Welcome to the Kirtland's Warbler GeoTrail (KWGT). This trail will take you in a loop in central Northern Michigan through the Jack Pine ecosystem, breeding home of the Kirtland's Warbler. This tour takes you to a total of 25 caches with an amazing trackable geocoin as a reward. The KWGT Passport can be downloaded here: https://f81c572e-1d95-4026-befc-8c60f69cbcd9.filesusr.com/ugd/31e003_41b2f3aa918442e8b08c880e746e6946.pdf
The Kirtland's Warbler as a species was discovered 1851 during migration on the Cleveland, OH farm of Dr. Jared P. Kirtland by his son-in-law Charles Pease. The first Bahamian wintering grounds specimen was collected in 1879, but the breeding grounds were not discovered until 1903. Early in June 1903, University of Michigan Museum assistant E. H. Frothingham and his friend T. G. Gale went to Oscoda County, MI to fish the Au Sable River. On June 15th Frothingham heard a bird he did not recognize, and Gale shot the bird. The skin was preserved, and on return to the museum, it was discovered to be a male Kirtland's Warbler. Since many male Kirtland's were heard singing, Norman A. Wood headed to the area on June 29th. Wood boarded a 4:45 pm train in Ann Arbor for Roscommon, then took a rowboat 60 miles to the area Frothingham and Gale found the Kirtland's, arriving at 6 pm on July 1st. Wood started his search for a nest on the morning of July 2nd. On July 8th, Wood traveled about 7 miles by wagon to the spot Gale shot the Kirtland's Despite encountering many Kirtland's Warblers since July 2nd, he did not find the 1st nest until July 8th, 1903 in extreme western Oscoda County. The nest, with surrounding vegetation and soil now reside at the University of Michigan Museum.
On July 4th, 1965, a permanent bronze marker placed at the spot of the first nest by the Pontiac Michigan Audubon Society was dedicated.
Cache
The cache is just a few hundred feet west of where first Kirtland's Warbler nest was found. That area is now private property and not accessible to the public.