This spring, ducks, mergansers, herons, terns, gulls and more will fly through Portage Marsh State Wildlife Management Area. Join Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and partners from Laughing Whitefish Bird Alliance and Common Coast Research and Conservation for a guided birding tour along the coastal wetlands of the State Wildlife Management Area. All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend!  

On the shores of Lake Michigan, Portage Marsh is an important coastal wetland. This 280-acre State Wildlife Management Area is also an Audubon Important Bird Area and is one of Michigan’s premier Wetland Wonders!  Portage Marsh includes a long narrow peninsula near downtown Escanaba that provides a protected area for wetlands wildlife. A hiking trail runs along the peninsula for hikers, hunters and bird watchers. Each spring, Portage Marsh hosts over 200 bird species, and is an eBird hotspot! 

The tour will depart at the dead end of Portage Point 11.4 Lane in Escanaba, Michigan. DNR experts will lead the tour along a 1-mile loop trail, which includes 0.6 miles of unpaved trails along a historic dike system, and a 0.4 mile beach walk along Lake Michigan.  

Portable restrooms, picnic tables, and trash receptacles will be available. Please bring your own binoculars or a scope if you have them. Some binoculars will be available to borrow. Please dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes as we will be walking along unpaved trails with uneven ground. Please be aware that the trail system is not ADA accessible. We highly encourage participants to download one or more of the following smart phone apps: eBird, iNaturalist, Merlin Bird ID, Audubon Bird Guide.  

This birding tour is presented in partnership with MI Birds, a public outreach and education program created by Audubon Great Lakes and Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Birders and hunters share similar conservation values, but rarely cross paths. MI Birds aims to bridge the divide, and deepen all Michiganders engagement in the understanding, care, and stewardship of public lands that are important for birds and local communities.