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      • 1/2 Mile and Marl Lake Rd
      • 10 Mile Road near G DR S
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1/2 Mile and Marl Lake Road

Care must be taken when walking on the bridge.

Scope
Camera
​Binoculars
​Kayak







This spot in the far South-West corner of the county offers some great habitat.  Parking can be found on the Branch County side, or on a short two-track​ on the North-West side of the bridge.  Nottawa Creek twists through this area making viewing of waterfowl limited from the bridge, unless in flight.  

You can set up on the bridge, allowing some minor obstruction, from the bridge, to a 360 degree view of the area.  Some small trees on Marl Lake Road into Branch county offer perches for small birds, as does some of the smaller bush areas surrounding the area.  I also recommend some drive-by looks on 1/2 Mile Road north of the bridge, as well as south of the bridge prior to turning in to South County Line Road.  

The area is wide-open with great views, above the short vegetation, to the North and South of the bridge.  During the winter I have had great views of the following raptors hunting over the marsh.
  • Bald Eagle
  • Northern Harrier
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Rough-legged Hawk (including Dark Morph)
  • Red-shouldered Hawk
  • Northern Goshawk
  • Golden Eagle

In early Spring I was treated to 2 nights of incredible flights of migrating Rusty Blackbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and Brown-headed Cowbirds (with probably some Brewer's Blackbirds mixed in that I couldn't ID).  

In summer Barn Swallows will nest right under the bridge.  This allows up close views of these fast flyers.  My 400mm lens was near impossible to get shots, you are so close to them.  

