Northwest Ohio: Spring Migration

Branded as the “Warbler Capital of the World”, Northwest Ohio and the famous Magee Marsh boardwalk are one of the best areas to witness spring migration in North America! The convergence of several migration routes, the bird-blocking effect of Lake Erie, and a fine mix of habitats combine to produce a remarkable number and diversity of Neotropical migrants. Nearly all woodlots will be filled with song as breeding males work their way closer to their northern breeding grounds. Raptors and shorebirds should also be passing through in numbers, while we will be able to catch up with a good number of lingering waterfowl as well. This is a migration spectacle well worth experiencing!

In addition to Magee Marsh, we’ll visit a number of other productive and less crowded birding sites including Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Metzger and Howard Marshes, Pearson Metropark, Oak Openings Preserve, and—in southeast Michigan—Pointe Mouillee. Most days we’re likely to encounter more than one hundred species and we hope to see 30 species of warbler before the tour concludes.