Pointe Mouillee State Game Area is one of best birding sites in Michigan. It consists of approximately 3,000 acres of marsh, mud flats, and open water. Depending on season you will look here for marsh birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and migrant passerines. Pointe Mouillee's thirteen units and cells are separated by dike roads. Additionally, there are north and south causeways that separate the area from Lake Erie. Pointe Mouillee is located (mostly) in Monroe County in southeast Michigan less than 30 miles south of Detroit at the northwest corner of Lake Erie. Pointe Mouillee, pronounced "moo-ee-yay" or "moo-yay," is French for "wet point." This birding site and its location are described at the bottom of this document.
The checklist below has been constructed with input from experienced Michigan birders who are among the most frequent and regular visitors to Pte. Mouillee. The Michigan Bird Records Committee (MBRC) has reviewed and approved this checklist and has contributed a number of species to the list. Despite MBRC involvement this is not what could be called an official checklist. A small number of species for which clarification is needed are superscripted and explained in footnotes. This can be for a species for which the MBRC does not have documented/accepted records for Pte. Mouillee although a report deemed reliable exists. Other footnoted entries can be for species that were split after the last known record for Pte. Mouillee.
The checklist includes birds found in all of Pte. Mouillee State Game Area, including the relatively small area in Wayne County at the Headquarters.
English Name Scientific Name GEESE, SWANS, and DUCKS Anatidae Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons Snow Goose Chen caerulescens Ross's Goose [Casual] Chen rossii Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii Canada Goose Branta canadensis Brant [Casual] Branta bernicla Mute Swan Cygnus olor Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus Wood Duck Aix sponsa Gadwall Anas strepera Eurasian Wigeon [Casual] Anas penelope American Wigeon Anas americana American Black Duck Anas rubripes Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Blue-winged Teal Anas discors Cinnamon Teal1 [Accidental] Anas cyanoptera Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata Northern Pintail Anas acuta Green-winged Teal Anas crecca Canvasback Aythya valisineria Redhead Aythya americana Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris Greater Scaup Aythya marila Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis King Eider [Casual] Somateria spectabilis Common Eider [Accidental] Somateria mollissima Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata White-winged Scoter Melanitta fusca Black Scoter Melanitta nigra Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula Barrow's Goldeneye [Accidental] Bucephala islandica Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus Common Merganser Mergus merganser Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis PARTRIDGES, GROUSE, and TURKEYS Phasianidae Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus LOONS Gaviidae Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata Common Loon Gavia immer GREBES Podicipedidae Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis BOOBIES and GANNETS Sulidae Northern Gannet [Accidental] Morus bassanus PELICANS Pelecanidae American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Brown Pelican [Casual] Pelecanus occidentalis CORMORANTS Phalacrocoracidae Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus BITTERNS and HERONS Ardeidae American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus Least Bittern Ixobrychus exilis Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias Great Egret Ardea alba Snowy Egret Egretta thula Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea Tricolored Heron [Casual] Egretta tricolor Reddish Egret [Accidental] Egretta rufescens Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Green Heron Butorides virescens Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Yellow-crowned Night-Heron [Casual] Nyctanassa violacea IBISES and SPOONBILLS Threskiornithidae Glossy Ibis [Casual] Plegadis falcinellus White-faced Ibis [Casual] Plegadis chihi AMERICAN VULTURES Cathartidae Black Vulture [Casual] Coragyps atratus Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura KITES, HAWKS, EAGLES, and ALLIES Accipitridae Osprey Pandion haliaetus Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos CARACARAS and FALCONS Falconidae American Kestrel Falco sparverius Merlin Falco columbarius Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus RAILS, GALLINULES, and COOTS Rallidae King Rail [Casual] Rallus elegans Virginia Rail Rallus limicola Sora Porzana carolina Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus American Coot Fulica americana CRANES Gruidae Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis PLOVERS and LAPWINGS Charadriidae Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica Snowy Plover [Accidental] Charadrius alexandrinus Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus Piping Plover Charadrius melodus Killdeer Charadrius vociferus STILTS and AVOCETS Recurvirostridae Black-necked Stilt [Accidental] Himantopus mexicanus American Avocet Recurvirostra americana SANDPIPERS, PHALAROPES, and ALLIES Scolopacidae Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Red Knot Calidris canutus Sanderling Calidris alba Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima Dunlin Calidris alpina Curlew Sandpiper [Accidental] Calidris ferruginea Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis Ruff [Casual] Philomachus pugnax Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata American Woodcock Scolopax