The plan was to drive north to re-visit some of our favorite stops near Bay City from our trip last month and then travel on to see the places near East Tawas that we missed because one of us had double-booked a weekend in May. A good plan, but we did not count on the heat. (Note: Our Florida friends will not extend much sympathy on this issue -- 93 humid degrees is a cool spring day in Gainesville. But know that when I can ring the sweat out of my Tilly hat, it’s hot.)

After checking into our Holiday Inn we headed over to the Bay City State Recreation Area, where we noticed a distinct lack of butterflies -- one of the themes of our trip. We also noticed that many of the migrating birds that we’d seen in May had kept migrating. We did see a family of Barn Swallows nesting under the roof of a viewing area.

A ranger told us to hike to the bridge near the end of the path and we would run into Lake Huron in a minute or two. We couldn’t find Lake Huron. We’d heard the lake levels were down, so I guess it had become too small.

Monday was a busy day - and again, a hot one. We were up by 5:30 and out the door by 7 for a half-hour drive to Nayanquing Point State Game Area, where a month ago we’d seen Yellow-headed Blackbirds. On the way we paused to photograph a charming local building.

The marsh was delightful, though no Yellow-headed Blackbirds were seen. It is, apparently, the time of year when baby Tree Swallows are out and about, and some allowed us to photograph them.

We also spotted an Eastern Kingbird snacking on a dragonfly.

And another doing some grooming.

Also, this Yellow Warbler enjoying its yellowness.

On the way to our next photo-op we paused to wander through the Northwoods Wholesale Outlet, the size of a Walmart but the quality not quite as high. We then stopped at a local bakery for coffee and a treat, along with a bag of day-old doughnuts to go. Then off to Wah Sash Kah Moqua Nature Preserve, which seemed to be a good butterfly habitat though it was nearly devoid of butterflies.

From there another 50 miles north to East Tawas, where we headed to Tawas Point State Park. We trekked a mile or so along a trail that paralleled the beach, and then ventured down onto the floor of Lake Huron, exposed thanks to the lack of snow and rainfall for the last few years. Highlights of the afternoon included a Baltimore Oriole, who we soon saw feeding its feeding its well-hidden chicks in a nest.

We decided to do a bit of exploring before returning to the car, and we ended up hauling our camera gear through a beachfront neighborhood.

We hiked back to the car and drove to the B&B where we checked in, rested and downloaded, and checked the weather forecast. Rain was predicted for the next morning, so we decided that if we really wanted to see the nesting Piping Plovers we’d best return to the Park this evening. So 7 p.m found us lugging our cameras a mile or so down a trail toward the nesting areas a ranger had pointed out on our map. We found the three areas but none of the newly-hatched young’uns that we’d hoped to photograph. We did see, at a bit of a distance, an adult doing a bit of feeding before returning to her nest, which the rangers had carefully protected by placing a large wire cage over it.

Then another hike back to the car. I convinced Kim that the restaurant wouldn’t care how grubby we looked or smelled, and besides, her hair would probably be dry by the time we got there.

Tuesday we slept in to 5:20 so we could get to Tuttle Marsh for some early birding. Got a little lost despite very precise directions, but a local guy told us to turn our car around and we soon found this wonderful resource. Not many birds or butterflies there despite the splendid habitat, but their absence was more than made up for by the abundance of mosquitoes. The sprinkles of rain made us glad we were close to the car. Out mud-puddling in the rain Kim photographed this dazzling (and unusual) Harris’ Checkerspot.

Leigh at the B&B graciously provided a late breakfast, and then before heading home we walked to the beach to look for mayflies (aka fishflies). We found a lot of the graceful bugs, some of which landed on our clothes and cameras.

This one looks like he’s sliding. Soon, however, cars and pedestrians will be sliding on him and his bugbuddies.