Grayling Township in Crawford County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Return of Kirtland's Warbler
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, January 2, 2023
1. The Return of Kirtland's Warbler Marker
Inscription.
The Return of Kirtland's Warbler. . The Kirtland's Warbler was first identified in 1851 from a specimen collected on Dr. Jared Kirtland's Ohio farm. The birds originally depended on fire-created young jack pine forests for summer nesting. Such forests in northern Michigan became their prime global summer breeding habitat. Kirtland's Warbler faced extinction due to the loss of habitat and the invasion of parasitic brown-headed cowbirds, which lay eggs in warbler nests and whose young survive at the expense of warbler nestlings. The warbler was placed on the federal endangered species list in 1967 and the state endangered species list in 1976. Guided by research to mimic natural fire processes, government agencies and private conservationists began harvesting older jack pine stands and replanting the trees to restore the warblers' habitat. In addition, cowbird populations were controlled. From an all-time modern low of 167 nesting pairs in 1974 and 1987, the summer population of the warbler rebounded to more than 1,700 pairs in 2007. The recovery of the species testifies to the effectiveness of habitat restoration efforts. During the winter the songbirds leave Michigan for the Bahamas.
The Kirtland's Warbler was first identified in 1851 from a specimen collected on Dr. Jared Kirtland's Ohio farm. The birds originally depended on fire-created young jack pine forests for summer nesting. Such forests in northern Michigan became their prime global summer breeding habitat. Kirtland's Warbler faced extinction due to the loss of habitat and the invasion of parasitic brown-headed cowbirds, which lay eggs in warbler nests and whose young survive at the expense of warbler nestlings. The warbler was placed on the federal endangered species list in 1967 and the state endangered species list in 1976. Guided by research to mimic natural fire processes, government agencies and private conservationists began harvesting older jack pine stands and replanting the trees to restore the warblers' habitat. In addition, cowbird populations were controlled. From an all-time modern low of 167 nesting pairs in 1974 and 1987, the summer population of the warbler rebounded to more than 1,700 pairs in 2007. The recovery of the species testifies to the effectiveness of habitat restoration efforts. During the winter the songbirds leave Michigan for the Bahamas.
Erected 2009 by Michigan Historical Commission-Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number S709.)
Location. 44° 36.75′ N, 84° 42.328′ W. Marker is near Grayling, Michigan, in Crawford County. It is in Grayling Township. Marker can be reached from Interstate 75 at milepost 252,, 1.1 miles north of West 4 Mile Road when traveling north. This marker is in the Grayling Rest Area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Grayling MI 49738, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Press release from Michigan Audubon indicating that the Kirtland's warbler was removed from the Endangered Species List on November 9, 2019. While the "population is now stable and rising [at 2,300 breeding pairs] in Michigan as well as in Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada, it is vital that the conservation efforts implemented thus far will continue well into the future." (Submitted on June 24, 2022, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)
Photographed By Joel Seewald, June 20, 2022
3. The Return of Kirtland's Warbler Marker
Photographed By Jeol Trick of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, January 23, 2012
Credits. This page was last revised on November 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2010, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 1,244 times since then and 19 times this year. Last updated on September 23, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. Photos:1. submitted on January 4, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. 2. submitted on July 18, 2010, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. 3. submitted on June 24, 2022, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. 4. submitted on January 4, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. 5, 6. submitted on July 18, 2010, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.