Each spring, Pte. Mouillee SGA hosts over 250 bird species! Learn more about this birding hotspot at a Spring Open House, presented by Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Bring your own kayak or canoe and paddle within the wetland units or along the Western Lake Erie basin, and bike or walk along the 27-mile dike system. Drop-in to the DNR Field Office at 37205 Mouillee Road, Route 2, Rockwood, Michigan, 48173 any time between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday, May 17 to ask for information or get tips on which areas to explore. 

Pte. Mouillee State Game Area (SGA) is located between two globally recognized Audubon Important Bird Areas (IBAs): the Detroit River IBA and Lake Erie Western Basin IBA. The State Game Area is also a state-recognized IBA and one of Michigan’s premier Wetland Wonders that supports large congregations of waterfowl and waterbirds during winter and migration, as well as supporting vulnerable breeding marsh birds like Least Bitterns and Black Terns each summer.  

Its numerous bird species and habitat diversity make it an important birding site in the Midwest. Bald Eagles, Black-bellied Plovers, Glossy Ibises, Osprey, and Whimbrels are unique species that inhabit Pointe Mouillee throughout the year.  

Please dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes as the dikes are unpaved with uneven ground and exposed to the elements. There is a viewing platform that is ADA accessible in Zone 11, about 200 yards from the gate entrance on Sigler Rd. Please note that the path to the platform is not paved. Restrooms are available at the DNR Field Office.  

This event is presented in partnership with MI Birds, a public outreach and education program created by Audubon Great Lakes and the Michigan DNR. MI Birds aims to deepen all Michiganders’ engagement in the understanding, care and stewardship of public lands that are important for birds and local communities.