By Tim Callahan
The mouth of the Tahquamenon River south of Paradise is where this painting took place. As soon as the river opens up into Whitefish Bay, they show up. The first wave of hardy diver ducks—like goldeneyes, buffleheads, and mergansers—stage here on their migration north to their spring breeding grounds.
I’m here with my camera, sketchbook, and canvas to record this spectacular annual event. Along with the divers, you’ll also see bald eagles looking for an opportunity for a duck dinner.
The main migration has stalled because of inclement weather. The birds will only migrate as far as open water and food are available.
I’ve just returned from a field research trip to one of my favorite places to photograph waterfowl – Crow Island. The island is located off the Saginaw River south of Bay City, my old hometown. Our Michigan Department of Natural Resources, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, and the Michigan Duck Hunter’s Association, jointly manage this huge refuge system. In my opinion, this is one of the best places on the migration flyway system to view the thousands of waterfowl that use this place to rest and feed on their way north in the spring. There are roads that get you right up close to the water for viewing. I prefer to get out into the refuge with a duck boat and deploy decoys to get them in close. In a couple of weeks, these birds will be here in good numbers, and I’ll be waiting for them.
Unfortunately, as many of you have heard already, our birds are in big trouble with the bird flu virus. It’s their pandemic and it’s taking a grim toll. They need our help. It’s also been tough on the agencies that manage these refuge systems with the staffing and budget “slashing” cuts that are going on, and at a terrible time.
There is something all of us bird lovers can do to help, and that is to buy a Michigan or Federal Duck Stamp. The money these stamps generate really help the birds a lot. I’d like to see a general U.S. bird stamp that all bird watchers could purchase to help support birds that give us so much in return.
I hope you get out there this spring and enjoy the awesome bird migration – God bless our birds and the dedicated people that watch over them.
Note: A correction is in order. In my story about Vermilion Point cranberries, I misspelled Dr. Thomas Allan’s last name. We play hockey together in the Soo and he tagged me in the locker room. I can’t spell and never could. Sorry, Tom! He was really the inspiration for that story!
