Lake Erie Birding is Big

Birding is BIG along the Lake Erie shoreline, especially this time of year.  

The Biggest Week in American Birding is currently underway at Maumee Bay State Park, which last year attracted more than 2,000 people from 11 countries and 49 states (why no South Dakotans?) who recorded 232 species, including 36 warbler species. The 10-day festival ends Sunday, May 18.Why is Northwest Ohio the epicenter of the spring migration?

Many reasons, explains festival organizer Black Swamp Bird Observatory:

• The peak of migration happens before biting insects are around;
• The birds are at their vibrant best, looking and sounding fabulous;
• By the time the birds get to this latitude, the males are singing, adding the symphony of bird song to the experience;
• The birds are low and so very close that many people take selfies with warblers;
• In short, you should expect to see at least 20 warbler species every day, along with masses of thrushes, vireos, flycatchers, orioles, and other migrants in the woods, plus shorebirds and other in more open areas. 

The festival includes birding activities for all level of birders – newbies welcome, including workshops and presentations, field trips, book signings and a marketplace with a variety of bird and nature-related items for sale. Registration is required for most events.

Of course, the birds don’t know the festival ends May 18 so come to Maumee Bay and the surrounding area after the big crowds have dispersed.

Birding at Kendal at Oberlin

That’s what Kendal resident Anne Martin has done on occasion. “I’m not a capital B birder who keep a life list. I don’t have great vision, but I do have good hearing. I’m more a bird watcher and a bird listener,” says Anne, who heads up a group of about two dozen Kendal Birdwatchers. (Anne’s also a butterfly watcher but no Kendal group for that – yet!)

Kendal Birdwatcher members participate in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, monitor the Kendal Nature Sightings board, offer assistance to new birders and advice about bird issues, such as how to prevent window “bird strikes." Some members are more skilled photographing birds than identifying them so seasoned birdwatchers step in to help.

One of the most important roles of the group is to send out timely e-alerts detailing where an unusual bird is spotted on the Kendal campus, which is not uncommon given the life plan community’s natural resources.

The 110-acre campus is designated as The John Bartram Arboretum at Kendal at Oberlin, a Level II arboretum with ponds, wetlands, and a 4-acre Wildflower Hill home to dozens of different wildflowers along with native grasses and shrubs.

Along with a variety of hawks, woodpeckers and shorebirds, birds sighted at Kendal include Purple Finch, Northern Shoveler, Virginia Rail, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Kingbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Bald Eagle, Dark-eyed Junco and Baltimore Oriole. Eastern Bluebirds are also on campus and another group of residents serve as the nest box monitoring team.

The Kendal group doesn’t organize birdwatching hikes but members often participate in hikes led by the Black River Audubon Society. Two nearby parks popular with Kendal birders are the Oberlin Preserve and Sandy Ridge Reservation in North Ridgeville.

Other popular birding destinations

For Big Bird Week the Lake Erie Shores & Islands put together a list of two dozen birding sites in Northeast Ohio.

Here are 5 of them:

1. Old Women Creek State Nature Preserve in Huron;
2. Pipe Creek Wildlife Area in Sandusky;
3. Meadowbrook Marsh in Marblehead;
4. Oak Openings Preserve Park in Whitehouse’
5. Kelleys Island.