Announcing the new Sunrise Coast Birding Trail

On May 2nd, the Sunrise Coast Birding Trail will be dedicated at three points in Michigan—Oscoda, Alpena, and Mackinaw City—by members of AuSable Valley Audubon, Thunder Bay Audubon, and the Straits Area Audubon chapters. This new birding trail is approximately 150 miles long, beginning at the AuSable River mouth in Oscoda and travelling north to the Mackinac Bridge. The Sunrise Coast Birding Trail will connect with the already established Saginaw Bay Birding Trail, which runs 142 miles from Port Austin at the tip of Michigan’s thumb to East Tawas.

Peggy Ridgway, initiator of the Sunrise Coast Birding Trail project, believes the new trail will increase birding opportunities along the coast. The trail will feature 27 birding sites, some of which are part of nine state parks and various designated Important Bird Areas. The sites encompass a variety of great birding habitats, from inland lakes and Lake Huron to streams and woodlands. This new trail represents a collaboration between the Department of Natural Resources, AuSable Valley Audubon, Thunder Bay Audubon, and the Straits Area Audubon chapters, Michigan Audubon, the U.S. Forest Service, Consumers Energy, the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments, and the other conservation groups.

Trail maps will be available after the dedication on May 2nd, and the website for the trail will be coming soon.