minor Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus Red Phalarope [Casual] Phalaropus fulicarius SKUAS, GULLS, TERNS, and SKIMMERS Laridae jaeger species Stercorarius --- Laughing Gull Larus atricilla Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan Little Gull Larus minutus Black-headed Gull [Accidental] Larus ridibundus Bonaparte's Gull Larus philadelphia Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis California Gull [Casual] Larus californicus Herring Gull Larus argentatus Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus Sabine's Gull Xema sabini Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla Gull-billed Tern [Accidental] Sterna nilotica Caspian Tern Sterna caspia Common Tern Sterna hirundo Arctic Tern [Casual] Sterna paradisaea Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri Least Tern [Casual] Sterna antillarum Black Tern Chlidonias niger PIGEONS and DOVES Columbidae Rock Pigeon Columba livia Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura CUCKOOS, ROADRUNNERS, and ANIS Cuculidae Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus BARN OWLS Tytonidae Barn Owl2 [Accidental] Tyto alba TYPICAL OWLS Strigidae Eastern Screech-Owl Megascops asio Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus Long-eared Owl Asio otus Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus GOATSUCKERS Caprimulgidae Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor SWIFTS Apodidae Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica HUMMINGBIRDS Trochilidae Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris KINGFISHERS Alcedinidae Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon WOODPECKERS and ALLIES Picidae Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus TYRANT FLYCATCHERS Tyrannidae Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Empidonax flaviventris Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus SHRIKES Laniidae Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus Northern Shrike Lanius excubitor VIREOS Vireonidae White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus JAYS, MAGPIES, and CROWS Corvidae Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos LARKS Alaudidae Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris SWALLOWS Hirundinidae Purple Martin Progne subis Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis Bank Swallow Riparia riparia Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Cave Swallow [Accidental] Petrochelidon fulva Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica TITMICE and CHICKADEES Paridae Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor NUTHATCHES Sittidae Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis CREEPERS Certhiidae Brown Creeper Certhia americana WRENS Troglodytidae Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus House Wren Troglodytes aedon Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Sedge Wren Cistothorus platensis Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris KINGLETS Regulidae Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula OLD WORLD WARBLERS and GNATCATCHERS Sylviidae Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea THRUSHES Turdidae Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis Veery Catharus fuscescens Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina American Robin Turdus migratorius MOCKINGBIRDS, THRASHERS, and ALLIES Mimidae Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum STARLINGS and ALLIES Sturnidae European Starling Sturnus vulgaris WAGTAILS and PIPITS Motacillidae American Pipit Anthus rubescens WAXWINGS Bombycillidae Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum WOOD-WARBLERS Parulidae Blue-winged Warbler Vermivora pinus Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera Tennessee Warbler Vermivora peregrina Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata Nashville Warbler Vermivora ruficapilla Northern Parula Parula americana Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia Chestnut-sided Warbler Dendroica pensylvanica Magnolia Warbler Dendroica magnolia Cape May Warbler Dendroica tigrina Black-throated Blue Warbler Dendroica caerulescens Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata Black-throated Green Warbler Dendroica virens Blackburnian Warbler Dendroica fusca Pine Warbler Dendroica pinus Palm Warbler Dendroica palmarum Bay-breasted Warbler Dendroica castanea Blackpoll Warbler Dendroica striata Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea Worm-eating Warbler Helmitheros vermivorum Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla Northern Waterthrush Seiurus noveboracensis Louisiana Waterthrush Seiurus motacilla Mourning Warbler Oporornis philadelphia Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas Wilson's Warbler Wilsonia pusilla Canada Warbler Wilsonia canadensis Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens TANAGERS Thraupidae Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea NEW WORLD SPARROWS and ALLIES Emberizidae Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus Lark Bunting [Casual] Calamospiza melanocorys Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum Henslow's Sparrow Ammodramus henslowii sharp-tailed sparrow species3 [Accidental] Ammodramus --- Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis CARDINALS, BUNTINGS, and GROSBEAKS Cardinalidae Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea BLACKBIRDS and ORIOLES Icteridae Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula FINCHES Fringillidae Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus Common Redpoll Carduelis flammea American Goldfinch Carduelis tristis OLD WORLD SPARROWS Passeridae House Sparrow Passer domesticus
TOTAL SPECIES COUNT FOR PTE. MOUILLEE: 292
The above species count is for all birds in the list, including the species listed below.
