We had a “seasonally” warm morning for a walk to The Nature Conservancy Grand River Fen Preserve.   This 453-acre property is located in southern Jackson County at the headwaters of the Grand River.  JAS has not had a trip to this preserve but several of our members have been recommending it. Habitat includes restored prairie, forest, mixed wetland, and prairie fen. 

I don’t think we hit this property at its best for birding, but the summer wildflowers were in brilliant bloom.  The grassland birds were just not there at this time of year, not even a Blue Bird was seen.  A few warblers did get our notice as well as the usual suspects for a reasonable species count of 30 for the morning.

A highlight for me was being at the headwaters of this great Michigan waterway and a reminder that all parts of our waters need to be cared for.

We’ll return next year for another view of this property.

See our trip eBird list for details.