"Crane Creek" entrance and BSBO center

Just a note for people who have noticed the change in the signs out front and who might be wondering about it. The big sign at the entrance road from Route 2 -- the sign that used to say "Crane Creek State Park / Magee Marsh Wildlife Area" – now just says "Magee Marsh Wildlife Area". Apparently the land that formerly made up Crane Creek State Park (the beach and about half the parking lot adjacent to the boardwalk, plus a small section on the entrance road) has been transferred to the Division of Wildlife, and will now be administered as a part of the wildlife area. I’m sure that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is planning to make some kind of official announcement about this, because they’re certainly aware that birders visit this area from all over the continent. But pending such an announcement, I wanted to post this "unofficial" note so that people wouldn’t be concerned about the change in signage.

Two notes on the BSBO nature center area: 1. The Evening Grosbeak that was at the feeders on Sunday May 4th has not been seen since. 2. There are still American Woodcocks displaying actively in the area south and west of the center, along the first part of the Gallagher Trail; they’re most active right at sunset, or around 8:30 pm.

Evening Grosbeak at BSBO nature center

News flash: there is an Evening Grosbeak at the feeders at the BSBO nature center (just north of Rt 2 at the entrance to Crane Creek / Magee Marsh) right now, just after 12:30 p.m. on Sunday May 4. I'm not aware of any being seen in n.w. Ohio within the last couple of months, so the arrival of this bird was a distinct surprise. More details later.

Magee area May 3

Weather was unsettled today (Saturday May 3) with numerous bands of rain moving through accompanying a passing front, but the birding was excellent. At least 28 species of warblers were recorded in the Magee Marsh / Ottawa NWR / Metzger Marsh area. Some of the highlights included Prairie Warbler (singing male) on the Wildlife Beach at Magee, Cerulean, Prothonotary, and Hooded Warblers on the Magee boardwalk, Orange-crowned and Yellow-throated Warblers in the woodlot at the end of the road at Metzger Marsh, and Yellow-breasted Chat on the Magee walking trail and on the Gallagher Trail behind the BSBO nature center. Yellow-rumped and Palm were still by far the most numerous warblers. A good variety of vireos, thrushes, sparrows, and other migrants such as Scarlet Tanagers and Indigo Buntings added to the diversity of the day.

The small woodlot at the end of the road at Metzger had a very high concentration of birds today, probably because there was a major hatch of midges and food was abundant. Warblers were swarming in the trees and bushes, while swallows (mostly Tree but with N. Rough-winged, Bank, Barn, and Purple Martin) were feeding on the lee side of the woodlot in the evening.

Shorebirds were scattered today -- water is high in most of the managed marshes in the area, so most of the shorebird habitat is in flooded farm fields. I looked at several such spots during the last couple of days (Benton-Carroll Road just south of Rt 2; south side of Rt 2 just west of Wild Wings store; Howard Rd half a mile north of Rt 2, etc.) and saw hundreds of Dunlins and fewer Least Sandpipers and yellowlegs, but not much more variety than that. If someone finds a really good shorebird habitat I hope they'll pass that news along.

Right now (after 9 p.m.) the winds are pretty strong out of the west. There's a major high-pressure system moving this way from the Great Plains, and the winds are likely to shift gradually from west to west-northwest by morning, with cooler temperatures (back down to the 40s). I am guessing that not many of today's birds will leave tonight. By Sunday morning (May 4), the skies should be clear and the wind should have died down somewhat. There may be slightly fewer birds around but conditions for viewing them should be more pleasant! With all the winds, it seems that something unusual ought to turn up -- maybe Franklin's Gull or American Avocet. But even without rarities, there is a lot of variety around right now!

Magee boardwalk update May 2

This is just a quick update before this evening. As predicted, a lot of migrants did move into the area by Thursday morning 5/1, with a big increase in numbers and variety. This morning (Friday 5/2) the variety was somewhat lower but numbers were still high, with the biggest concentrations along the boardwalk being very near the west end. A lot of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings have moved in, there are still tons of White-throated Sparrows but now also a lot of White-crowned and Lincoln's, more Baltimore Orioles have arrived. A number of Cape May Warblers were with the abundant Yellow-rumps and Palms, and many Northern Waterthrushes were present and singing. Between what I saw and what I heard about, there must have been at least 20 warbler species at the boardwalk today. There had been some turnover overnight Thursday night, and a lot of birds were moving during daylight Friday morning -- big flocks of Blue Jays coming over, lots of Lesser Yellowlegs and a scattering of other shorebirds flying along the lakeshore, Bobolinks flying over, big flocks of swallows and Chimney Swifts. This was before the major rain storms moved through (they hit the boardwalk about 11 a.m.; but now, a little after 2 p.m., it appears they're moving on out of the area). I doubt that many birds left with the passage of the rain, so the birding should still be good this evening for anyone who can get out there.

It appears that the strong southerly flow of air will continue through the night tonight, Friday night. Even though there will be scattered showers, I suspect that more birds will come in tonight. Birders who are willing to dodge some showers on Saturday morning should be treated to a lot of migrants. The weather should be drier and sunnier on Sunday May 4, and there may not be quite as many migrants around then, but it should still be very worthwhile.

