14 IjH Eo eA UD UB OYN: (BYU ieee 
Join My Search for 
by EDWIN L. COFFIN 
Sooner or later a new bird-watcher 
needs new birds to watch. He is 
not yet content to watch old ones, 
so he must either change his lo- 
cation drastically (West Coast?— 
Texas?—Florida?) or think of a 
habitat closer at hand where the 
chances are good for a “locally 
common” species. 
How about St. Louis for a Euro- 
pean tree sparrow? No, the search 
must be sneaked into the family 
vacation trip—gently enough to 
avoid protests from the non-birders 
—and the family wants a week of 
camping in Upper Michigan! Can 
this be to include a quick try 
for Kirtland’s warblers in north 
central Lower Michigan? Possibly, 
but what good is a day or two 
unless I know which jack-pines 
are being favored by the warblers 
this year? As Pettingill suggests 
in “A Guide To Bird Finding,” 
one should check with the Michi- 
gan Department of Conservation 
at Lansing. 
Too late! It is now late June; 
the loud, constant song is indis- 
pensable as a lead, and singing 
lasts from mid-May only until the 
first week of July. (“Very few 
indeed have seen a_  Kirtland’s 
warbler after the season of song 
is over.’—Griscom’s “Warblers of 
America.”) No time for further 
planning! 
Need New Birds to Watch? 
Kirtland’s Villainous (?) Warbler 
Hence a sudden departure, | 
day, June 27th, trying to convi 
the startled family that now is 
time for vacation and that 
logically travels from North 
Illinois to Northern Michigan 
first heading south to Chie: 
Tentative destination: Grayl 
Michigan, west center in the K 
land’s warbler range described 
Peterson’s bird guide, and key 
cation for Kirtland’s warblers 
Pettingill’s “Guide To Bird Fi 
ing.” Moreover the camp-groi 
directory shows a natura 
equipped state park near by v 
the appropriate name of Harty 
Pines. Presumably the nature 
could advise just where to loo! 
Tent set up at Hartwick Pi 
Okay so far! Now to find the p 
naturalist! The park office thi 
he may not be on duty until 
turday, but check the nature ¢ 
ter and the picnic concess 
Meanwhile, here’s a leaflet dese: 
ing the controlled growing 
jack-pines at the Michigan C 
servation Department’s Kirtlar 
Warbler Management Areas. 
At the picnic concession a 
stander, on learning why we w 
a naturalist, proceeds to open | 
ears: “Kirtland’s warblers? W 
I hope you take them all hc 
with you. Whole flocks of th 
race the tree growers for the tr 
