2023 Calendar Contest is now open!

We are excited to announce that entries are now being accepted for the Kirtland’s Warbler 2023 Young Artists Contest.

The contest is held annually and is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service Huron-Manistee National Forests, Huron Pines AmeriCorps members, Marguerite Gahagan Nature Preserve, American Bird Conservancy, Eastern National Forest Interpretive Association, and The Bahamas National Trust.

According to the contests rules, "Entries to the Kirtland’s Warbler 2023 Young Artists Contest must be original and demonstrate an understanding of the Kirtland’s warbler or any other creatures that live in northern Michigan’s unique jack pine forests, or its winter habitat site in The Bahamas."

So, if you know a teacher who might want to do a unit on Kirtland's Warblers and Michigan or an art teachers searching for a way to tie their art curriculum to something local this is an opportunity.

Past winners have come from Michigan and The Bahamas, but the contest is also open to students in Wisconsin and Ontario.

Entry deadline is March 10. You can find the rules - and more information, of course - here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/hmnf/home/?cid=fseprd1086167 .

Here's one of last year's winners:

Not bad, eh?

Sorry, adults. The contest is for children. But if you have KW art, we'd love to have you share it with us on our Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/Kirtlandswarbleralliance.

Sensing trouble?

A Kirtland's Warbler was found in Cape May, New Jersey, yesterday. That's unusual given that the Kirt's usual fall migratory path is from the jack pine to the Carolina coast, where it then makes the jump to The Bahamas.

This morning, the Erie Bird Observatory posted this Tweet about the lack of bird movement in the area along the Atlantic coast where Hurricane Ian was having an impact on the Carolinas.

It makes you wonder if that KW in New Jersey sensed there was trouble ahead, rerouted east, and decided to hang out in the dunes for a couple of day.

Kirtland's Warbler for State Bird!

On Sept. 21, State Rep. Greg Markkanen introduced a bill that would make the Kirtland's Warbler Michigan's State Bird!

We are 100 percent in favor of this legislation!

You can help by calling or emailing your representative and letting them know that you support House Bill 6382. Remember, this bill is only in the State House right now. It does not help to call your State Senator and it does not help to call anyone in Michigan's congressional delegation.

If you don't know who your representative is, you can find out at: https://house.mi.gov.

We are running out of days in the 2022 legislative session, which means we need to get the House Committee on Government Operations to set a hearing date for the legislation ASAP. If you live in the Mt. Pleasant area, we encourage you to call or email the office of State Rep. Mike Mueller, the committee's chair ASAP. Email him at MikeMueller@house.mi.gov or call him at (517) 373-1780. Again, let him know you want him to schedule a hearing on HB 6382.

Need reasons why the Kirtland's Warbler should be Michigan's State Bird? Here are 10 of them to share with friends, neighbors, social media and legislators:

1. About 99 percent of the population of the Kirtland’s Warbler nests in northern Michigan’s jack pine forests near Grayling and Mio. It’s primarily a Michigan story.

2. The warbler was saved from extinction through a heroic effort of state and federal wildlife agencies. As recently as 1987 there were fewer than 400 birds in the total population. Today there are more than 4,000 and the population is still stable and secure. The Kirtland’s Warbler is a great example of endangered species success.

3. Technically, Michigan does not have a state bird. In 1931, the Michigan Legislature voted to name the American Robin Michigan’s state bird by resolution. A resolution expires when that legislation session closes.

4. The American Robin is also the state bird of Connecticut and Wis- consin. Shouldn’t Michigan have a state bird that is as unique as itself?

5. Yes, the Kirtland’s Warbler is rare, and that’s precisely the point. It’s possible to have great pride in something you may not have seen because it represents something larger — like Michigan the other special things in our state.

6. People say, “Why should we have a state bird that nobody ever sees?” It's not that hard. Take a Kirtland’s Warbler tour in the spring and see the bird and its unusual habitat, which can be found nowhere else in the world.

7. Every year people come to northern Michigan from around the world to see the Kirtland’s Warbler. We should be celebrating and advertising that so more people will come and give a tourism boost to towns like Grayling and Mio at a time of year when there's not a lot of tourism.

8. Kirtland’s Warblers are tough. They have chosen to nest in one of the most inhospitable microclimates in the state -- a place where there can be frost on the plants in the morning and it can be 90 degrees the same afternoon. And don't forget about the blackflies and mosquitos.

9. The Kirtland’s Warbler is The Comeback Bird for The Comeback State. The Kirtland’s Warbler and Michigan ran parallel courses back in the 1980s. The state struggled as the auto industry contracted during a steep recession and the Kirtland’s Warbler teetered on brink of extinction. Look at them today!

10. Okay, so what if the Kirtland’s Warbler doesn’t spend the entire year in Michigan? Other states have migratory birds as their state birds. Ever try to find a Common Loon in Minnesota during winter? It doesn’t seem to lessen Minnesota’s state pride any.