Magee boardwalk April 30 and coming days

The area of Magee Marsh had unsettled (and cold!) weather this week, which did not seem to produce any big arrivals of birds. But not many departed, either. On the boardwalk at Magee Marsh many of the same birds from Sunday and Monday were still there today, Wednesday, April 30, creating a satisfying amount of action for the birders who were there. At least 16 species of warblers were seen on the boardwalk today, with some of the notables being at least two Worm-eating Warblers (between numbers 5 and 10 on the boardwalk -- Hugh Rose reports that the birds were singing and easily seen during the morning), Yellow-breasted Chat (near number 30), a very cooperative Hooded Warbler (around no. 5), two active singing N. Parulas (no. 3 to 7), and a male Pine Warbler (no. 21). White-throated Sparrows and Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers were still abundant, Swamp Sparrow numbers were increasing, and a couple of White-eyed Vireos were singing and foraging conspicuously near numbers 4-8 on the boardwalk. Some individual Swainson's and Wood Thrushes and Veeries appear to have been in exactly the same spots since Sunday.

Tonight (Wednesday night) the winds locally are mostly from the east, but the larger weather maps show that there is a major air flow out of the south coming from far to the south of us and into this general area. This overall flow looks like it will continue through Friday at least. I'm predicting that a lot of birds will be riding this system and will move into the general area of northwest Ohio over the next few days, but it's hard to say whether the biggest migration day will be Thursday, Friday, or Saturday (May 1, 2, or 3). They might all be good days. A lot will depend on what happens with local rain and where the migrants get put down by inclement weather. Scattered showers are predicted for Friday and Saturday but I don't think they'll prevent the migrants from getting here.

If you're in the area on Saturday, don't forget that there will be a free bird-banding demonstration at the BSBO nature center (just north of Rt. 2 at the entrance to Crane Creek / Magee Marsh) starting at 10 a.m. and running until 11:30. And the BSBO hotdog stand and snack bar will be open during the middle of the day, in case you need to pause and refuel during your own migration!

Magee Marsh April 28

As predicted, Saturday (April 26 -- Audubon's birthday) was the best migration day of the spring so far in the Magee area. Numbers and variety were both excellent, with more than 20 species of warblers present, including southern "overflight" species like Worm-eating and Prairie and some that typically come later, such as multiple Blackpoll Warblers. Most of the vireos and thrushes were recorded, with a lot of Veeries and Swainson's Thrushes. Gray Catbirds and Yellow Warblers arrived in force, and White-throated Sparrows and Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers were again abundant.

As usual after this kind of big influx, the birding continued to be quite good on following days, with the numbers and variety falling off gradually. There were still a lot of birds on Sunday and good numbers today, Monday 4/28.

Today I didn't go to the Magee boardwalk until late afternoon and it certainly seemed that the birding was getting better later in the evening, perhaps because of birds filtering in from other areas. After 7 p.m. there was a huge amount of activity near the west end of the boardwalk, even though it was cold and threatening to rain. At one point I had a dozen Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, 30-odd warblers (Palm and Yellow-rumped), and at least 25 White-throated Sparrows around me, I was watching a Hooded Warbler and a Black-and-white Warbler while a Northern Parula and an Orchard Oriole were singing overhead, and I looked up to see an Osprey flying over carrying a fish. Lots of action! Of course the boardwalk is wonderful early in the morning, but it's worth remembering that it can also be very productive late in the day if that's the only time you can get there.

For some of today's birds that are likely to be around tomorrow as well -- the area near number 16 on the boardwalk had a lot of activity, including several Northern Waterthrushes. There are still a couple of Rusty Blackbirds near number 14 and a Winter Wren near number 4. Hooded Warbler and Blackpoll Warbler are being conspicuous between numbers 7 and 16. At least 3 Swainson's Thrushes were out working the north edge (beach side) of the west parking lot.

Tonight and Tuesday (4/29) are supposed to be fairly cold, with northerly winds and with rain tonight. The migrants that are currently in the area probably won't leave tonight, and on the basis of current weather predictions, I don't expect many to arrive before Thursday. We may get lucky again with the conditions setting things up for excellent birding again next weekend. But in the meantime there are enough birds around that it's worth getting out to any of the lakeshore migrant traps or any wooded areas if you get the chance during the week.

Weekend of April 26-27

Weather conditions seemed all wrong Thursday night (4/24), with winds mainly out of the east, but still there was a substantial arrival of migrants in the area overnight and a lot of birds around on Friday 4/25. Among the highlights reported were a Prairie Warbler at the woodlot at Metzger Marsh (Rick Nirschl and others) and a Worm-eating Warbler at the Magee boardwalk (observer?), plus more than a dozen other warbler species. There was also a good flight of Broad-winged Hawks during the day.

It looks like this weekend, April 26 and 27, should be excellent. There is still a strong wind flow out of the south but there is a weather front moving this way from the west; it appears the front will get here around dawn on Saturday, with rain and cooler temperatures, so any migrants that have gotten this far should be put down and should stay around.

