Midwest Warblers - May 2026
Dates: May 17-25, 2026
Leaders: Michael O'Brien & Louise Zemaitis
E-bird
Total Species: 183 birds
Click Here to view list.
Overall Summary
Spring is a season of celebration as the colors and sounds of new life abound, and migratory birds from tropical wintering areas repopulate temperate regions. In the Midwest, warblers form a core component of spring birdlife, and their dazzling colors brightened nearly every habitat we visited. The thirty-two warbler species we found on this tour are a testament to the richness of this region.
Our tour began in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, an area with a quintessential Appalachian feel. At Station Road Towpath, a stroll along the Cuyahoga River produced good views of Common Merganser, Eastern Phoebe, and Red-headed Woodpecker, and we started our warbler list with the “Sycamore” subspecies of Yellow-throated Warbler. At nearby Deep Lock Quarry Metropark, we added Hooded Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush, plus Black-billed Cuckoo and Acadian Flycatcher. Moving west, despite temperatures in the 80s, a stop at Augusta Anne-Olsen State Nature Preserve produced Blue-winged and Prairie Warblers, plus a surprise Mississippi Kite (rare in Ohio)!
The next two days were focused on Magee Marsh, located on the shores of Lake Erie. Along the boardwalk and other trails, we found an impressive twenty-two species of warblers, including such stunners as Prothonotary, Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Blackburnian, and Canada, plus Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo, and numerous thrushes. Nearby Oak Openings provided wonderful views of Yellow-billed Cuckoo, five species of woodpeckers, and Scarlet Tanager. A top highlight was our dusk outing at Maumee Bay State Park, where we had wonderful views of a displaying American Woodcock!
The Michigan phase of our tour began west of Ann Arbor at Park Lyndon, where we enjoyed a cacophony of Cerulean Warblers and eventually had good views of several. At nearby Waterloo State Recreation Area, we explored a small grassland patch and found the shy and uncommon Henslow’s Sparrow while several Sandhill Cranes bugled nearby.
The final leg of our tour was based out of Tawas City, our home base for exploring Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. On our first morning, we visited stands of young Jack Pine forest in Huron-Manistee National Forest in search of the very local Kirtland’s Warbler. With a little patience, we had excellent views and even watched a group of three Kirtland’s battling right in the road! On our two visits to Tawas Point, we found eighteen species of warblers, including numerous Blackburnian, Tennessee, Wilson’s, and Canada Warblers, and a skulking Mourning Warbler that popped into view several times. Other highlights at Tawas included Black Tern, Philadelphia Vireo, White-crowned and Lincoln’s sparrows, and nests of Orchard and Baltimore orioles and Eastern Kingbird.
In our travels around the Lower Peninsula, we visited many other wonderful spots off the beaten track. Some favorites were a lovely boardwalk through boreal forest with sightings of Golden-crowned Kinglet, Winter Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Cape May Warbler; a little field with Clay-colored Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, and displaying Bobolinks; a boggy woodland with Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Golden-winged Warbler; and, a real favorite, an evening chorus of Eastern Whip-poor-wills, joined by Common Nighthawk and American Woodcock—just mesmerizing!
Day-by-Day Summary
May 17 - Arrivals in Cleveland and 6:00 p.m. meeting at the hotel lobby; night at Home2 Suites, Middleburg Heights.
May 18 - Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Station Road Towpath and Boston Mill Visitor Center); Deep Lock Quarry Metro Park; Augusta-Anne Olsen State Nature Preserve; dusk at Maumee Bay State Park; night at Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference Center.
May 19 - Magee Marsh Wildlife Area (Crane Creek State Park); Howard Marsh Metropark; night at Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference Center.
May 20 - Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge; Magee Marsh Wildlife Area (Crane Creek State Park); Oak Openings Preserve Metropark; night at Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Ann Arbor.
May 21 - B2B Trailhead; Park Lyndon County Park; Waterloo State Recreation Area (Riethmiller Road grasslands); Linwood Road terminus (Saginaw Bay); night at Tawas Bay Beach Resort.
May 22 - Huron-Manistee National Forest (Kobs Road and Shellenbarger Road); Tawas Point State Park; Au Sable State Forest; dusk at Huron-Manistee National Forest; night at Tawas Bay Beach Resort.
May 23 - Au Sable State Forest; Black Road grasslands & wetlands; Luzerne (Big Creek) Boardwalk; night at Tawas Bay Beach Resort.
May 24 - behind Walmart (Tawas City); Tawas Point State Park; drive to Detroit; night at Courtyard by Marriott Detroit Metro Airport, Romulus.
May 25 - Departures from Detroit.
Wildlife Seen:
MAMMALS:
Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) – Seen on five days; as we got farther north in Michigan, most were of the black form. The black form is most common in northern parts of the range around the Great Lakes Basin
Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) – Seen on four days, mainly in Ohio
Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) – Seen on four days
Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) – Seen on four days
Groundhog (Marmota monax) – Seen near Magee Marsh
Common Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) – Seen at Howard Marsh and Magee Marsh
Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) – Seen every day
Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) – Seen at Huron-Manistee NF
Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) – Seen at Maumee Bay
Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor) – Seen at Maumee Bay
White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) – Seen on five days
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES:
American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) – heard
Northern Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) – heard
American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) – heard
Green Frog (Ranas clamitans) – heard
Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata)
Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)
Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)
Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
Common Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon)
BUTTERFLIES:
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)
Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)
Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice)
Frosted Elfin (Callophrys irus)
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)
Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)
Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
Hobomok Skipper (Poanes hobomok)