On any given day, you are likely to see birds flying overhead or hear them chirping outside your window. But have you ever seen a colorful bird and wondered what it was called? Or listened to a songbird and wished you knew the singer’s name? 

Birdwatching opens a world of knowledge to you. Unlike some activities, this is one you can do year-round in just about any locale. It gets you outside which is good for your mental and physical health. Plus it deepens your appreciation of the many wonders and mysteries of nature. 

One of the best places to bird watch is right here in Delta County.  More than 290 different species have been spotted in and around Escanaba. Some birds stay year-round, others pass through on their bi-annual migratory flight path. The video below gives you a glimpse of what you can see in our diverse ecosystem made up of Lake Michigan, the Bays de Noc, marshes, rivers, fields and forests. As you watch the video, see if you can identify the common grackle, sandhill crane, great egret, hooded merganser and bald eagle. Give yourself extra points for identifying the other birds. 

A low-budget pastime, birding doesn’t require a big outlay of money. You simply need a pair of binoculars that are comfortable to carry, a hat to protect you from the sun and a bird field guide. You can use a printed guide or an app on your phone or tablet. Many birders recommend downloading the Cornell Lab Merlin. 

Other helpful take-alongs include a checklist of Delta County birds to keep track of your sightings, a good pair of shoes or boots, a notebook and pen to journal locations and observations, plus a daypack to carry your water bottle, checklist, snacks, dry socks, etc. 

Where to bird in Delta County. There are more than three dozen bird watching locations that birders frequent here. They range from the mitigation ponds at the Meijer store in Escanaba to Peninsula Point that juts between Little and Big Bays de Noc. Several birders track their findings at ebirdhotspots.com. Click the individual locations below to see a list of different birds observed in the area, photos and directions. The 10 locations marked with an asterisk have reports of 100 or more species.  

*Chase Place	Days River Nature Trail
Days River Pathway	Escanaba boat launch (N. 30th)
Escanaba City Forest	Escanaba Meijer mitigation ponds
Escanaba River Hydroelectric Dam	Fairport
*Farmer’s Dock boating access site	Fayette Historic State Park
Flat Rock Highveld	Ford River mouth
Garden Bay	Gladstone Bay Campground
Granskog Creek Marsh	Haunted Forest Preserve
Hunter’s Point boat launch	*Indian Point
*Kipling boating access site	Lake 16
*Ludington Park	Martin Bay Nature Preserve
Nahma Marsh Hiking Trail	O.B. Fuller County Park
*Ogontz Bay	Ogontz Cemetery Rd.
*Peninsula Point	Pioneer Trail Park
*Portage Marsh (Portage Point)	*Rapid River boating access site
Rapid River Ski Trails	Sac Bay Beach County Park
Sand Bay	Saunders Point/Wilderness Point (Gladstone)
Soderman’s Corner	St. Vital’s Point
Stonington pine barrens	*Sylvatica Ecolodge
Veteran’s Park (Butcher’s Creek)	Wedens Bay
Whitefish River mouth	William Bullen Memorial Fishing Facility

As you can see from the list of locations, bird watching is a great way to explore this beautiful area. Make plans to see our feathered visitors that love this place as much as we do. Tag #visitescananba when you post pictures of the birds on social media. It’s a chance to be featured on our Instagram. Have fun watching!

Have fun watching and read more on our Escanaba birdwatching page!