Les Cheneaux Area: Birge Preserve Complex

Directions
Return to M-134 and head east. Drive approximately 2 miles until you get to Point Brulee Road. Turn right (south) onto Point Brulee Road. Along the road to your right and left are numerous sedge meadows and emergent marshes worth birding from the road. 0.7 miles down the road is a long trail complex that goes through dense mixed forests. Another .5 miles further down the road is a short trail that goes to a small inland lake, Loon Lake. Another .25 miles further down is a parking area where one can access the Lake Huron lakeshore. Small shrubs line this shoreline area, and there are ample views of the open waters along with a small exposed reef out in the bay.
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Birding Opportunities
This preserve complex is one of the best places to view wetland birds such as American Bittern, Common Yellowthroat and Swamp Sparrow. Some have claimed that this area has some of the highest densities of the American Bittern in the North Huron area. It is also a location where one can frequently hear and see Common Loons. Wetland birds can be seen in the wetlands along the road as well as along the short trail that leads to the small inland lake, Loon Lake. The wooded path that goes through the forested area of the preserve also offers breeding warbler viewing along with other hardwood species, such as Least Flycatcher and Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. The Lake Huron waterfront here looks out over the primary channel where currents enter into the Les Cheneaux Islands. This area overlooking Marquette islands is a great place to view large flocks of Bonaparte’s Gulls and Long-tailed Ducks in late April and early May and throughout the fall. A spotting scope is most likely necessary to view birds out on the big water, although some individuals can wander close to shore. 
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American Bittern. Photo by Walter Siegmund

Other Exciting Features
This location is next to the charming resort town of Hessel. This small community hosts a number of resorts, restaurants and gift shops.  It is also home to an excellent culinary school, which offers a full service menu in the summer months.
http://landtrust.org/PreserveGuide/PreserveGuideMack&ChipCounty2012.pdf

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Birge Preserve Complex

For more information about this location, visit
​www.landtrust.org