Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
The magic, the sheer numbers, the massive movement of colorful birds in spring is over. Gone are many of the thousands of birders who came from all over the world to witness nature’s spectacle that we enjoy right here, in our own backyards. But if you think the great birding is over, you’re wrong.
The fever-pitch of spring bird migration has cooled. Some species kept going north; many made the mind-boggling nonstop flight across Lake Erie. Some arrived at our lakeshore only to find themselves a bit too far north. They were the birds of the overflight. Species that, like some human travelers, missed their proverbial exit and must instinctively turn back and find their nesting niche.
And many more than you might think stay right here and make Northwest Ohio their summer home.
“Some of the stars of spring migration are among our summer residents,” says Jay Wright, an expert birder and director of conservation science for Metroparks Toledo. “Common yellowthroats and yellow warblers, for example, are common nesters.”
But you won’t find them bunched up as they are in spring. In mid-May it’s a mix of returning summer residents and stopover migrators more concerned with the priority of refueling and resting after impossibly long flights. Those that stayed have turned to the business of establishing nesting territories and raising families. They’re scattered, staking claims in their preferred habitats.
Yellow warblers and common yellowthroats, for example, prefer shrubby wetlands.
“Yellowthroats are among our more common nesters,” Wright said. “You could find these species in almost any Metropark.
“The best places to look are in the riparian woodland edges, fields and shrubby wetlands. Look in the Oak Openings Region with its wet prairies, even in the tallgrass prairies,” he said.
Be on alert for dozens of other species, including warbling and red-eyed vireos. “In the Oak Openings and Secor Metropark also look for ovenbirds, hooded warblers and wood thrush,” he said.
There are plenty of colorful and beautifully patterned species, too. Scarlet tanagers in their vibrant red summer plumage with black wings and tail are impossible to miss. It’s only adult males that sport that tanager red and black; females and immature birds of both sexes are olive-green that appears darker on the wings and tails.
Near his office at the Fallen Timbers Battlefield in Side Cut Metropark, Wright reports hearing the songs of resident tanagers and orioles, both Baltimore and orchard. “A great place to look for orchard orioles right now is Side Cut’s Riverview area,” he said.
Though the big spring movement is over for another year, natural areas on and near Maumee Bay and Lake Erie remain must-stops for birding. World-class birding continues for such diverse areas as Pearson Metropark with its wetlands and its remnant Black Swamp forest; Maumee Bay State Park, and the wetlands at Howard Marsh Metropark; Ottawa and Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuges and, of course, Magee Marsh State Wildlife Area. The Erie Islands have some nice birding havens, as well.
The remnant Black Swamp forest east of Pearson Metropark’s main shelter and the Macomber Lodge can be excellent for birding. Warblers, including Canadas, and other songbirds are common in spring migration and the birding continues to be good through summer.
“You can find lots of the mature forest specialists there including wood peewee, red-eyed vireo, scarlet tanager and wood thrush,” Wright said.
In the reeds and shrubby wetlands of Pearson North, he recommends looking for sora and Virginia rails, as well as nesting yellow warblers.
Summer birding highlights include much more than songbirds. Wetlands harbor ducks, geese, swans, gulls, terns, herons and egrets while skies are patrolled by osprey, various hawks, and a burgeoning population of bald eagles. Shorebirds, including black-necked stilts at Howard Marsh and a variety of sandpipers, are plentiful in Lake Erie wetlands.
Wright considers June 1 to July 15 the peak summer season. Late July to August marks the early beginnings of fall migration, which is an extended more filtered process than the more concentrated spring migration that’s driven by the imperative to nest and raise young in a timely fashion.
Summer birding is different from spring migration and Wright suggests using a different strategy. Most adult birds are on nesting territories, so instead of walking boardwalks or trails in hopes of encountering the birds you’re looking for, he suggests you find a good sit spot and watch for birds. Watch from a distance so you don’t disturb the drama playing out as birds court and mate; watch their comings and goings as they feed and raise their young.
A key would be finding edges with a good field of view. That sit strategy works for shorebirds, birds of prey and songbirds you attract to backyard feeding stations, all with the caveat of maintaining enough distance that you don’t disrupt nesting.
If you find spring warblers to be a bit confusing, wait to try to identify them in their subdued fall plumage. It’s a challenge worth pursuing.
Birding can be a year-round pursuit. It’s a beautiful endless symphony of varying rhythms, crescendos and interludes.
