Huron-Clinton Metroparks
Our Metroparks also have varied natural habitat making for excellent birding. Check their Calendar of Events for interpretive programs on birds and other nature related topics. This link also provides excellent directions to each park.
Metropolitan Beach Metropark
One of the best spots in the metro area for neotropical migrants, as well as waterfowl. Phone - (810) 463-4581 Outside Local Dialing Area: 1-800-477-3172
Kensington Metropark
(248) 685-1561 or Outside local dialing area: 1-800-477-3178
Don't miss the Osprey re-introduction program. Phone - 810-685-0603 or Kensington Farm Center - 800-477-3178
Erie Metropark
Famous for it's Hawkfest in the fall and great birding almost anytime in the adjacent woods.
Phone - (734) 379-5020 Fax: (734) 379-3317
Outside Local Dialing Area: 1-800-477-3189
Stoney Creek Metropark
Varied habitat. We always have an excellent day of birding here any time of year. Phone- (810) 781-4242 or Outside local dialing area: 1-800-477-7756

Michigan State Parks
All of our State Parks have large natural areas that are excellent for birding. They are indeed treasures; please visit often.

Recreation Areas and Nature Centers
Bald Mountain Recreation Area
1330 Greenshield, Lake Orion
Highland Recreation Area.
5200 E. Highland Rd., Milford
Island Lake Recreation Area
To get to Island Lake Recreation Area take I-96 west to Exit 151 (Kensington Road). Go south on Kensington Road past Grand River Avenue. The park entrance will be on the left hand side.

West Bloomfield Woods
West Bloomfield Woods hosts one of the area's few Great Blue Heron rookeries, in which you can observe nesting herons at close range. You can also see Red-headed and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Wood Ducks and other herons. In the adjacent fields and woods, Blue-winged Warblers, Scarlet Tanagers, and Yellow-throated Vireos can usually be found. Also visit the nearby Orchard Lake Nature Sanctuary. Take Orchard Lake Road to PontiacTrail. Then take Pontiac Trail 1 1/2 miles west to Arrowhead Road. Go 1/2 mile south on Arrowhead Road until you reach West Bloomfield Woods.

