Kirtland's Warbler

The purpose of the Kirtland's warbler project is to evaluate the amount of suitable habitat that is currently availabe in the Baraga Plains, and to formulate a management plan that will increase the amount of suitable habitat.

The Kirland's warbler is an endagered species. It is one of the rarest member of the wood warbler family. what makes the Kirtland's warbler so rare is its ultra specific requirements for nesting habitat. The warbler only nests on the ground under the living branches of small trees. Jack pine stands are used for nesting when trees are about five feet high or about five to eight years old. The stands need to be at least 80 acres in size. The bird will continue to nest here until the lower branches of the tree start to die off or when the trees reach a height of 16 to 20 feet.

With Kirtland's warbler's habitat being so specialized their is only a limited number of suitable places for it to nest. It nests in just a few counties in Michigan's northern Lower and Upper peninsulas, in Wisconsin and the province of Ontario. This is what makes the management of the Baraga Plains region so important. Without keeping the habitat there suitable for the warbler, it will lose one of its very few nesting sites.