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BIGGEST WEEK IN AMERICAN BIRDING
2014
Birding as easy as a walk in the (Metro) park By Scott Carpenter Metroparks Public Relations Chasing birds around the globe is a passion for avid birders, but you don’t have to rack up frequent flyer miles to find new feathered friends. A birding adventure can be as easy as a walk in the park. Northwest Ohio has an abundance of birds and plenty of places to see them. The 10 Metroparks of the Toledo Area offer more than 150 miles of trails to explore; panoramic riverside views; and warm, dry Windows on Wildlife where you can search for birds any day of the year, 7 a.m. to dark. There is no admission fee to enter, and free or lowcost programs are available year round if you want to learn more. Wherever you are in Lucas County, you’re probably no more than a few minutes from a Metropark. The regional park system preserves 11,500 acres of natural area where locals and visitors alike can observe an ever-changing array of birds. Near The Lake Pearson, in Oregon, is closest to the Lake Erie shore. Preserving one of the last pieces of the Great Black Swamp, the park offers a variety of birding experiences. The original, 300-acre park, with an entrance on Lallendorf Road at State Route 2 (Navarre Avenue), is a swamp woods with well-warn paths and charming Depression era stone shelters. A Window on Wildlife overlooks feeding stations where you are likely to see a variety of birds, especially warblers during migration. Other species to look and listen for are woodpeckers, oriole, red-eyed vireo, ovenbird, scarlet tanager, redstart, woodthrush, hermit thrush and flycatchers. Until only a few years ago, Pearson North, a 300 acre addition with an entrance on Seaman Road, was a farm field with a small woodlot. Today, it is a wetland in the process of being restored. Gone are the ceramic tiles that once drained the “swamp,” replaced with a meandering stream that diverts runoff water onto the land, creating a giant bird bath. From an observation deck adjacent to a late-1800s Black Swamp Cabin, visitors can view a variety of water-loving birds. It is common to see killdeer, great egrets and great blue herons, adding a whole new dimension to birding in the popular park. In The City Swan Creek Preserve, in South Toledo with entrances on State Route 2 (Airport Highway) and Glendale Avenue, is an oasis in the city. Just
Birders at Oak Openings Preserve, the largest of the Metroparks. Located in Swanton, Ohio, the preserve is a popular destination for beginning and avid birders. (Metroparks Photo) steps from a busy highway, a visitor can disappear into a mature woods, hop on a trail through a meadow or down to the floodplain of the park’s namesake stream, Swan Creek, a major tributary to the Maumee River. In addition to a wide assortment of birds, including migrating warblers, the preserve is known for having an impressive display of wildflowers in early spring. Wildlife you may encounter include raccoons, mink, muskrat and (just before dark) screech owls. A Window on Wildlife at the Yager Center (Airport Hwy entrance) overlooks a very active bird feeding station. On The River Side Cut Metropark, in Maumee, is best known as a destination for fishermen during the spring walleye run. That’s when tens of thousands fish swim upriver to drop their eggs in the protective cobblestone below the rapids. Here is also where you will find wading birds fishing the rapids or the occasional bald eagle overhead. Upland areas away from the river are good places to scout for songbirds. Side Cut, which includes a chain of Maumee River islands, is listed as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society. Upriver, Farnsworth and Bend View, in Waterville, and Providence, near Grand Rapids, are three Metroparks along the Maumee that are connected by an 8-mile Towpath Trail. The trail corridor is an excellent place to view migrating warblers. You might see or hear a noisy king fisher, or even witness an osprey or bald eagle fishing the river. Tree swallows are often seen at Providence, where they nest in natural cavities or birdhouses. In The ‘Oaks’ More than 250 species of birds are listed on the Oak Openings Preserve checklist. The park, and the larger Oak Openings Region of which it is a part, is
a premier birding destination in the region. Listed as an Audubon Important Bird Area, “The Oaks” attracts novice and advanced birders alike. Lark sparrows, a state-listed endangered species, nest on the dunes and the tiny, federally-endangered Karner blue butterfly flits about in the prairies. Oak Openings is a rare collection of habitats, from sand barrens to grassy wetlands, and the home of more rare and endangered plant species than anywhere else in Ohio. From the tiniest warblers to largest birds of prey, Oak Openings is a birder or botanist’s paradise. As the largest Metropark, with more 3,700 acres and trails from just a half-mile to more than 15 miles, there is also plenty of room to roam. Camping is available, too. Wildwood Preserve in West Toledo and Secor Metropark in Berkey are also within the Oak Openings region. All three Metroparks have very active Windows on Wildlife for easily viewing birds in all seasons. Learn More Metroparks of the Toledo Area has more than five dozen programs every month about the nature, history and culture of the Toledo region. In May, many of those programs – naturally! – focus on the songbirds that are migrating through the area. Each Thursday morning in May, you can have Coffee With The Birds from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in the Window on Wildlife at Wildwood Preserve, 5100 W. Central Avenue, Toledo. Come to the Metz Visitors Center to look for migrating warblers with a park naturalist while sipping shade-grown coffee provided by Wild Birds Unlimited. Ongoing programs for adults include Bird Study and Birders of a Feather. For a complete list of parks and programs, visit MetroparksToledo.com Scott Carpenter is an outdoor writer and director of public relations for Metroparks of the Toledo Area.