Point Mouillee
Map url

BELLE ISLE NATURE CENTER
Location: On Belle Isle, east end of island at Oakway & Riverbank - near horse stables
Dates/hours open: Closed Mon; open year-round Tue, noon-4 p.m.; Wed-Sun,10a.m.-4p.m.
Description: Museum features natural history exhibits, an animal shelter housing injured wildlife, nature trails and films. Excellent birding here. Located on a natural migration waterway.
Belle Isle Park , 313/267-7157 Detroit, MI 48207
Baker Sanctuary
Baker Sanctuary is a nesting area and migratory staging area for Michigan's largest bird, the Sandhill Crane. It is also home of the anual Cranefest every October. See website for current details.
Baker Sanctuary is located in central southern Michigan less than 50 miles from the Indiana and Ohio state lines. It is northeast of the intersection of I-69 and I-94 in Convis Township in northcentral Calhoun County. It's 10 miles north of historic Marshall, 12 miles east of cereal center Battle Creek, nearby the picturesque college town of Olivet and only minutes from Bellevue.
Blandford Nature Center
1715 Hillburn Avenue, Grand Rapids MI 49546 Phone: 616-453-6192
Carl G. Fenner Nature Center
2020 East Mt. Hope, Lansing MI 48910 Phone: 517-483-4224
Chippewa Nature Center
Midland MI 48640, Phone: 517-631-0830
Crosswinds Marsh Wetlands Interpretive Preserve
Crosswinds Marsh is a 1,050 acre Wetland Interpretive Preserve which offers a unique opportunity to observe a variety of wetland environments, including, forested wetlands, wet meadows, shallow water wetlands, shallow water emergent wetlands, and deep water habitats. Crosswinds Marsh is one if the largest man-made wetlands in the country, built to replace wetlands which were going to be lost due to airport expansion. The area offers a blend of natural and man-made wetlands, wildflower meadows and upland forests, attracting over 140 species of birds, 30 species of mammals and a variety of reptiles, amphibians and fish.
Directions to Crosswind Marsh: Take Interstate 275 South to Will-Carleton Road (Exit #8). Take Will-Carleton Road West 3½ miles to Haggerty Road. Take Haggerty Road ½ mile North to park entrance on the West side of the road.
Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve
333 North Hill Circle, Rochester, Michigan 48307 Phone- 248-656-0999
e-mail: DinoHill@aol.com
Dahlem Environmental Education Center
Home of the Bluebird Festival and Wildlife Art show on the campus of Jackson Community College, 7117 South Jackson Road, Jackson MI 49201 Phone: 517-782-3453 From I-94 East or I-94 West: Take exit 142 south 7 miles to the M-50 exit; turn left onto McDevitt, left at Hague (stoplight), south on Hague to Emmons Road and the JCC campus.
Drayton Plains Nature Center
2125 Denby Dr., 313/674-2119 Drayton Plains, MI 48020
Location: I-75 N exit Sashabaw S, to Dixie Hwy L, to Hatchery R. to Edmore L, follow Nature Center signs. Dates/hours open: Year-round Sun-Sat, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
A variety of tours offered. This facility will design programs to fit the groups needs, i.e. bird & tree identification. Admission: Varies.
Special activities/events: Maple Syrup making, wild edibles, customized tour programs, animal tracks & signs, 137 acre wild reserve area for hikes and birding.
Carl G. Fenner Nature Center
2020 East Mt. Hope, Lansing MI 48910 Phone: 517-483-4224
Phyllis Haehnle Audubon Sanctuary
On Seymour Road 6 miles Northeast of Jackson. To get to the Phyllis Haehnle Sanctuary, take I-94 west to the Race Road exit. Go North on Race Road until it ends at Seymour Road and turn left. Go West on Seymour Road about 3 miles to the sanctuary. There is a yellow sign marked "Haehnle Parking"attached to an Oak Tree by the road. Map. Noted for the Sandhill Cranes that gather here during spring and fall migration. In addition to the Cranes, several other interesting birds have been found there, including Northern Shrike, which is a somewhat regular winter visitor, and Ross Goose. Admission is free, year round.
Hawk Woods Nature Center
3799 Bald Mountain Road, Auburn Hills, MI 48326 Phone: 810-370-9353
Huron Nature Center
Wilderness Arboretum, Sleeper State Park Phone (517)856-4411
Independence Oaks Nature Center
9501 Sashabaw Road, Clarkston, MI 48348-2064 Phone- 810.625.6473
TDD: 810.858.1684
Johnson Nature Center
It is close to Royal Oak and Troy. To get there, take Long Lake Road west of Telegraph Road for less than than 1/3 of a mile. At Franklin Road, make a right and go north for about a quarter of a mile and you'll see a sign for the E.L. Johnson Nature Center. The telephone number is (248) 645-4500.
Kalamazoo Nature Center
7000 North Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Phone- (616)381-1574
Kensington Nature Center
2240 West Bruno Road, Milford, MI 48380 Phone- (810)685-1561
Leslie Science Center and Cobblestone Farm
Parks and Recreation Department, City of Ann Arbor, P.O. Box 8647, Ann Arbor,
MI, 48107 Phone- (313)994-2928
Madison Heights Nature Center