Kim and I won't be there -- we're going over to the North Coast Nature Festival at Rocky River Reservation, put on by Cleveland Metroparks. (And the birding will be good there, too, of course!) If anyone is coming to Magee and wants some help finding birds, there's a guided birdwalk on Saturday morning put on by the Friends of Magee Marsh (meet at the west end of the boardwalk at 8:30) and one on Sunday sponsored by BSBO (meet at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory center at 8:00). These are free events. If you're birding the area on your own, don't forget that we have maps available for the Magee general area, for the boardwalk, and for Metzger Marsh, all of which can be downloaded if you follow the links to the right for Birding Hotspots.

Magee migrants April 24 and next weekend

After Wednesday's big arrival of migrants, today (Thursday 4/24) was a lot quieter on the boardwalk. Many of the White-throated Sparrows and Hermit Thrushes seem to have departed overnight. There were still decent numbers of Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers, lots of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and a scattering of other warblers like Pine, Nashville, and Black-throated Green Warblers, but it was definitely slower than the day before. The migrants may be spread out over areas south of the lakeshore; Kim K. found a Gray Catbird 8 miles south of the lake this morning, which isn't exceptionally early, but I hadn't seen any at the boardwalk yet this spring.

Local summer resident birds are continuing to build up in numbers. Yellow Warblers are becoming common along the road in to Magee Marsh, singing from all the willow thickets, even though there still aren't many migrant Yellows showing up in the lakeshore migrant traps themselves. On a day like today when the boardwalk isn't overly productive, it's worthwhile to go check out areas a little away from the lake, like the woodlots at Ottawa Natl Wildlife Refuge, or the Gallagher Trail or the Magee Walking Trail (to see the map for the Magee area, follow our link for birding hotspots).

Weather looks like it will be unsettled over the next few days. If the predictions hold, the wind will be some variation on easterly through tonight, shifting around to the south on Friday April 25. There may be strong south to southwest winds Friday night, possibly shifting around to west on Saturday and bringing thunderstorm activity. If the birds can dodge the storms, the next big arrival may be this Saturday, April 26.

Magee boardwalk active 4/23

Although the weather this morning didn't match the predictions, conditions overnight apparently were right and there was a big arrival of birds at the Magee boardwalk this morning. Big numbers of White-throated Sparrows, Palm Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Hermit Thrushes evidently arrived overnight, with a handful of other expected early migrants like Black-throated Green, Yellow, Black-and-white, and Nashville Warblers. More surprising was a scattering of individuals of species expected later in the spring. I found a Least Flycatcher near the west end of the boardwalk (ranging around numbers 4-5), a female Scarlet Tanager was working the area between numbers 8 and 16, and Rick Nirschl found a Great Crested Flycatcher and a Red-eyed Vireo farther east along the boardwalk. Birds seemed to be arriving in the area as the morning went on, so I expect there will be more species by later in the day.

Magee Marsh area, April 20-21

Despite the continued southerly air flow, around the Magee boardwalk and nearby areas the diversity of migrants dropped off with the cooler temperatures this weekend. Today (Monday April 21) the wind was light out of the east-northeast and it’s going to be more or less easterly tonight, gradually shifting around to south-southeast by Tuesday night. We may get an influx of migrants during the night Tuesday night if they can get here before the wind shifts again to northerly with rain, as it's possibly going to do on Wednesday morning.

Of course, there are still plenty of birds to look at. I sometimes get impatient for the arrival of the explosive full-on excitement of May migration and I have to remind myself to enjoy this time of anticipation. There aren’t many species of warblers yet but there aren’t many leaves, either, so it’s easy to see what’s around. At other times of year, like late fall, we may get used to having hordes of drab Yellow-rumped Warblers around, but right now is a good time to appreciate just how gorgeous the adult male of this species can be in full breeding plumage. It’s a good time for studying Palm Warblers and for listening to the freaky little song of Ruby-crowned Kinglets.

At Magee yesterday and today (4/20, 4/21) I was impressed with the differences between the boardwalk area and the east beach (wildlife beach) thickets. Around the boardwalk, most of the activity was near the west end: mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers, a few Palms, 2 Pines, 1 Yellow, 1 Nashville, 1 Orange-crowned on 4/21, a pair of Prothonotaries and a Black-and-white on 4/20. The area also has lots of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a few Golden-crowneds still, and a few Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. By 4/21 there had been a considerable arrival of House Wrens, starting to outnumber the Winter Wrens. On the wildlife beach I saw no warblers in a brief afternoon visit on 4/21 but I saw 2 Fox Sparrows, 4 Am. Tree Sparrows, and 3 Eastern Towhees, and the sparrows at least seem to be gone from the boardwalk by now. (The wildlife beach seems to be a good place to find "late" birds; for example, I’ve seen Palm Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets there in mid to late May when they had pretty much disappeared from the boardwalk.)

Swamp Sparrows are singing in the marsh along the causeway although they don’t seem to be up to full numbers yet. In the meantime, a big arrival of migrants is under way, with the birds stopping over in many kinds of dense thickets and wet woods, not just in marshes, often loosely associated with White-throated Sparrows.