Birders take flight at Magee Marsh boardwalk

Fremont News-Messenger

Birding enthusiasts lined Magee Marsh Wildlife Area's boardwalk Thursday in Ottawa County, as thousands of birders visited Northwest Ohio this week to view migratory birds at various sites as they made their way through the region.

CARROLL TOWNSHIP — It's not a long trip for Rick Craig when he decides to make the trek to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area.

He forgot a hat to protect his head from the sun, but Craig, a Clyde resident, remembered to bring his camera Thursday as he and other thousands of other avid birders walked the state park's iconic boardwalk and marveled at a flood of migratory birds pouring into Magee Marsh.

"I'm only 40 minutes away. I've got to come up here as much as possible," Craig said, as he counted off seven new birds he'd seen this week at the marsh during the annual Biggest Week in American Birding celebration.

Birders from Ohio, states across the U.S. and international visitors brought their cameras and binoculars to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area this week to view dozens of migratory bird species as they made their way through Northwest Ohio.

Thursday marked Craig's 10th trip to Magee Marsh in two months.

He's seen magnolia, prothonotary, Canada and Wilson's warblers this week.

Craig said he takes pictures of everything at the marsh, where snapping turtles, beavers, American bald eagles and other wildlife share space with migratory birds.

Visitors to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area were able to see dozens of migratory birds this week, including the black-throated blue warbler pictured here.

Migratory birds draw national, international visitors

Crowds for peak migration season, which runs from mid-April through the end of May, have reached as high as 90,000 people.

The crowds are typically in the 60,000-to-80,000 range.

Peak migration typically hits around the time of the Biggest Week celebration, which runs through Sunday.

While the crowds include a high percentage of repeat visitors, this year's peak migration drew first-time Magee Marsh birders Deb Ferguson and John Loz .

Ferguson and Loz live in the Albany, N.Y. area.

Self-described as avid birders, Loz said he and Ferguson considered Magee Marsh as being on their bucket list for Ohio birding sites.

They also visited Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and East Harbor State Park, where Loz said they spotted 58 different bird species.

Thousands of birders descended on Magee Marsh Wildlife Area's boardwalk and other Northwest Ohio birding hot spots this week during the Biggest Week in American Birding celebration.

Ferguson said she and Loz had spotted Tennessee and Canada warblers during their Ohio visit.

"That was a thrill. That was hard to get," Ferguson said, as she and Loz stopped briefly on the Magee Marsh boardwalk during their third day at the park.

Loz said he and Ferguson had seen more species of birds during their trip than any other birding site they could remember in North America.

Birders from all over the United States travel to Northwest Ohio and visit birding hot spots like the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area's boardwalk. Warmer weather and a shift in wind direction led to a surge of migratory birds that flew through Magee Marsh and other birding hot spots this week.

Weather, winds cooperate for birders arriving for Biggest Week

Craig showed up at Magee Marsh for Biggest Week's opening day, May 6.

He and other bird enthusiasts were greeted with cool temperatures and lots of rain, with north winds providing an obstacle for migratory birds looking to make their way to Northwest Ohio.

Those inclement conditions cleared up early this week.

Kelly Schott, an Ohio Department of Natural Resources communications specialist, said winds shifted Sunday night, with temperatures climbing into the 70s and 80s this week.

With those changes came a steady stream of migratory birds.

"Monday night was the biggest peak of birds we've had so far," Schott said, noting that Magee Marsh's parking lot was full Tuesday morning by 9:30 a.m.

Birders had recorded sightings of Kirtland's warblers two days this week.

Schott said visitors had also gravitated toward a group of nesting green herons.

She said she expected Saturday to be the park's busiest day of peak migration season.

ODNR partnered with local conservation organizations to celebrate Bird Ohio Day on Thursday at Magee Marsh.

ODNR Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker joined area birding groups and conservation leaders for the celebration.

The group birded the boardwalk and Crane Creek Estuary Trail, two of Magee Marsh’s most prominent birding trails. A tour of Gov. Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio project at Turtle Creek was also provided.

Deb Nofzinger, a Sandusky County Park District program supervisor, attended the Bird Ohio ceremony.

She pointed out black-throated blue warblers and chestnut-sided warblers as she stood on the boardwalk.

Nofzinger said she'd never seen as many bay-breasted warblers at Magee Marsh as she had Thursday.

Sandusky County Park District has offered a birding by canoe program at Decoy Marsh from May 4-15, with participants canoeing along Green Creek and engaging in bird watching as they make their way to Sandusky Bay.

dacarson@gannett.com

419-334-1046

Twitter: @DanielCarson7