One of the great appeals of the old Timber Shores site for me is the attraction it holds for birds. The location alone should be enough of a plus—an open, undeveloped spot on Grand Traverse Bay, a welcome resting place for weary spring migrants on their way north, a perfect nesting place for year-round residents.
It’s an avian haven, and we need to embrace it. [...] In about a month’s time, May 14-June 15, we’ve encountered 45 different species (listed below), but that’s only the beginning. We have yet to discover the full bird diversity the site Timber Shores has to offer. [...] New Community Vision needs all of us to join in protecting this site as a nature preserve in perpetuity.
Better still, the area offers three related but distinct habitats for an abundance of birds:
wide, grassy fields for Eastern Meadowlarks, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Chipping Sparrows
mixed hardwood and evergreen woodlands for Red-eyed Vireos, Black-capped Chickadees, and Indigo Buntings, not to mention a host of warblers;
a rocky and sandy shoreline for Killdeer, Spotted Sandpipers, and Common Mergansers.
It’s an avian haven, and we need to embrace it. Because the site has long been closed to the public, local birders haven’t had the opportunity to explore Timber Shores over the seasons. Now, thanks to the generous permission of New Community Vision, I’ve had the good fortune to go birding there several times this spring, along with fellow birders Ed Ketterer and Bert Thomas.
In about a month’s time, May 14-June 15, we’ve encountered 45 different species (listed below), but that’s only the beginning. We have yet to discover the full bird diversity the site Timber Shores has to offer. Ed has wisely suggested getting a bunch of birders to go back more systematically, day after day, and do a more extensive survey of birds. Leelanau County has long been an inviting landing location for all sorts of birds, and this site could well be a very significant addition to the list of local hotspots.
For that to happen, though, we have to keep the place attractive to birds. Too much human intrusion, especially in the form of permanent paving for RV pads, will change the environment dramatically. Instead, by conserving the land as a place where people can observe and listen to birds in their natural homes, we can create an exciting outdoor science site for local school children, their families, and the thousands of visitors who, like the birds, migrate to Leelanau every year.
New Community Vision needs all of us to join in protecting this site as a nature preserve in perpetuity, for these many important bird species and future generations.
Birds observed at Timber Shores from May 14-June 15, 2024
(Listed in taxonomic order)
Mallard
Common Merganser
Canada Goose
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
American Woodcock
Spotted Sandpiper
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Hairy Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tree Swallow
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow White-throated sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart Ovenbird
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
NCV thanks Greg Nobles for being a guest author on our blog. We look forward to learning more about the birds that call the site home over the seasons and appreciate the work that Nobles, Ed Ketterer and Bert Thomas have already contributed to this effort.
About the author: Greg Nobles is a local, avid, experienced birder. He is a historian and author, including John James Audubon: The Nature of the American Woodsman.
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