2. The Muskegon Wastewater System: Lagoons, dikes and fields east of Maple Island Road and north of Apple Avenue (M-46) attract migrating shorebirds, waterbirds and raptors. Grass fields south of Apple Avenue are excellent for Upland Sandpiper, Short-eared Owl, sparrows and hawks. Known throughout the state, this area is patrolled by a sheriff's deputy. You must register with the office and receive a pass to birdwatch here. Please consult the box below for details.

3. Muskegon State Park: Snug Harbor on Ruddiman Drive west of North Muskegon provides excellent birding with paths leading south to the Muskegon Channel and north around Lost Lake. Dunes north of the Muskegon Channel provide good viewing of migrating hawks. A State Park sticker is required.

4. Causeway Area: East end of Muskegon Lake between Muskegon and North Muskegon. View birds along the sidewalks of Veterans Memorial Park (look for breeding Peregrine Falcons on the B.C. Cobb Plant smokestack.) Look for songbirds in the thick habitat of the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve northwest of the Causeway. View waterbirds from the birdwatching sign on the Muskegon Conservation Club property west of the preserve.

5. Muskegon State Game Area Headquarters: Adjacent to Lane's Landing, accessible from Maple Island Road a mile north of the Lane's Landing entrance. The loop path along the banks of the Maple River and adjacent woods and fields provide nearly as many species as Lane's Landing. Excellent for spring warblers. resident Trumpeter Swan, Black-billed and Yellow-billed Cuckoos, etc.

6. Pere Marquette Park: "The Ovals" city park on the shore of Lake Michigan south of the Muskegon Channel. Check the breakwater rocks for Purple Sandpipers from late fall through winter when conditions are safe, and the lakeshore anytime for gulls, waterbirds, raptors, etc. Also try along the one-mile channel wall and at Kruse Park two miles south at the end of Sherman Blvd.

7. White River Marsh: View birds from the walking path along the east side of Business US-31 between Whitehall and Montague. During migration raptors cruise the flats. Waterfowl are common in the open water. The cattail flats supply typical marsh species like herons, rails and swallows.

8. Hoffmaster State Park: Between Grand Haven and Muskegon at the west end of Pontaluna Road. This combination of woodland, stream, dune and shoreline habitats provides very good birding in the breeding season and excellent birding during migrations. A State Park sticker is required.

9. White Lake Channel: West of the White Lake Country Club. Like the Muskegon Channel on a smaller scale. Duck species such as Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Greater and Lesser Scaup and Redhead can be seen when the lakes start to freeze. For whatever reason, this channel is more reliable for Long-tailed Ducks and scoters. Grebes also occur here.

10. Lake Harbor Park and Mona Lake Channel: North side of the channel west of Lake Harbor Road. Lake Harbor Park is mostly a migrant songbird site. Although small, its proximity to Lake Michigan can supply good diversity and numbers. In the winter the boardwalk offers views of wintering waterfowl and gulls. These birds may be far out or just off the channel.

11. Ravenna Sewage Ponds: Southwest of the village of Ravenna, this is a migrant waterfowl and shorebird site. It's like the Muskegon Wastewater System on a much smaller scale.

12. Hilton Park Road: One mile west of the Wastewater properties at the road's northern end. Excellent for spring migrants. During breeding season regularly-occurring birds include Acadian Flycatcher and Great Horned Owl. Unfortunately the smell of dead fish is often present here.

13. Mill Iron Road: Midway between Muskegon and the Wastewater properties. Bird feeders on private property (but viewable from the public access site where the road ends at the Muskegon River) provide every possible feeder bird in wintertime including all six local woodpeckers. The power line easement a quarter mile south of the dead-end provides excellent birding west to the river during spring migration and the breeding season.

- Muskegon Wastewater Birding Information -

The lagoons of the Wastewater property are bordered by Maple Island Road (B-31) on the west, White Road on the north, Swanson Road on the east, and Apple Avenue (M-46) on the south.

A Delorme map book shows the main lagoons. Or find Muskegon on a Michigan road map and follow M-46 east from US-31 about 1/3 of the way toward M-37 and you’ll see the intersection of M-46 (Apple Avenue) and B-31 (Maple Island Road).

Wastewater property extends in all directions outside the lagoon area described above, but for birders who want to view the lagoons the following entrance information is important:

You must have a Daily or Yearly Pass. A Muskegon County Sheriff’s Deputy regularly patrols the property for vandals and will check all birders for their passes. Passes are available weekdays at the Headquarters Office, so be sure to get these (consisting of a laminated wallet ID card and a small sign to display on your dash as you drive the property) before driving on the lagoon dike roads.

Birders are more than welcome here. The administration likes having us on the property so long as we’re registered and have our passes.

There are two public entrances to the lagoon area:

(1) The official entrance on Maple Island Road about 3 miles north of Apple Avenue. Go east about a mile (checking any small lagoons to your right that might have water in them, plus the pylons along your left for raptors) and then turn right (south) toward the headquarters building. Weave your way around that building and drive up onto the dikes. You’ll be near the south end of the main dike separating the two large lagoons.

(2) The entrance on Swanson Road just north of Apple Avenue and immediately north of the landfill (don't go into the landfill driveway). You’ll be at the southeast corner of the large east lagoon.

Once on the dikes simply use common sense. When you stop your car, be sure you're off to one side so that Wastewater trucks and/or other birders can drive past you. Most of us wave at WW employees as they drive by; most of them wave back.

Be aware that there's often good birding south of Apple Avenue also. Drive south on Swanson one mile from Apple to an unmarked intersection (Laketon Ave.) where there's a model airplane airport. In the correct seasons these grasslands support many sparrow species, along with pheasant, bobolink, upland sandpiper, Brewer's blackbird, dickcissel, and short-eared owl.

If you continue another quarter mile south on Swanson from Laketon you'll drive through a tiny marsh and find an abandoned farm orchard to your left and a small pond to your right. All of this is excellent birding area.

Also try birding west of the Swanson-Laketon intersection. This large area to the dead end of Laketon, depending on season and habitat, has provided orchard oriole, mockingbird, northern shrike, as well as the species listed previously. The unmarked two-track (Seba Road) a few tenths of a mile west of Swanson is usually drivable north (eventually curving east and intersecting back on Swanson just south of Apple). All of this property is under the Muskegon Wastewater System management, meaning courteous birders with proper identification are welcome.