Days 142 to 148: The Birds of Crisp Point Lighthouse and the U.P.

Kind of like the bridges of Madison County … with an feathered twist!

Crisp Point Lighthouse is a beacon which keeps watch on a point just a few miles shy of Whitefish Bay on the eastern end of Lake Superior. Recently, my wife Molly and I served as volunteer lighthouse keepers for just under a week. A 20 mile ride along narrow dirt roads is required to reach this remote stretch of beach on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Lake Superior coastline. Once one arrives, the lodging accommodations are your own tent. There is not a lighthouse keepers residence. However, for Molly and me the opportunity to camp over 38 miles from the smallest town is considered a “cushy and plum” assignment! During our stay at Crisp Point Lighthouse, our only neighbors were seagulls, eagles, and timber wolves.

Here are a few photographs from our stay as lighthouse keepers. Birding was actually a bit of a challenge as the sandy soil and cold harsh climate does not generate lots of food for birds. In addition, this stretch of Lake Superior coastline does not have many streams and rivers … another limiting factor. (learn more about lighthouse keeping at Crisp Point)