June 1, 2010

Bird Watching Celebrations a Huge Success

 Bird watchers were out in force during the recent International Migratory Bird Day and Biggest Week In American Birding Celebrations at the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.  Over 50,000 birders from across the United States and from around the world, visited northwest Ohio May 1 - 16 to view migrating song birds.  Magee Marsh Wildlife Area naturalist Mary Warren said, “International Migratory Bird Day and The Biggest Week In American Birding brought many new people to Magee Marsh and it definitely was the busiest spring that I remember in my 16 springs that I have been here!  It is rewarding to see someone get excited about the bright orange throat of a Blackburnian warbler for the first time, or to see someone see a rare bird, like the Kirtland's warbler that was on our wildlife beach.  Many of the visitors were here for the first time and experiencing the joys of birding for the first time.  I think they will be back.”  Larry Fletcher, Executive Director of the Lake Erie Shores and Islands Welcome Center West states, “If not for the birding activity many tourism related businesses may not have had any guest during this time of year. Birders are coming from around the world because of the quality of spring migration birding in northwest Ohio.”

Owned and managed by the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie.  Before crossing the lake or following along the shoreline to more northerly breeding grounds, millions of song birds travel through the area.  A 7-acre woodlot situated directly on the lake shore is the epicenter of the birding.  Because of the popularity of the area, a boardwalk was constructed over a decade ago to facilitate birders.  What makes the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area unique is that birds can often be observed at arms length rather than at tree top level. Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge borders Magee Marsh and visitors had the opportunity to venture into normally closed portions of the refuge to view birds.  An auto tour was available to drive through the many different habitats found on the refuge. Rebecca Hinkle, Visitor Services Manager for the refuge says, “The Biggest Week In American Birding has been a great addition to the area and we are thrilled to have been a partner in such a wonderful event.  Many people picked up binoculars and identified birds for the first time.  Many more visited the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge for the first time and had the opportunity to learn about refuges and the opportunities they provide.  We were pleased with the event and with the wonderful comments we heard from those who attended and from the community.”

The Biggest Week In American Birding is a new celebration just initiated this year.  Sponsored by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Tropical Birding Tours, Kaufman Field Guides, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, The Biggest Week sought to highlight the many outstanding birding opportunities in northwest Ohio.  Black Swamp Bird Observatory Executive Director had this to say about the event, “By all estimations the inaugural Biggest Week In American birding festival was a smashing success. A personal highlight for me was the number of local people who got caught up in all the excitement we generated through the local news media and came out to try birding for the very first time. Getting people excited about birds and birding is the first step in building support for bird conservation, and that’s what this festival is really all about!”  Ian Campbell owner of Tropical Birding summed up the feelings of many participants, “The Lake Erie Marsh Region has become THE place to witness spring songbird migration in the Western Hemisphere. There’s no other place on the planet I want to be than northwest Ohio in May!”

The global appeal of birding is highlighted by the fact that 44 states were represented in the event registration with people visiting from around the globe, including: Spain, Kenya, Guam, Japan, Ecuador, England, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, and Mexico.  Retired Division of Wildlife biologist and Black Swamp Bird Observatory volunteer Mark Shieldcastle has watched the steady growth in popularity of birding in the area.  “From the first IMBD in the early 1990s when Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Division Of Wildlife, and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge joined forces to celebrate a single day of bird migration and attracted a few thousand bird watchers; to today, when that single day celebration became the “Biggest Week In American Birding” festival that brought tens of thousands of birders to the Lake Erie coast to marvel and woke the northwest Ohio business community to their natural treasure, bird economics, and the meaning of wildlife conservation; the real winners of this celebration are the feathered stars that brought all of us together and the future of migratory bird management as an integral component of the community of Northwest Ohio.” said Shieldcastle.

Planning is underway for next year’s events.  Check the following websites for periodic updates:

www.bsbobird.org

www.WildOhio.com

www.fws.gov/midwest/ottawa/

www.shoresandislands.com/itinerary/