Winter Birding in Ohio

Trees are shedding their leaves, temps are dropping and our feathered flying friends are calling.

“Bird watching season doesn't end in Ohio when the last warbler shows its tail feathers and heads south in late fall,” the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) explains. “In fact, birding opportunities really heat up in winter as a wide range of visiting birds wing their way into Buckeye country and make our state their temporary home.”So keep your binoculars handy. Here are 6 tips to embrace winter birding.

1. Sign up for the Audubon’s 126th Christmas Bird Count, (CBC) which runs from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5.

CBC, which last year attracted 83,000 volunteers worldwide, is free and open to all levels of birders (beginners will paired with an expert), but you must make arrangements to participate in advance. Each count takes place in an established 15-mile diameter circle and is organized by a count compiler. Count volunteers follow specified routes through a designated 15-mile diameter circle, counting every bird they see or hear all day. It's not just a species tally—all birds are counted all day, giving an indication of the total number of birds in the circle that day.

As they have in years past, Kendal birders will be part of the Elyria area CBC and this year counting is Dec. 20., about a week later than last year when Kendal counters saw 318 birds and 29 species.

2. Check with your local metro park about guided birding hikes. For instances Sandy Ridge Reservation in North Ridgeville is offering two waterfowl hikes (Dec. 3 and Dec. 10) from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Or contact your local National Audubon Society chapter about birding events.
3. Make your backyard a birding destination by keeping the feeders full of high calorie, high fat foods like suet, oil sunflower and peanuts and a heated birdbath. “Roosting boxes or natural plant covers can also help birds seeking protection from cold weather and natural predators. Be sure to clean out old nests from houses to help reduce the possibility of parasitic bugs surviving the winter,” according to Wild Birds Unlimited.
4. One good place to find winter birds are pine trees and other conifers. “These hardy trees and shrubs are a winter lifeline for birds and other wildlife. Birds feast on evergreen seeds and sap—plus the insects the plants attract—and take shelter in the branches when many other trees are bare,” according to the National Audubon Society.
5. Head to the Lake Erie coast. “During the colder months, the Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve is a popular spot located just east of Sandusky, offering the opportunity to spot long-eared, saw-whet, and even snowy owls. Closer to the Michigan border, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center is home to raptors like the northern harrier soaring high above the inland prairie, while tundra swans arrive in the thousands as they make their way across the continent,” according to Forbes.
6. And while this may seem like cheating, consider a warm winter destination that attracts birds. Birds&Blooms recommends Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville, Florida, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and Corpus Christi in Texas, and various locations in Southeast Arizona.

But Buckeye birding is certainly worth the effort. While spring and fall are the peak migration times, some birds make Ohio their southern home during the winter, according to the Nature Conservancy. “In late winter, birds like owls begin breeding and are more easily spotted than in the summer months.”

Other birds you might see during Ohio winters are: Bald Eagle, Brown Creeper, Dark-eyed Junco; White-throated Sparrow; and Winter Wren.