Birdathon 2026 Highlights!
The numbers are in – and Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy’s Land Larks Birdathon Team had a record-setting year!
Thanks to your support, we raised more than $4,000 towards habitat restoration at Marc’s Marsh!
Thank you!
SWMLC’s 2026 Birdathon Team, the Land Larks: Mitch Lettow, Kaleigh Winkler, Dave Brown, Jessica Hagen, and Ashley Cole-Wick.
Proceeds from this year’s Birdathon will support wetland restoration at tiny but mighty Marc’s Marsh Preserve, where we will remove several acres of invasive shrubs to make room for wildflowers, nesting woodcocks, and sunbathing turtles.
Our stewardship crew made strong progress before funding ran out on this project. Now, Birdathon support will give it the final push it needed to complete restoration of this important habitat!
An extra big THANK YOU for all your support and encouragement!
2026 BIRDATHON STATS!
bird species seen – a new SWMLC team record!
species seen by all the teams
raised for Marc’s Marsh
hours of birding
miles driven
steps walked
Lifers seen: Semipalmated Sandpiper, Canada Warbler, Mourning Warbler
Mitch tells the Land Larks’ tale of Birdathon 2026 . . .
The Land Larks started our very early morning packing up camp in the woods in Baroda, where very charming and chatty campground host John took good care of the team. Thanks, John! In the SWMLC tradition we kicked off Birdathon by walking along the rich floodplain forest at our very own Kesling Nature Preserve in Three Oaks, ticking off bird after bird. From Northern Parulas singing from the tippy tops of the sycamore trees to the Louisiana Waterthrushes chittering along the water, as usual birds were dripping from the vegetation at this gem of a preserve.
Throughout the long day, the Land Larks updated their stats on Instagram and Facebook with stories that Kaleigh created on the fly! This is Post #1.
Almost 50 birds deep into the day already, we popped up to enjoy the serene sunrise over the glorious, wait for it . . . wastewater ponds. Don’t judge – the birds love them! Adding a Common Goldeneye, Purple Martins, and Wood Ducks to our list, we motored onto Lake Michigan, where we hoped to sneak a peek at some shorebirds before the human beach-goers shooed our feathered friends away. Dunlin, Spotted Sandpiper, Osprey, and a curious Fish Crow freshly added to our list, we shook the sand out of our boots and kept moving.
On a whim we stopped at the Galien River County Park, where a uniquely positioned marsh walkway places you 60 feet in the air looking down at birds. Boy, are we glad we did! The sound of a struggling tractor engine came from the dense cattails – Virginia Rail! We all glommed onto the spot where we heard these mysterious birds only to see one chasing another from patch to patch of vegetation, before they disappeared again. Such a rare sight – wow!
We then cruised up Blue Star Highway to the Floral Lane entrance to Warren Dunes State Park, an absolute mecca for migrating birds. From warblers to wet feet to weird birders, Floral Lane was as rich an experience as always and we boosted our list to over 100 species before 10 a.m.! Several stunning but rarely seen warblers like Canada and Mourning treated us with great looks and were “lifers” for several members of our group!
The temperatures had climbed into the 70’s and the birding was starting to slow down but buoyed by our good fortune and growing bird list, we tucked into Dave’s perennial stash of caffeine and kept up the pace through the lull! Despite the slowdown, every new site yielded new species. The slow middle of the day is a great time for team bonding activities, like discussing shared appreciation for classic books like Tom Robbins’ Jitterbug Perfume and noshing on Mitch’s homemade venison rubens at North Lake Park.
We were all a little shocked to see an anti-birder sign posted by a wetland restoration project, discouraging people from looking at the marvelous little marsh. Well, we took the sign seriously and definitely didn’t look at the Lesser Yellowlegs and Blue-winged Teal from the comfort of our minivan. 😉
With just about an hour to go in the day, we crossed paths by the airport with our friend Donna Keller – long-time SWMLC supporter, conservation easement owner, and representative of the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo’s Birdathon team. In a true sign of good sportspersonship among members of the birding community, Donna pointed out a very difficult to see Orchard Oriole, happily tucked into the shade of a large willow along a creek. Little did Donna know she bumped up our list from 116 to 117, breaking our record as a team!
At 121 species, we popped into Sarett Nature Center, where Executive Director (and former SWMLC Conservation and Stewardship Director) Nate Fuller has been doing some major oak savanna restoration. He tipped us off that a State Special Concern Prairie Warbler had taken a liking to the habitat restoration. Waiting for nearly 15 minute – with only 7 minutes to go until we had to be through the doors to hand in our official list – there wasn’t hide nor hair of this bird. But just as we turned to head back to the van, a blob of bright yellow streaked past Dave and Kaleigh, popped into the top of a cherry tree right behind us, and sang an absolute textbook song – Prairie Warbler!
We thanked the little chap and with that we took our 122 species, memories, crumpled Red Bull cans, and bubbling morale to the finish line at Sarett Nature Center, where we mingled with other birders and shared stories. With 188 species seen in total amongst all teams, it never ceases to impress us what amazing things we find in nature when we take the time to look.
We sincerely appreciate everyone who pledged or donated in support of the Land Larks and our work at Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy.
We’re already looking forward to 2027!
Story by Mitch Lettow | Photos by Ashley Cole-Wick, Jessica Hagen, Mitch Lettow, and Kaleigh Winkler | Social media posts by Kaleigh Winkler