Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
If you love birds, there’s no reason to travel much farther than your own backyard this month.
What could be easier and more rewarding? You stay put – the birds do all the traveling.
Most of them are coming from hundreds of miles away, some even farther. All kinds of birds are converging on us. Big birds, small birds, very small birds. Birds of prey, waterfowl, shorebirds, waders, songbirds. Many are just passing through, but some will stay, build nests and raise their young.
The whole thing is just amazing. We wonder at humans who can run 26.6 miles in a marathon. Consider these warblers that typically are less than six inches long and weigh a fraction of an ounce travel unbelievably long distances that may include non-stop crossings of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Erie.
Amazing.
Also amazing is our good fortune to live in what is arguably their most important stopover. Every local natural area including that woodlot at the end of your street can hold great birds. Think about that.
“The epicenter is Magee Marsh and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge,” says Kimberly Kaufman, executive director of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, located at 13551 W. SR 2, Oak Harbor.
“There are 69 million people in the United States that identify as birders,” Kimberly said. “There’s no better opportunity to see what birding is all about, to understand why birding is so important to so many people, than right now in Northwest Ohio.
“Meet the most wonderful people who are coming here from all over the world united by their love of birding,” she said.
It’s amazing in so many ways. So amazing that it takes an extra-long week to squeeze in all the activities for the Biggest Week in American Birding, May 9-18.
Maumee Bay State Park with its lodge and conference center may be the focal point, but activities and field trips will take place throughout the region.
The stars of our colorful and fascinating spectacle are warblers, and right here is arguably the best place in the world to enjoy them in amazing numbers and variety. That’s why during the month of May we’re called “the warbler capital of the world.”
The early vanguards have already moved through. Among the species observed so far include yellow-rumped warbler, which has been the most numerous, black and white, Nashville, blackburnian, palm, black-throated green, yellow, Northern parula, prothonotary, and yellow warblers. Adding spice to the sightings are scarlet tanagers, white-throated sparrows, various thrushes.
Don’t let what you don’t know keep you from enjoying the bigger picture. Enjoy the experience on any level you wish. You can just marvel at the sheer beauty of the birds and the simple fascination in witnessing such a wonderful natural phenomenon. If you want to know more, just listen to those around you.
“There’s a great sense of community among birders,” Kimberly said. “You’ll be welcomed warmly and enthusiastically.”
If you’re interested and just plain curious what birding is all about, BSBO will be at Pearson Metropark leading free two-hour Beginning Birder Field Trips. There are four dates to choose from – May 10, 11, 17, or 18 beginning at 10 a.m. from parking lot #4 at the Packer-Hammersmith Center. No preregistration is necessary.
“It’s a fun and easy workshop,” she said. “We’ll take you through everything you need to know to get started birding. We’ll point you in the right direction to find a pair of binoculars and a field guide, basic bird identification tips, and where and how to find birds.”
For details on the Beginning Birding Field Trips, and all the dozens of events and featured opportunities associated with the Biggest Week in American Birding, visit biggestweekinamericanbirding.com
