My wife and I had to be in north-central Michigan, so yesterday we took the Kirtland's Warbler tour given by the US Fish and Wildlife Service out of Grayling, which is about 6.5-7 hours no. of Columbus. The tour is free and led by a knowledgeable Forest Service birder. The tour is a gentle walk on a two- track trail into a 2nd-growth jack pine forest about 10 minutes from Grayling. Tours begin at 7:00 and 11:00 a.m. and last 2-3 hours. We took the 7:00 tour and had excellent viewings of about 8 male Kirtland's Warblers singing on territory. Also saw 1 male Palm Warbler singing on territory, Clay-Colored Sparrows, Vesper Sparrow, and other common species. Saw a Cowbird trap and learned about the Cowbird-trapping program. Heard but didn't see a Lincoln's Sparrow. There have been Upland Sandpipers in the tract we entered, but none were heard or seen yesterday. It was a great way to observe and enjoy the beautiful and striking Kirtland's Warblers. Various tours are offered in the area. We took the USFWS tour because it is free. Their Website says to go to the Grayling Ramada Inn parking lot, but the tour actually begins in the Ramada Inn Maple Room. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line. ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]