Located off 13 mile Rd., across from the Red Oaks Wavepool, betweeeen Dequindre and John R. Enter at Hales St. (light). Nature Center open Tues-Sun, closed Mondays. The 1 1/3 miles of paved trails around the Nature Center known as George W. Suarez Friendship Woods are open 7 days. Hours vary depending on the season and are posted at the Hales St. entrance. Displays change as the seasons change as well, so stop by and see what's new. Explore, relax, and enjoy nature.
Oakwoods Nature
P.O. Box 332, Flat Rock, MI 48134 Phone- (313)782-3956
Kate Palmer Audubon Sanctuary
Located along Sandstone Creek in western Jackson County. To get there take Michigan Avenue west from Jackson to O'Brien Road. Go South on O'Brien Road. The small parking lot for the Sanctuary is on the East side of O'Brien Road just before it ends at McCain Road. Map.
This 53 acre wildlife sanctuary is noted for it's wildflowers. It is one of the best places in Southern Michigan to find Trout Lilly, and in late April or early May, the sanctuary is literally carpeted with Trilliums. In addition to the wildflowers, Kate Palmer Sanctuary is one of the few places in Michigan where you can find Shingle Oak, which is a southern Oak species. The sanctuary is also bi-sected by one of the few Trout streams in Southern Michigan. Birds seen at the Kate Palmer Sanctuary include Wood Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Black-billed Cuckoo, and Prothonotary Warbler. Cooper's Hawks have also nested in the area. Call 517-783-3661 for more information
Rouge River Bird Observatory
The Rouge River Bird Observatory is the donor-funded bird research program of the Natural Areas Department at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Located near Fairlane Towne Center, Dearborn,
the campus includes a 290 acre Natural Area that is an oasis of green in an urban desert. Its diverse habitats -- riparian, floodplain, climax beech-maple forest, and secondary succession -- surrounded by extensive urban development, make an extraordinary living laboratory. It offers the incredibly unique opportunity to explore an understudied, yet increasingly important area in ornithology: the importance of urban natural areas to resident, migrant, and breeding birds. This isolated remnant of natural habitat in a region so closely associated with industrialization in America offers a unique opportunity to study the importance of urban natural areas to birds. With 251 bird species recorded, it is clearly a valuable piece of real estate for birds and other wildlife.
Click here for a map of how to get there! http://www.umd.umich.edu/dept/rouge_river/MAP2.jpg
and here for a map of the trails! http://www.umd.umich.edu/dept/rouge_river/trails.jpg
Sarett Nature Center
This unique nature center, located in southwestern Michigan's Berrien County, has five miles of trails meandering through its 800 acres.
2300 Benton Center Rd., Benton Harbor, MI 49022 Phone- (616) 927-4832
Hours: Tuesday - Friday 9:00 - 5:00, Saturday 10:00 - 5:00, Sunday 1:00 - 5:00
Closed Monday
Seven Ponds Nature Center
3854 Crawford Road, Dryden MI 48428, the center is located between Lapeer Road (M-24) and Rochester Road.From the Southeast, Take Rochester Road north and turn left or west onto Crawford Road. Follow Crawford until you see the Center on your left. For more information call (810) 796-3200, or see their web site. (link above)
Sterling Heights Nature Center
42700 Utica Road, 2 blocks southeast of Van Dyke, Phone- 586-446-2710
Normal Hours: Tuesday - Friday 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and
Sundays 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Thorne (Watkins) Lake
Located in the extreme Southeast corner of Jackson County, Thorn Lake is regarded as one of the best birding spots in Jackson County. To reach Thorn Lake, take Austin Road from Napoleon or Manchester to Fay Lake Road. Go South on Fay Lake Road to Horning Road, and turn left on to Horning Road. To turn on to Horning Road you must go straight as Fay Lake Road starts to curve to the right. Go East on Horning Road one mile to a dirt road on the North side by a farmhouse. This is Arnold Road. If you reach the " T " intersection by the sign threatening the prosecution of all trespassers by GT Ranch you've gone about 1/4 of a mile to far. If you follow Arnold Road past Thorn Lake, it will take you through several different habitats for good birding, and eventually take you back to Fay Lake Road.
Troy Nature Center
Lloyd A. Stage Nature Center, 6685 Coolidge Highway, Troy Mi 48098. Phone 248 524-3567
Free, building hours are Tuesday through Saturday 8:30am to 4:30pm and Sunday Noon to 5pm. Trails in the summer are open until 9pm. Closed on Mondays and Holidays.
Open to anyone, you do not need to be a resident of Troy to come.
Troy Museum & Historic Village
60 West Wattles Road, Troy, MI 48098 Phone- 810-524-3570
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Sundays 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Free admission.
Whitehouse Nature Center
Albion College, Albion, MI 49224 Phone- (517)624-2030

This page updated August 13, 2007