A Kentucky Warbler showed up at Red Oaks Nature Center in Friendship Woods yesterday and was still present this morning, making it the standout sighting in Oakland County right now. This is a bird most Michigan birders will chase, and the location is accessible. The warbler has been flagged as notable by eBird, and multiple confirmations from the past two days put it reliably in the Friendship Woods section of the park. If you are heading out today, this is your primary target.
The same location also hosted a Brewster's Warbler, the hybrid cross between Blue-winged and Golden-winged warblers, on May 5. That bird should be looked for as well, though hybrids can be nomadic. The presence of both species at Red Oaks is significant and suggests the park is catching good migrant flow right now.
May Warbler Wave at Oakland County Hotspots
Beyond the rare finds, Oakland County is in the thick of spring migration. The past 14 days have produced 178 species reported across the county, and we are still climbing. Robert H. Long Park has been the activity hub for swallows, with 30 Barn Swallows and 20 Tree Swallows counted recently. The same location is holding Mallards and Killdeers, common shorebirds and dabbling ducks that are still moving through. Savannah Sparrows, often overlooked in May, have been showing up in eights at Orion Oaks County Park.
Indian Springs Metropark near Davisburg reported 8 American White Pelicans as recently as April 28, though no updates have come in since then. The park has also been productive for warblers, with Blue-winged Warblers counted on May 6. Blue-winged Warblers are reliable in spring here and worth scanning for at any decent patch of shrubby habitat.
Heritage Park and Stony Creek Metropark both carry good all-time species lists, 198 and 210 respectively, and both are worth checking if you are in the area. Kensington Metropark remains Oakland County's top warbler and migrant location at 242 species all-time, though specific recent counts are not available in today's data. The county's best strategy right now is to work multiple parks and listen hard during the dawn chorus window from 5:52 to 7:52 AM.
Weather and Movement Patterns
Today's forecast of 55 degrees and partly sunny conditions with northwest winds at 6 to 12 miles per hour is not ideal for pushing birds through, but it is workable. The northwest wind is a light pushback from yesterday's migration, so birds may linger in parks rather than press northward aggressively. That is good news for finding perched warblers rather than watching them disappear overhead. Tonight's drop to 36 degrees and partly cloudy skies may set up another light flight if winds shift south overnight, but tomorrow looks only marginally better at 54 degrees and mostly sunny. This is a slow-moving system overall.
The long day length of 14 hours and 15 minutes means birds are active from 6:22 AM until 8:37 PM. Make your push before 8:00 AM if you want peak dawn chorus, but evening walks through warbler habitat can still be productive, especially around thickets and understory edges.
Where to Go Today
Start at Red Oaks Nature Center for the Kentucky Warbler and Brewster's Warbler. If either bird is not cooperating, move to Kensington Metropark or Robert H. Long Park to work general migration. Robert H. Long Park has the most recent activity data and is reliable for swallows and early-season shorebirds. The data set is neither deep nor wide today, suggesting reporters are focused on the notable birds at Red Oaks rather than doing comprehensive counts elsewhere. That is typical for a day when a rarity is on the board.
Head to https://michiganbirdingreport.com for the live map and full county data.