NICHOLS ARBORETUM Admission / Hours: Nichols Arboretum outdoor gardens and trails are open from 8:00am to dusk every day. Admission is free. Contact us: Telephone: (734) 647-7600 Nichols Arboretum 1600 Washington Heights Ann Arbor, MI 48104 When visiting, please remember: *Collect only photos and memories* *Bikes are prohibited* *Dogs must be leashed* *Alcohol is prohibited* *Sledding and sliding prohibited* ----------------------------------- Date: Sat, 25 Mar 1995 15:49:45 EST From: Rick Neubig Subject: Re: Ah, the Arb - you reminded me: To: Alan Brushaber Hi Al, I haven't forgotten and now I've actually done it. I got a little help from Mike Kielb's book Birds of Washtenaw County but only as "deep background" so there shouldn't be any copyright problems. It is a great reference with much more detail about the different parts of the arb and what birds can be found there. You might want to cite it as an additional source of information (Kielb, Swales, Wolinski. Birds of Washtenaw County, Michigan; The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI 1992). There is also a map of the UM Medical Center available on the web: http://www.med.umich.edu/graphics/gif/med.campus.map.gif On that map you can see the U of M parking lot that I mentioned (upper right) and Washington Heights. The Arb is just off the map on the upper right. Hope this helps! Rick Nichol's Arboretum There are three entrances to the Nichol's Arboretum in Ann Arbor. One is just down the hill from the main entrance to University Hospital, one is on Geddes Road and the third on Washington Heights. I'll describe the first two. Parking is one of the bigger problems in this area. The entrance by University Hospital can be reached from US 23 by taking the Geddes Rd exit west. Continue straight past Huron High School where Geddes turns to Fuller and you'll pass the VA Medical Center. Then turn left into the UM Medical Center complex on E. Medical Center Drive. There is a University parking lot down the hill on the left just past the helicopter landing pad. This fills up early most week days but on weekends or evenings you might be able to find a place. Since it is a University lot you may get a ticket (usually $10) but it is probably safe after working hours and on weekends. Alternatively you can park in the hospital parking structure and walk down the hill and pay up front rather than risking a ticket. You can also park at the Fuller Pool Parking lot across Fuller. Once you get in the park from this entrance you can walk straight along the road til you get to a convergence of several paths. Slightly past this convergence is the "warbler hot spot". The roads going up the hill from here parallel a small stream that makes good habitat for some warblers. The entrance off of Geddes can be reached from US 23 by following Geddes south across the Huron River rather than going straight on Fuller at Huron High. A few blocks past Hill Street you will see a stone gate to the Arb on the right. Parking here is pretty much hit or miss. The residential streets off of Geddes may have open parking places but this may require a bit of a walk. Entering the Arb from here will leave you at the top of the hill. Following the roads down will take you to the stream area and ultimately to the warbler hot spot. There are plenty of areas where warblers accumulate along these paths down to the river so don't just race down to the "hot spot" you will find good spots many places along the way. Good birding, Rick Neubig _________________________________________________________ Rick Neubig RNeubig@umich.edu University of Michigan Phone (313) 763-3650 FAX (313) 763-4450 http://www.umich.edu/~rneubig --------------------------------------------------------- From: "Bruce M. Bowman" Organization: UMTRI To: Pauline Nagara Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 10:25:32 -0500 Subject: Re: Arb CC: birders@umich.edu > From: Pauline Nagara > To: umbirders > Subject: Arb > Date sent: Thu, 09 May 96 09:02:00 EDT > > What is the best place in the Arb for a novice warbler watcher? > Is lunch hour (12:00pm - 1:00pm) too late for warbler watching? > > Thanks! > Pauline Nagara > pnagara@isr.umich.edu The "Hot Spot." It's the section of wooded area to the right of the benches as you face the river. It's between the benches and a brush pile a couple of hundred yards to the east. Walk along the road and look on both sides of the road. The "Hot Spot" is on the right (south) side of the road as you're walking east, but you'll find warblers on both sides. Other good areas are along the river end of the Ridge trail and between the Rhododendron Glen and the river along the asphalt walk down from Geddes. The road I'm talking about is the one that runs right along the river all the way from the hospital entrance to the far east end of the Arb. The benches are right next to the river. They're near where the trails converge as you come down past the Rhododendron Glen or down the Ridge steps. It's the open area where you get an unobstructed view of the river. Noon won't be nearly as good as early morning--but you won't see any warblers in November, so go for it! Bruce P.S. Buy the Mike Kielb/John Swales/Dick Wolinski book, _The Birds of Washtenaw County, Michigan_. It includes a map and writeup for the Arb and also for lots of other good birding sites in Washtenaw County. ----------------------------------------------------------------- From: Self To: alb@umcc.umcc.umich.edu (Alan Brushaber) Subject: Re: the Arb, next Sat. Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 14:12:03 -0500 > From: alb@umcc.umcc.umich.edu (Alan Brushaber) > Subject: Re: the Arb, next Sat. > To: BMB@biosci.umtri.umich.edu (Bruce M. Bowman) > Date sent: Mon, 13 May 1996 13:53:06 -0400 (EDT) > > > > Another possible way to do it is to ask people to meet at the circle at > > the end of Riverview Drive. It's the back entrance to the Arb, just off > > the big field. Coming from town, you take Geddes east until just before > > it angles left, headed for Gallup Park. Right there is Riverview Drive. > > Take it all the way to a circle at the end and park along the curb. > > I need to understand this better - how would one reach this > travelling west on Geddes from US-23? This is a little complicated for people who don't know Geddes. Take Geddes west from U.S. 23. It runs along the north side of the Huron River. When you get to the traffic light at Huron Parkway, Geddes *does not* continue through; it becomes Fuller Road. After Huron Parkway, Geddes continues westard on the *south* side of the river. To continue westward on Geddes, you must turn left (south) at the traffic light and go over the bridge over the river. Gallup Park is below you on both sides of the bridge (mostly on your left--east). Immediately upon crossing over the bridge, turn left onto westbound Geddes. This is just *before* the golf course clubhouse. This will swing you around toward town (west). After a short straight stretch, the road angles leftward and starts to go uphill. It very shortly angles rightward, resuming its westward course. Right after this you'll come to Riverview Drive, which T's into Geddes from the right. Take Riverview Drive all the way to a circle at its end. There is an entrance to the Arb there. Note: I'm 99 percent sure that Riverview Drive is the *first* right off of Geddes once you've turned onto Geddes from Huron Parkway. Bruce