Other birds of note:
  • Ring-necked Peasants - heard and seen on both sides of the bridge
  • American Woodcock - heard calling 
I suspect this would be a good spot in the future for American Bittern or Least Bittern sightings, as well as potential Rails.  
  • 1/2 Mile and Marl Lake Road
  • Grebes
  • Cormorants
  • Herons, Storks, Ibises, Spoonbills and Vultures
  • Ducks, Geese and Swans
  • Hawks, Eagles and Falcons
  • Grouse, Pheasants, Quail, and Turkeys
  • Flamingos
  • Cranes, Rails, Gallinules and Coots
  • Shorebirds, Gulls and Relatives
  • Pigeons and Doves
  • Cuckoos
  • Owls
  • Goatsuckers, Nighthawks and Allies
  • Swifts and Hummingbirds
  • Kingfishers
  • Woodpeckers
  • Perching Birds
  • Old World Sparrows
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  • Balance the Chaos
  • Contact
  • Hobbies/Passions
    • Art >
      • Sculpting and Painting
      • Garage Kits
      • Baseball Reference
      • Chipper's Customs
    • Throwback Baseball Game Database >
      • 1990 - Brewers at White Sox
      • 1991
      • 1992
      • 1993
      • 1994
      • 1995
      • 1996
      • 1997
      • 1998
      • 1999
      • 2000
      • 2001
      • 2002
      • 2003
      • 2004
      • 2005
  • Birding
  • Birding Calhoun County
    • Calhoun County Checklist
    • Birds of Calhoun County >
      • Calhoun County Birds by Code >
        • Yearly Calhoun County Birds
      • Loons (Gaviidae) >
        • Common Loon
      • Grebes (Podicipedidae) >
        • Pied-billed Grebe
      • Pelicans (Pelecanidae)
      • Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)
      • New World Vultures (Cathartidae)
      • Bitterns, Herons, and Allies (Ardeidae)
      • Ducks, Geese, and Swans (Anatidae) >
        • Long-tailed Duck
      • Ospreys (Pandionidae)
      • Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies (Accipitridae) >
        • Northern Goshawk
      • Grouse, Pheasants, Quail, and Turkeys >
        • Greater Prairie-Chicken
        • Wild Turkey
      • Flamingos
      • Cranes, Rails, Gallinules and Coots >
        • Yellow Rail
        • King Rail
        • Virginia Rail
        • Sora
        • Common Gallinule
        • American Coot
        • Sandhill Crane
        • Whooping Crane
      • Shorebirds, Gulls and Relatives >
        • Black-necked Stilt
        • Black-bellied Plover
        • American Golden-Plover
        • Semipalmated Plover
        • Killdeer
        • Spotted Sandpiper
        • Solitary Sandpiper
        • Greater Yellowlegs
        • Lesser Yellowlegs
        • Upland Sandpiper
        • Semipalmated Sandpiper
        • Least Sandpiper
        • White-rumped Sandpiper
        • Baird's Sandpiper
        • Pectoral Sandpiper
        • Dunlin
        • Stilt Sandpiper
        • Buff-breasted Sandpiper
        • Short-billed Dowitcher
        • Long-billed Dowitcher
        • Wilson's Snipe
        • American Woodcock
        • Wilson's Phalarope
        • Black-legged Kittiwake
        • Bonaparte's Gull
        • Laughing Gull
        • Franklin's Gull
        • Ring-billed Gull
        • Herring Gull
        • Iceland Gull
        • Lesser Black-backed Gull
        • Glaucous Gull
        • Great Black-backed Gull
        • Caspian Tern
        • Black Tern
        • Common Tern
        • Forster's Tern
        • Dovekie
      • Pigeons and Doves >
        • Rock Pigeon
        • Mourning Dove
      • Cuckoos, Roadrunners and Anis >
        • Yellow-billed Cuckoo
        • Black-billed Cuckoo
      • Owls >
        • Eastern Screech-Owl
        • Great Horned Owl
        • Snowy Owl
        • Barred Owl
        • Long-eared Owl
        • Short-eared Owl
        • Northern Saw-whet Owl
      • Goatsuckers, Nighthawks and Allies >
        • Common Nighthawk
        • Eastern Whip-poor-will
      • Swifts and Hummingbirds >
        • Chimney Swift - Swifts (Apodidae)
        • Ruby-throated Hummingbird
        • Rufous Hummingbird
      • Kingfishers
      • Woodpeckers and Allies >
        • Red-headed Woodpecker
        • Red-bellied Woodpecker
        • Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
        • Downy Woodpecker
        • Hairy Woodpecker
        • Northern Flicker
        • Pileated Woodpecker
      • Perching Birds >
        • Tyrant Flycatchers >
          • Olive-sided Flycatcher
          • Eastern Wood-Pewee
          • Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
          • Acadian Flycatcher
          • Alder Flycatcher
          • Willow Flycatcher
          • Least Flycatcher
          • Eastern Phoebe
          • Great Crested Flycatcher
          • Eastern Kingbird
        • Shrikes >
          • Loggerhead Shrike
          • Northern Shrike
        • Vireos >
          • White-eyed Vireo
          • Yellow-throated Vireo
          • Blue-headed Vireo
          • Warbling Vireo
          • Philadelphia Vireo
          • Red-eyed Vireo
        • Jays, Magpies, Crows and Ravens >
          • Blue Jay
          • American Crow
          • Common Raven
        • Larks
        • Swallows >
          • Purple Martin
          • Tree Swallow
          • Northern Rough-winged Swallow
          • Bank Swallow
          • Cliff Swallow
          • Barn Swallow
        • Titmice and Chickadees >
          • Black-capped Chickadee
          • Tufted Titmouse
        • Nuthatches >
          • Red-breasted Nuthatch
          • White-breasted Nuthatch
        • Creepers
        • Wrens >
          • House Wren
          • Winter Wren
          • Sedge Wren
          • Marsh Wren
          • Carolina Wren
        • Gnatcatchers and Gnatwrens
        • Kinglets >
          • Golden-crowned Kinglet
          • Ruby-crowned Kinglet
        • Thrushes >
          • Eastern Bluebird
          • Veery
          • Gray-cheeked Thrush
          • Swainson's Thrush
          • Hermit Thrush
          • Wood Thrush
          • American Robin
          • Varied Thrush
        • Mockingbirds and Thrashers >
          • Gray Catbird
          • Brown Thrasher
          • Northern Mockingbird
        • Starlings
        • Wagtails and Pipits
        • Waxwings >
          • Cedar Waxwing
        • Longspurs and Snow Buntings >
          • Lapland Longspur
          • Snow Bunting
        • Wood-Warblers >
          • Ovenbird
          • Worm-eating Warbler
          • Louisiana Waterthrush
          • Northern Waterthrush
          • Golden-winged Warbler
          • Blue-winged Warbler
          • Black-and-white Warbler
          • Prothonotary Warbler
          • Tennessee Warbler
          • Orange-crowned Warbler
          • Nashville Warbler
          • Connecticut Warbler
          • Mourning Warbler
          • Common Yellowthroat
          • Hooded Warbler
          • American Redstart
          • Kirtland's Warbler
          • Cape May Warbler
          • Cerulean Warbler
          • Northern Parula
          • Magnolia Warbler
          • Bay-breasted Warbler
          • Blackburnian Warbler
          • Yellow Warbler
          • Chestnut-sided Warbler
          • Blackpoll Warbler
          • Black-throated Blue Warbler
          • Palm Warbler
          • Pine Warbler
          • Yellow-rumped Warbler
          • Prairie Warbler
          • Black-throated Green Warbler
          • Canada Warbler
          • Wilson's Warbler
          • Yellow-breasted Chat
        • Tanagers >
          • Summer Tanager
          • Scarlet Tanager
        • Emberizids >
          • Eastern Towhee
          • American Tree Sparrow
          • Chipping Sparrow
          • Clay-colored Sparrow
          • Field Sparrow
          • Vesper Sparrow
          • Lark Sparrow
          • Lark Bunting
          • Savannah Sparrow
          • Grasshopper Sparrow
          • Henslow's Sparrow
          • Fox Sparrow
          • Song Sparrow
          • Lincoln's Sparrow
          • Swamp Sparrow
          • White-throated Sparrow
          • Harris's Sparrow
          • White-crowned Sparrow
          • Dark-eyed Junco
        • Cardinals, Piranga Tanagers and Allies >
          • Northern Cardinal
          • Rose-breasted Grosbeak
          • Blue Grosbeak
          • Indigo Bunting
          • Dickcissel
        • Blackbirds >
          • Bobolink
          • Red-winged Blackbird
          • Eastern Meadowlark
          • Western Meadowlark
          • Yellow-headed Blackbird
          • Rusty Blackbird
          • Brewer's Blackbird
          • Common Grackle
          • Brown-headed Cowbird
          • Orchard Oriole
          • Baltimore Oriole
        • Fringilline and Cardueline Finches >
          • House Finch
          • Purple Finch
          • Red Crossbill
          • White-winged Crossbill
          • Common Redpoll
          • Hoary Redpoll
          • Pine Siskin
          • American Goldfinch
          • Evening Grosbeak
      • Old World Sparrows
    • Hotspots >
      • 1/2 Mile and Marl Lake Rd
      • 10 Mile Road near G DR S
      • 23 Mile Road Flooded Field
      • Waterfowl
      • Shorebirds
    • ID
  • Macro, Bugs and Moths
    • Moths >
      • Michigan Moths Checklist
      • Bombycoidea
  • YouTube Links