“Our wonderful natural areas are welcoming growing numbers of colorful warblers and other songbirds, attracting birders from all over the country,” said Art Weber, Metroparks Toledo nature photographer.
The early arrivals are here, including yellow-rumped and palm warblers, thrushes, kinglets and sparrows, he added.
It is hard not to be totally taken with those species, but keep an eye out for larger birds, too. Big, beautiful birds of prey are on nests now. An osprey nest is active at Howard Marsh Metropark and is easily viewable, though best viewing is with binoculars or scopes. Bald eagle nests are present in several locations along the Maumee River–one of which can be viewed from the Waterville bridge–as well as two active eagle nests in the parking area for the Magee Marsh bird trail, which is one of the best birding sites in the country.
Sandhill crane sightings are on the rise. Some are nesting and will be with us all summer. Howard Marsh Metropark has been a very good location. With the big pool drawn down to expose mud flats, the park has and will continue to attract stilts, snipe and a variety of shorebirds. Some are migrators passing through, others such as the stilts have increasingly chosen Howard for nesting, he explained.
“We are entering a time of year when every natural area, including neighborhood woodlots, can host great birding,” Weber said.
Sandhill cranes are making themselves known in the region. Look for them in Lake Erie marshes such as Howard Marsh, and in the Oak Openings Region, especially Irwin Prairie State Nature Preserve and Sandhill Crane Wetlands.
