18 TH EA{U-D UBOINT BY EY aie 
name with a ‘k’ — and we haven’t seen it.” Now we have seen it and are 
ready for the next questioner. 
After reading from several books about where and when the warbler 
cculd be found, including the Nov.-Dec. 1964 Audubon Magazine; of the 
management program in effect to try to preserve nesting sites; listening 
to bird records to familiarize ourselves with its distinctive song, we packed 
our binoculars, Peterson’s Guide, hiking boots, road maps, and were on 
our way. Mio, Michigan in Oscoda County, in the north central part of the 
lower peninsula, was our goal. Enroute we drove through Crawford County 
in Michigan, where the first nest was located in 1903, although the bird 
was discovered in 1851, when a migrant was found in Cleveland, Ohio. 
In Mio, we first stopped in front of the court house lawn where we 
saw the monument to the songbird, a four-foot sculptured replica of the 
Kirtland Warbler, which was dedicated in 1963 by Roger Tory Peterson. 
We then went to the Ranger Headquarters for our permit to enter the 
nesting area in the Huron National Forest. Although it was 11 a.m. and 
a very hot, sunny day, we hiked through the management area, fearful 
this would not be a successful trip. Suddenly the day became cloudy, and 
just as suddenly, we heard the beautiful, clear song of the Kirtland. A few 
minutes later, there he was, just in front of us — the beautiful blue gray 
male with narrow black face mask, black streaks on back, and bright 
yellow breast with dark side streaks. He was feeding and singing in a clump 
ot ten-foot-tall jack pine, not at all disturbed by our presence. At first we 
used binoculars to study him, then slowly moved towards him, getting as 
close as six feet away. The thrill of seeing a “first” can only be appreciated 
by our real “bird” friends. 
During this first time in the area we spent several hours listening and 
looking. We only saw one female, paler, without the face mask, who scolded 
us from near her nest. At sundown we were back in the forest and were 
rewarded by finding four more warblers, including a fledgling who was 
being fed caterpillars by his colorful father as he hopped about the lower 
branches of the pines. 
Early the next morning we saw six more warblers. One pair flitted 
across the road as we drove slowly along. On stopping we were rewarded 
by seeing a pair and their fledgling. We could also hear six other singing 
males. With a total count of 12 birds, including the two young — and the 
singing birds — our trip was a most successful and rewarding one. 
In this particular managed area, it was of interest to see the efforts 
of Project Pop-Cone: the burned area of a year ago, and the prepared 
burn area for this year (which had to be cancelled due to dry weather con- 
ditions). We also saw that Dr. N. L. Cuthbert, Central Michigan University 
biology professor, is conducting his investigation on the parasitic cowbird, 
which is a major factor in the Kirtland’s survival. 
Please, next time you see us, ask whether we have seen the Kirtland 
Warbler so that we may give our affirmative answer: “but we still spell 
our name with a ‘k’.” 
822 Linden Ave., Oak Park, Ill. 60302 
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