MLive says: “There is a place in Unionville that comes to a point and juts out into the Saginaw Bay. That place is home to Fish Point Wildlife Refuge. While the area surrounding the refuge is popular for bird hunting, the refuge itself is off limits to hunters. In the winter, this is a great place to see snowy owls. In the warm weather months, you can spot plenty of birds that migrate to the area. Bring your binoculars and your camera.”
June 28, 2020
And we did just that, once we figured out where to go. Fish Point Wildlife Refuge is one of those confusing spots where public land and private land get all mixed up, and it’s not managed for regular recreation as much as it is for hunting so there aren’t definitive trails anywhere. Once we figured out where to go though, it ended up being really cool place to stop for an hour or so.
We found a birdwatching tower/balcony and posted up there. Bill sought refuge on the deck with snacks and beer (and actually took a nap up there) while I hunted around on the ground with my camera.
I really wasn’t having much luck trying to photograph birds - the swallows were diverse and beautiful to moved too fast for my untrained eye and hands, and honestly, so did everything else! That is, until I spotted a heron standing in the reeds. I spent a long time with this heron, and was upset to find I hadn’t focused my lens quite right when I reviewed these photos at home. Here are the best of the bunch though, of a heron at midday in a giant wetland.
I would have loved to explore this area more, especially at dusk or dawn when more birds are out (also though, more bugs…). We were feeling kind of restless though, and didn’t love much of the rest of the area around the refuge, so we took off after not too long to hit our next stop. I feel like this would be a great spot to stop in fall, honestly; the wetlands are probably gorgeous come fall!