All roads lead to Kirtland

 
By JIL SCHULT

Each year thousands of visitors trek into the jack pines of northern Michigan to catch a glimpse – or a song – from a tiny ground nesting bird known as Kirtland’s Warbler (Dendroica Kirtlandii). This select group of birders comes from California to Maine and from Texas and Alaska in hopes of spotting one of our nation’s rarest birds.

This May marks the 11th annual festival in honor of the tiny bird and the place to see it is at the Kirtland’s Warbler Festival, whose tours have become so popular it’s added a second day in an attempt to give even more of what serious birders are looking for.

Although there are several speakers and activities planned for the weekend, it is all about the bird.
According to Jim Enger, chairmen of the Kirtland’s Warbler Festival organization committee, an estimated 35 percent of the visitors are from out-of-state. During the festival, students survey visitors in order to learn more about the guests. Questions like, where they are from and how they heard about the festival help in future planning and advertising campaigns. The students also count license plates in the parking lots. Every year the numbers of out-of-state visitors increase.
Debi Tesser from Gorham, Maine is planning a three-week trip back to Michigan, her childhood home, to visit family and she plans to incorporate Kirtland’s Warbler Festival in her travel itinerary.
“To just be able to hear the Warbler would be a great thing,” said Tesser, “I would like to add the bird to my list. The bird comes from the state I‘m from and I have not seen one yet.”
Her current list is teetering on the 400 mark at last count. For Tesser, this is not a hobby, it’s a passion.

“I’m an obsessed birder,” said Tesser, “but I go out of my way not to harm them.”
Tesser enjoys sharing her enthusiasm with the neighborhood children. In February, she took a group of children out birding and she was able to show them their first bald eagle. One of the boys was so excited he told anyone who would listen, “I just saw my first bald eagle.” Sounds like a future Kirtland’s Warbler Festival guest in the making.

How do these birders hear about the festival sponsored by the little “college in the woods” that takes its name from the bird? It starts with a nationwide advertising campaign, including advertising in all the leading birding magazines. The festival sends out news releases that end up in birding club newsletters and it has a fabulous website where interested parties can inquire and receive feedback regarding the festival.

Keith Gish, from Vallejo, California has seen the Kirtland’s warbler before, However, his three guests have not. He, his wife, Phyllis, brother, Dan Gish and friend John Boyd are all traveling on a four to six week birding tour. They will be spending approximately ten days in the Ohio, Michigan and Ontario, Canada area.

Before arriving at Kirtland’s Warbler Festival, Gish’s group will visit Canada’s Point Pelee, where migrating birds stop to rest and eat before continuing their journey. During this “fall out” the birds are at eye level, which makes birding exceptionally spectacular.

Gish, a retired audiologist, has been interested in birding since he was a small child. His mother, grandmother and neighbor ladies would collect bird cards enclosed in baking soda boxes.
“I had a huge stack of bird cards.” Gish said. “I learned to identify birds as I learned to read.”
He spent most of his childhood adoring birds in his yard and at his grandparent’s orchard.
This is only one planned birding trip this year. Gish has another trip planned in the fall. This birding adventure will cover New England, New York, New Jersey, Washington and Virginia. His schedule is full with birding excursions well into next year.

Andrew Miller will travel to Kirtland from Columbus, Ohio, and stay in the area for a week. This is like traveling locally for Miller. Birding actively since 1988, he and his wife have traveled to Nova Scotia, California, Washington and Florida in search of the elusive birds.

Distance is not a deterrent for the serious birder. According to Enger, last year’s festival brought out three avid birders from San Diego, CA. They flew into Chicago, drove all night and were on the first Warbler tour in the morning.

“They each saw a couple of birds.” Enger said, “They were pumped.”