Chasing the Elusive Cerulean Warbler in Hastings: Who Knew Birding Could Be This Hard?
What happens when you head into the canopy with the wrong binoculars, plus a few podcasts, Substack, and book recommendations.
Who knew birding could be so hard? Spotting a Cerulean Warbler as it darted through the towering Maples felt like I was standing on the fifty-yard line at Michigan Stadium, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of the coin as the referee tossed it at center field.
These tiny, beautiful birds are not much bigger than a mouse, with moves that rival those of a hummingbird. They prefer the upper branches of the canopy, at least 50-80 feet up, where it seems all the choice bugs have decided to congregate. Spotting them is a real challenge, so having a knowledgeable guide is key.
We met up with our expert birding guides for the Michigan Audubon Cerulean Warbler tour, Anne and Doug Klein from the Barry County Bird Club, at the Otis Farm Bird Sanctuary in Hastings, Michigan. Our rendezvous point was the Fen parking area, which offers a stunning view overlooking a marsh.
There are plenty of birds to spot here, but we were searching for the Cerulean Warbler, which is known to nest in Barry State Game Area, adjacent to Otis Farm Bird Sanctuary.
The parking area was packed with an unusually high volume of Subarus. I’d be willing to bet at least 40% of the cars were Subarus. I can’t help but feel there’s a direct correlation between birding and Subaru ownership. It makes me wonder—does Amy Tan drive a Subaru? But I totally digress.
Before long, the check-in was complete, and we were all vigorously rubbing our hands together for warmth. It can definitely be mitten weather in May in Michigan.
The Kleins asked if anyone was binocular-less. I had a pair and said no thanks. I soon regretted that decision when I discovered mine are better for spotting large turkeys than tiny warblers. That was the first lesson: “Buy the best birding binoculars you can afford.”
Someone asked about ticks. Yes, they are everywhere, but they shouldn’t be a problem since we’ll mostly be walking along the side of a gravel road. The tour instructions mentioned that we would caravan between birding locations. Before leaving, we went over safety instructions and our general route.
Leaving the Otis Farm Sanctuary on Heaves Rd (1), we do a slow-motion caravan through the backroads, pulling over at the woodsy corner of Goodwill and Whitmore Rd (2), where Cerulean Warblers are known to nest. From there, we would head north to Gun Lake Rd and hang a right onto Otis Lake Rd (3), and make several more stops along the way to see what else we could find.
Learning your bird calls is key if you want to be a serious birder. Both Anne and Doug are experts. For us newbies, Anne played the Cerulean Warbler’s call on her phone. Merlin describes it as “starting with 3 buzzy notes, followed by 4 fast warbles, and ends with a higher pitched buzzy trill.”
Anne put words to the song, “Poor, poor, poor, pitiful me. Drawing out the pitiful me.” This helped pick out their call amid the barrage of tweets floating around us. The Kleins use the Sibley app, which is not free and is really for the serious birder. I use the free Merlin Bird App.
I noticed another birder using the Merlin Bird app, but she was taking it to the next level. She had her phone on a cord around her neck, with the Merlin sound record running. When she’d hear a bird, she’d look down to see what Merlin was suggesting and then, with her “birding binoculars,” look for a bird to flutter in the trees above.
She’d point and say, “Here,” pointing and giving instructions to find it, “30 feet up, to the left of the Maple, on the branch pointing down, near the clump of leaves.” My brain almost exploded trying to decipher her instructions. I looked around to see if it was just me. And it was. The other birders had their binoculars all pointed at the bird. (Which brings me to another lesson: get to know your trees!)
The Kleins had light pointers, thank God. They use it to point to the tree, usually a few feet below the bird.
If a bird call didn’t identify a bird, the birders called out stuff like, “It has a black beak, or small head, white belly plumage,” or a myriad of other bird characteristics that also had my head swimming. It was like a scavenger hunt, and the reward was adding birds to your life list.
New additions to my Life List:
Cerulean Warbler
Indigo Bunting
Red-headed Woodpecker
Northern Yellow Warbler
American Redstart
There were many more that the Merlin app heard and identified, but I personally didn’t see, like the Gnatcatcher or the Pileated Woodpecker. These were not added to my Life List; you’ve got to have some rules.
I headed home from Hastings with “warbler neck,” a few more birds on my life list, and a wish for a pair of high-end binoculars. Have you ever tried your hand at birding, or do you keep a life list of your own? I’d love to hear about your favorite local nature spots or any binocular gear recommendations you might have. And seriously—if anyone can confirm whether Amy Tan drives a Subaru, please let me know.
The latest Life Michigan Podcast episode is out!
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Photo courtesy of Michael Hovitch
🗓️ Never Miss an Event: Chuck has been hard at work on our public Google Events Calendar. From book launches to local gigs, it’s all there. Subscribe to the Calendar
You’ll find things like this on the calendar! (Click on the image for more information!)
I’ve got two fresh Substacks to entertain you this week!
Plus a few old ones of ours.
Book Review
Our latest book club pick was “Norwood” by Charles Portis. This is exactly why I love being part of a book club; this would have been the absolute last thing on my reading list. Chuck’s review was short and sweet: “Goofy.” And honestly, he’s not wrong, but it’s so much more than that.
Published in 1966, it is a time capsule of another era. The cover art described it as a “road novel.” Haha. Yes, it definitely chronicles a road trip. Packed into that trip was every goofy thing you could imagine happening between Texas and New York in the 60s. And it’s a short book, just a few hundred pages. It should not be confused with Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck, which is a classic.
I begrudgingly recommend giving it a read, if only for the absolute absurdity of Joann—the college-educated chicken rescued from a fortune teller machine.
Have a great week!
So glad you had such a great experience! It really is like being on the 50-yard line! Birding has such anticipation, excitement, and wonder.
I love that Merlin app. Turn it on everywhere. It’s a a bit of an obsession. Those little guys don’t even venture down here to Arizona in the winter. Didn’t see or hear any in Belize when I was down there this winter either. But I also had no binos for the most part - totally unprepared.