The Escanaba Migratory Bird Enhancement Initiative (EMBEI)
By Joe Kaplan – Common Coast Research & Conservation
Millions of North American songbirds traverse the Western Hemisphere during their annual spring and fall migrations. The Great Lakes present a formidable challenge to birdsnavigating these huge inland seas, and consequently shoreline areas that congregate birds often provide critical resources enabling them to continue their long journeys. As numerous songbird species have experienced precipitous declines over the past half- century, their conservation - including the identification and protection of stopover areas utilized during migration - has become a top priority for many state and federal agencies and non-profit organizations.
Recent research focused on the importance of stopover areas for maintaining bird populations indicates that migratory birds congregate in close vicinity of the Great Lakes where large insect hatches occur. In addition, birds flying over the Great Lakes at dawn orient themselves to the nearest landmass, which often includes prominent peninsulas, islands, and even small patches of natural habitat contained within the urban environment. Given the importance of these stopover areas for bird conservation it is critical to identify sites and promote management plans to increase their value to migratory birds.
Delta County is situated in the Upper Peninsula at the top of Lake Michigan, and forms part of a land bridge to the south shore of Lake Superior. Recent fieldwork in the county has garnered the attention of the birding community, as surprising numbers of migrants have been documented in Escanaba, Gladstone, and the Stonington and Garden Peninsulas and include major flights of songbirds, raptors (hawks and eagles), and waterfowl.
Escanaba, the third largest city in the Upper Peninsula, is positioned prominently on Little Bay de Noc, and has recorded over 260 bird species. In addition to the 600-acre Portage Marsh State Wildlife Management Area, several city- owned properties offer excellent potential as stopover sites for migratory birds including here in Ludington Park on Aronson Island and Sand Point, Veteran’s Memorial Park, and pocket-parks located along Lakeshore Drive in Portage Bay. In 2012, to fully realize the potential of these areas to benefit migratory birds Common Coast Research and Conservation partnered with the City of Escanaba, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and others to initiate the Escanaba Migratory Bird Enhancement Initiative (EMBEI) with the goal of increasing the availability of food and cover available to migratory birds through the planting of trees and shrubs, control of non-native invasive species, and providing supplemental nest boxes for cavity nesting species.
Areas designated for the EMBRI are accessible to the public and contribute to the quality of life of Escanaba residents and the visiting public. These sites have been enhanced and managed to provide a new recreational benefit to the city as bird watching is one of the most popular pastimes in the United States with birders spending upwards of $20 billion a year in bird related activities including, travel, food, lodging, bird feeding, and equipment purchase. To date, partners have planted over 9000 native trees and shrubs, removed invasives on over 40 acres adjacent to Lake Michigan, and have increased Purple Martin and Tree Swallow populations in coastal parks.
Funding for this effort was provided by a Sustain Our Great Lake Grant through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to Common Coast, Wildlife Unlimited of Delta County (Purple Martin boxes), Bay de Noc Community College (native plants), esky150.org, Central Upper Peninsula chapter of Wild Ones, the Bay de Noc Chapter of the Wild Turkey Foundation, and Mike Segorski.
A “birds-eye” view of Ludington Park, the Escanaba Marina, and Aronson Island. This prominent coastal park is located on Little Bay de Noc on the northern end of Lake Michigan in Portage Bay and attracts a wide diversity of bird species during migration. Over 260 species have been recorded in Portage Bay. Photo by Joe Kaplan
