WhenToBird

Birding spot · Jackson County, Michigan

Birding at Portage Lake: What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Portage Lake are Mute Swan (75%), Ring-billed Gull (60%), and Sandhill Crane (57%). It is busiest in spring, when 107 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in mid May (102 species). 179 species have been reported here across 1,222 complete checklists from 164 birders.

Species by week

0255075100125Jan 1-7: 28 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsJan 8-14: low data (4 checklists)Jan 15-21: low data (5 checklists)Jan 22-31: low data (4 checklists)Feb 1-7: low data (4 checklists)Feb 8-14: low data (7 checklists)Feb 15-21: 36 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsFeb 22-28: 25 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsMar 1-7: 31 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsMar 8-14: 32 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsMar 15-21: 46 species on 5%+ of 32 checklistsMar 22-31: 50 species on 5%+ of 71 checklistsApr 1-7: 58 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsApr 8-14: 69 species on 5%+ of 59 checklistsApr 15-21: 78 species on 5%+ of 61 checklistsApr 22-30: 84 species on 5%+ of 109 checklistsMay 1-7: 99 species on 5%+ of 147 checklistsMay 8-14: 99 species on 5%+ of 151 checklistsMay 15-21: 102 species on 5%+ of 70 checklistsMay 22-31: 92 species on 5%+ of 25 checklistsJun 1-7: low data (8 checklists)Jun 8-14: low data (3 checklists)Jun 15-21: low data (9 checklists)Jun 22-30: 67 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsJul 1-7: low data (6 checklists)Jul 8-14: 72 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsJul 15-21: low data (5 checklists)Jul 22-31: low data (6 checklists)Aug 1-7: low data (5 checklists)Aug 8-14: low data (2 checklists)Aug 15-21: low data (9 checklists)Aug 22-31: 90 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsSep 1-7: 95 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsSep 8-14: 98 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsSep 15-21: 89 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsSep 22-30: 63 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsOct 1-7: 66 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsOct 8-14: low data (9 checklists)Oct 15-21: 48 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsOct 22-31: 38 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsNov 1-7: 32 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsNov 8-14: 38 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsNov 15-21: low data (8 checklists)Nov 22-30: 36 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsDec 1-7: 45 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsDec 8-14: 44 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsDec 15-21: 40 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsDec 22-31: 30 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1Mute Swan75%
  2. 2Ring-billed Gull60%
  3. 3Sandhill Crane57%
  4. 4Blue Jay55%
  5. 5Bufflehead51%
  6. 6Canada Goose51%
  7. 7Red-bellied Woodpecker47%
  8. 8Bonaparte's Gull45%
  9. 9Pied-billed Grebe43%
  10. 10White-breasted Nuthatch42%
  11. 11Black-capped Chickadee36%
  12. 12Downy Woodpecker30%
  13. 13Mallard26%
  14. 14American Crow21%
  15. 15Bald Eagle19%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 39 species

  1. Mute Swan68%
  2. Canada Goose57%
  3. Sandhill Crane51%
  4. White-breasted Nuthatch49%
  5. Blue Jay42%

Spring 107 species

  1. American Robin85%
  2. Canada Goose71%
  3. Red-winged Blackbird71%
  4. Blue Jay67%
  5. Northern Cardinal67%

Summer 79 species

  1. Northern Cardinal83%
  2. American Robin82%
  3. Eastern Wood-Pewee73%
  4. White-breasted Nuthatch73%
  5. Blue Jay69%

Fall 80 species

  1. Blue Jay74%
  2. Mute Swan70%
  3. Ring-billed Gull67%
  4. Red-bellied Woodpecker66%
  5. White-breasted Nuthatch66%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across Michigan.

Nearby spots

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.