1Cinnamon Teal - Jim Fowler, Tim Smart; March 28, 1988 // This record is undocumented and so is not one of the three records of Cinnamon Teal accepted by the MBRC for Michigan. There are no MBRC accepted records of Cinnamon Teal for Pte. Mouillee.
2Barn Owl - extirpated in the area; last reported by Jim Fowler, Tex Wells, Al Maley, Alan Ryff, and others in 1979
3sharp-tailed sparrow species - Joe Kleiman; December 27, 1975 // This sighting was documented and the record was accepted by the MBRC as Sharp-tailed Sparrow. This was before the splitting of Sharp-tailed Sparrow into two species, Nelson's and Saltmarsh--Ammodramus nelsoni and Ammodramus caudacutus. As there are presently no accepted records of A. caudacutus for Michigan, this bird was almost certainly what is now called Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow.
MBRC Review List species are in blue. top
The above list is not an official checklist, but it can be considered a reliable guide to the birds that may be found at Pte. Mouillee State Game Area.
List Contributors
This list has been constructed with input from several birders who are among the most frequent and regular visitors to Pte. Mouillee, together with the Michigan Bird Records Committee. If you have a species in your Pte. Mouillee list that is not in the above checklist, you are invited to submit it for inclusion.
Location
The Pte. Mouillee State Game Area is near the town of Rockwood, Michigan, south of Detroit at the northwest corner of Lake Erie. It is approximately equidistant from Southfield, Ann Arbor, and Toledo--35 to 40 miles driving distance. Pte. Mouillee is just a few miles south of Grosse Ile along (and east of) a road known and marked as both W. Jefferson Ave. and U.S. Turnpike. It is about a mile south of Lake Erie Metropark.
See location maps.
Directions
I-75 South (from the Detroit area)
Take I-75 south to the South Huron River Drive exit (Exit 26).
At the top of the exit ramp, turn right (east) and follow
South Huron River Drive for 2.9 miles to its end at a T-
intersection with U.S. Turnpike (labeled W. Jefferson Avenue on some
maps). Turn right onto U.S. Turnpike and go 0.2 miles to Sigler
Road. [From A Birder's Guide to Michigan (2004). See reference below.]
The Sigler Road parking lot is 0.3 miles to the left (east) on
Sigler Road. The Mouillee Creek entrance is 1.0 miles past Sigler Road. Roberts Road is another 0.2 miles. (There is a small cement block building at Roberts Road.) Turn left and follow Roberts Road two miles to its end, where you will find a parking lot and the third entrance to Pte. Mouillee SGA.
If you wish to go to Pte. Mouillee Headquarters, turn left at the South Huron River Drive "T" with U.S. Turnpike and go 0.9 miles to Campau Road. It will be on your right. Follow Campau Road 1.2 miles to its end.
I-275 South (from western suburbs)
Take I-275 south to the Will Carleton Road exit (Exit 8).
