats. Two migratory flyways pass through Michigan: the Mississippi and Atlantic. As migratory birds fly along these aerial superhighways, they need to stop, rest and eat, especially just after or just before crossing the Great Lakes. 

Similarly, the Keweenaw Peninsula is a last stop for migrating raptors before flying to Canada over Lake Superior on the Mississippi Flyway. When we conserve and restore coastal marshes, dunes, forests and other unique and diverse habitats along the Great Lakes, we conserve the habitat that migrating birds need, along with the other unique and rare flora and fauna that thrives there.

A gray and brown bird perches on a branch, looking over its wing toward the camera. A spot of yellow just above its tailfeathers is visible.
Yellow rumped Warbler A Yellow-rumped warbler rests on a branch. © Damon Noe

2. Horseshoe Harbor

The Mary MacDonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor encompasses five miles of Lake Superior shoreline and contains 11 threatened or rare species. Its million-year-old red rocky beach ridge creates a barrier for a cool inland forest and provides habitat for peregrine falcon, ruffed grouse, golden-crown kinglet, black-throated green warbler and yellow-rumped warbler.

A yellow bird perches on a branch.
Prairie Warbler Contrary to its name, prairie warblers are more common to scrubby fields and forests throughout the eastern and south-central United States. © Creative Commons/Mill Majaros

3. Grass Bay Preserve

Grass Bay Preserve is a paradise for wildflowers and neotropical migrating birds along two miles of Lake Huron shoreline. The songs of birds, including the black-throated blue warbler and the prairie warbler, are heard throughout Grass Bay Preserve’s diverse landscape of shoreline, open dunes, interdunal wetlands, coniferous swamps and forests.

A black and white bird, with a red crown, rests on a tree.
Pileated Woodpecker A pileated woodpecker peers down from a tree. © Jason Kuntz/Creative Commons

4. Portage Point

TNC’s Portage Point Woods Preserve protects dynamic coastal processes along Eastern Lake Michigan, including dynamic foredune and successional backdune systems. Look and listen for songbirds and raptors, including pileated woodpeckers, black-capped chickadees, rose-breasted grosbeaks, barred owls, and red-shouldered hawks along a looped trail through the coastal dune forest.

A tall gray-blue bird with a long beak rests on a branch.
Tricolored Heron A tricolored heron rests on a branch. © Hal Blacher

5. Ross Coastal Plain Marsh

TNC’s 1,448-acre Ross Coastal Marsh Plain Preserve protects a wonderfully diverse landscape of forested back-dunes, wetlands, ponds and rare coastal plain marshes, habitat for more than 100 species of migratory songbirds, warblers and waterfowl. Walk along six-miles of trails, stop for a picnic or rest on one of our benches to take in the sounds, and note the forest restoration efforts underway.

Ross Coastal Plain Marsh
Ross Coastal Plain Marsh Towering trees are a highlight of the preserve, which features eastern hemlock, sugar maple, sassafras and black cherry to name a few. © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media

Hemlock Hotels

A cathedral canopy of giant Eastern hemlock trees provide much to wildlife, offering a windbreak, warmth and shelter – but hemlock forests face many challenges.

The hemlock wooly adelgid is an invasive insect that has killed hemlock forests in the eastern United States and is now found along Lake Michigan. Hungry deer can prevent young hemlock from regenerating. And low commercial value means there is little incentive for large timber management companies to maintain hemlock stands over more economically valuable species. We monitor our forests for hemlock wooly adelgid, and we’re working toward innovative solutions to help hemlock regenerate and incentivize timber companies to maintain hemlock forests.

Find a Preserve Near You

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Erie Marsh Preserve
× Lotus flowers bloom on the water at dusk at Erie Marsh.

Erie Marsh Preserve

Erie Marsh represents 11% of the remaining marshland in southeastern Michigan and is one of the largest marshes on Lake Erie. Located on North Maumee Bay, it is one of the largest coastal wetlands on Lake Erie, supporting numerous animals and plants that would otherwise be hard-pressed to find suitable habitat.

Image © Ken Salzman

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Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor
× Sunrise hits the bay and bedrock at Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor.

Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor

At the tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, stunted shrubs and trees cling to ancient bedrock created by Lake Superior’s fierce winds. Since it was originally established in 1982, the Mary Macdonald Preserve has grown to encompass 1,200 acres, including five miles of Lake Superior shoreline.

Image © TNC

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Grass Bay Preserve
× Looking out on the shoreline of Grass Bay Preserve as the sun rises.

Grass Bay Preserve

Three species of wildflowers are found nowhere on Earth but along the Great Lakes and they all thrive at Grass Bay—the diminutive dwarf lake iris (blooming in purple or white), Pitcher’s thistle and Houghton’s goldenrod. The songs of such neotropical migrants as the black-throated blue warbler and the prairie warbler can be heard throughout the diverse landscape of shoreline and dunes.

Image © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media

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Portage Point Woods Preserve
× Hikers walk through grassy dunes with a sunset over Lake Michigan.

Portage Point Woods Preserve

The Portage Point Woods Preserve lies in Eastern Lake Michigan near the town of Onekama and protects coastal ecological processes, including dynamic foredune and successional backdune systems. The shelter of backdune forests provides habitat for spring wildflowers such as trillium, hepatica, jack-in-the-pulpit, spring beauty, dwarf ginseng and bloodroot.

Image © Mary Louks/TNC

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Ross Coastal Marsh Plain Preserve
× A photo of the preserve's towering trees, which include hemlock, sugar maple, sassafras, black cherry, and more.

Ross Coastal Marsh Plain Preserve

Coastal plain marshes are rare in the Great Lakes region; they are typically found only along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Out of all 42 coastal plain marshes in Michigan, this preserve boasts three of the highest quality. As you explore more than five miles of trails, you are likely to encounter reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and one of the 100 bird species known to nest here.

Image © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media

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Discover More Conservation Stories

Explore more work to support birds and other wildlife in the Midwest with these stories.

Midwest Migratory Birds

Millions of migratory birds are using TNC sites to rest and refuel as they migrate through the Midwest.

Restoring Michigan’s Erie Marsh Preserve Brings Benefits for All

Erie Marsh is a vital source of safety, food and nesting sites for migrating birds. A large-scale restoration project funded by the IIJA ensures that it will be protected for years to come.

Resilient Forests in Michigan

The northern forests of Michigan offer critical habitat for a variety of plants and animals, provide clean air, absorb carbon, filter water and provide year-round recreation and tourism opportunities.