At the top of the exit ramp, turn left (east) and follow
Will Carleton for 4.4 miles to a T-intersection at Telegraph Road (U.S. 24) in the town of Flat Rock. Turn left (north) and go just 0.2 miles before turning east again (your first right). Continue east for 2.8 miles to I-75 (you will be on Huron River Drive, not the South Huron River Drive referenced above in the I-75 directions). Pass under I-75 and continue for another 2.2 miles to a T-intersection at W. Jefferson Avenue (U.S. Turnpike). You will pass through the town of Rockwood. The entrance to Lake Erie Metropark is 0.15 miles left on W. Jefferson. Turn right (south) to go to Pte. Mouillee. It is 1.1 miles to Campau Road and 2.0 miles to the South Huron River Drive T-intersection with W. Jefferson/U.S. Turnpike referenced in the I-75 directions above. From South Huron River Drive go another 0.2 miles to Sigler Road or continue past to either of the other entrances to Pte. Mouillee SGA--1.0 miles to the Mouillee Creek entrance or 1.2 miles to Roberts Road (and then left and another two miles). If you wish to go to the Pte. Mouillee Headquarters, turn left on Campau Road and follow it 1.2 miles to its end.
(Note: If you jog right at Telegraph Road and continue through, you will be on South Huron River Drive. This route will also take you to U.S. Turnpike/W. Jefferson Ave., where you will be half a mile to the south of Campau Road, for Pte. Mouillee SGA HQ, instead of north.)
Maps
Location maps
Description
The following short description was excerpted, with permission, from the seven pages on Pointe Mouillee State Game Area in A Birder's Guide to Michigan (2004), by Allen T. Chartier and Jerry Ziarno.
In 1945, the State of Michigan acquired 2,604 acres of marsh for Pointe Mouillee SGA from the Pointe Mouillee Shooting Club. Over the years, an offshore barrier island, which protected the marsh, eroded and eventually disappeared, leading to the destruction of the marsh by the rising waters of Lake Erie. Restoration of the marsh was made possible when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needed a disposal site for contaminated dredge material. This 700-acre facility was built offshore roughly in the shape of the barrier island that formerly protected the Pointe Mouillee Marsh. This man-made island--3.5 miles long and 1,400 feet wide at its widest--was immediately dubbed "The Banana". The Banana is comprised of five cells, numbered from south to north, that are being filled with dredge material.
There are some logistical considerations you need to make before setting out to bird Pointe Mouillee. The road system of the dikes is closed to private vehicles. This leaves two options: walking or biking. The latter is the most popular choice among local birders. Given the scale of the place, a scope is required. In the summer be prepared for long spells in the sun, as there is no shade on the dikes. Keep an eye out for lightning, as you are likely to be the tallest object around. Fortunately, despite the marsh setting, biting insects are rarely a problem.
There are three access points: the Sigler Road entrance, the Mouillee Creek entrance, and the Roberts Road entrance. [See Pte. Mouillee maps and the map in A Birder's Guide to Michigan.] ... Where you chose to enter depends on where the best birding is; check local rare bird alerts. [See Michigan birding listserver lists and RBAs.]
When parking at any of [the] parking areas, be security-conscious. The shattered safety glass in the parking lots bears witness to the fact that these places are sometimes favored by thieves, so unless you are a strong proponent of redistributive justice, do not leave any valuables in plain sight. The Mouillee Creek entrance, being on a main road, is perhaps less prone to this problem than the other entrances.
A Birder's Guide to Michigan describes Pte. Mouillee's units and cells in detail with information about what birds to look for, and where, in spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Pte. Mouillee maps
Pointe Mouillee, one of the top birding sites in Michigan, should be on any birder's "must see" list.
created by / comments to: Bruce M. Bowman bbowman99@comcast.net
created: July 16, 2005
last modified: March 12, 2006
This page has been visited
times since July 16, 2005.
URL: http://www.umich.edu/~bbowman/birds/se_mich/pte_mou.html