I decided to drive from Colorado so that I could do some additional exploring and visit my sister in Peoria, Illinois, along the way. I discovered on the trip that I did some things absolutely right and I missed a few opportunities by not planning as well as I could have or by not reacting as fast as I could have. But, we'll get to that ...
Biggest Week in American Birding
First, what is the BWIAB?
Sponsored by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, the 10-day Biggest Week In American Birding is held every year in early May to coincide with the peak of songbird migration. The festival's activities are concentrated in northwestern Ohio along the shores of Lake Erie from Toledo on the west to Erie County on the east.
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| I didn't provide a key because I am just showing how any sites there are; Map: BSBO |
This area is smack in the middle of one of the US' migratory flyways (in this case, the Mississippi Flyway) and is where many migrating birds take a brief break before heading out over Lake Erie to their spring breeding spots in Canada. Plus, some birds just come as far as Ohio and stop to breed there.
The location attracts lots of birds, but its claim to fame is as "The Warbler Capital of the World" because a wide variety of these tiny birds in colorful breeding plumage congregate here.
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| Colorful males: Cape May Warbler and American Redstart |
Many birds travel north in the spring and south in the fall. But their routes and behaviors differ between the two migrations.
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| Left: US Fish and Wildlife; Right: BirdCast radar map |
Spring migration lasts between March and late May, depending on the type of bird. The birds move quickly on their routes so that they can nab the best nesting territories. But, they cannot head north until the weather warms enough for there to be sufficient food, primarily insects. And, insects don't become plentiful until the trees and bushes start to leaf out.
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| Chestnut-sided Warbler with a snack |
Then, it's a mad rush along routes designed to offer the most expeditious travel and the best feeding areas.
Fortunately for birders in the north, foliage is not completely mature when spring migration happens. Trees and bushes are often getting their leaves, but there are no tall weeds in meadows yet and undergrowth is still developing. This makes it easier to see spring birds since they are not totally obscured by vegetation.
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| I said "easier," not "easy" |
And, that's important because many of the birds passing through Ohio are Warblers and Warblers love to hide in the leaves and flit around, making them hard to see and even harder to photograph.
Birds are in their best plumage in spring migration, because they will immediately try to attract a mate when they get to where they like to nest. So, much, much better for photos.
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| A bright red Summer Tanager |
Birds also sing a lot in the spring to attract a mate and to warn off other birds of their species. So, you typically hear more birds than you see, but can easily determine what to look for.
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| An appropriately named Song Sparrow |
This is great for folks who bird by ear and know birdsongs. I don't, but there are plenty of folks who do at BWIAB. Plus, the Merlin app from the Cornell School of Ornithology has a great birdsong ID feature.
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| Picking up a Red-eyed Vireo |
BWIAB offers bird identification workshops, daily guided field trips, keynote presentations, a Birders' Marketplace and evening socials with food and music.
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| Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center |
Instead, I booked a one-bedroom condo in Sand Beach, which is about 20 miles east of the resort.
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| I was on the far left; Photo: Booking.com |
Not only was the condo cheaper, but it gave me more room and a full kitchen. But that wasn't the attraction. I booked the condo because it was the closest place I could find to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, just six miles away.
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| I traversed this course many, many times |
Maumee Bay may be the headquarters, but Magee Marsh is the heart of the festival. Here is where a boardwalk winds through thick trees and underbrush (growing thicker every day as spring progressed) giving you a very up-close-and-in-person view of birds.
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| The birdiest place I've ever been; Lower left: Black-billed Cuckoo |
I took lots of field trips and saw a lot of the surrounding area, but Magee was where I saw the most variety and had the best opportunities for photos.
Before I headed out I did do some research and learned that, like most birding festivals, one must move quickly to get the field trips you want. I decided to attend the entire event, staying from May 9 to May 18. I wasn't sure if this would be too much, but I am so glad I did put in the time because every day was different. Indeed, the birds come in waves, so that the most common birds on May 9 were gone by the 18th and new birds were coming through.
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| Prothonotary Warblers were a constant |
Anyway, I learned that Black Swamp Bird Observatory members can get early registration and that an additional fee granted the earliest sign-up. I opted to go that way and still missed out on a few trips (mainly because I lost 15 minutes looking for my registration code that landed in my junk folder on registration day). I booked these field trips:
The Sky Dance: Woodcocks on the Wing, where we saw American Woodcocks' mating dance (more on this later)
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| Right: American Woodcock at Maumee,; Photo: Wildside Tours |
Off the Beaten Path, multiple parks in Wood and Sandusky Counties, including Creek Bend Farm, Nature Trails Park, White Star Park and Ringneck Ridge
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| Right: Baltimore Oriole at Creek Bend Farm |
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (I also visited Ottawa, which is adjacent to Magee Marsh and has both trails and a wildlife drive, several times on my own)
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| Right: Indigo Bunting on the walking trail |
Birding the Maumee River, which included multiple parks along the muddy Maumee River that feeds into Lake Erie, including Maumee River Rapids, Weirs Rapids, Otsego Park, Side Cut Metropark and Providence Metropark
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| Right: Blackpoll Warbler at Side Cut Park |
Private Lands, which visited areas not open to the public including Winous Point and Earth Heart Farms
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| Right: King Rail at Winous Point banding station |
The Wilds of Erie County, including Pipe Creek Wildlife Area and Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve
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| Right: Broad-winged Hawk at Sheldon Marsh |
Each of these trips cost about $60 each and included van transportation and excellent (volunteer) guides. I tipped guides even though very few attendees tipped and there were no tipping guidelines in the BWIAB FAQs (tipping culture is so tricky to figure out!).
On my last day, I did a final trip that was a "self-drive," meaning that we took our own cars to the destination. It was at Oak Openings Preserve Metropark in Toledo, which was on my way out of town.
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| Right: Cedar Waxwing at Oak Openings |
The talks I attended included:
Finches of US and Canada with Lillian Stokes and Matthew Young
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| The speakers co-authored a definitive guide to finches |
Man & Gull with Amar Ayyash
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| Right: Ring-billed Gull (with a Spotted sandpiper buddy) |
The Story of English and American Bird Names with Stephen Moss
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| Left: the Ovenbird, named for how it builds nests |
Snowy Owls & Lemmings in the Arctic with Denver Holt
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| Right: my photo of a Snowy Owl from Utqiagvik, Alaska |
I also attended the festival’s banquet at the Maumee Bay Lodge. My thinking was to do as much as I could while there, even though banquets can be tedious. This one was not. I had great tablemates (some even offering local birding tips), delicious food, interesting presentations and some BSBO swag.
The host was BSBO Executive Director Kim Kaufman, who talked about the history and mission of the festival and its impact on conservation and the local economy. The keynote speaker was Kim's husband, Kenn Kaufman, an internationally renowned birding writer, author and editor who talked about women who had significantly contributed to the development of modern birding. In today's environment, the event was marvelously multi-cultural and inclusive.
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| Kenn and Kim Kaufman; Photos: BWIAB |
In the end, I attended all the field trips I booked and only skipped out on one lecture because I was having too much fun on the Magee Marsh boardwalk.
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| My go-to spot |
And, I filled in all the other time birding on my own ...
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| ... primarily on the Magee Marsh boardwalk ... |
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| ... and the Ottawa NWR Crane Creek Estuary Trail |
I also made some forays to ...
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| Ottawa NWR walking trails (this one of many Indigo Buntings on the trail) ... |
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| The Ottawa NWR wildlife drive (this is a Great Egret I spotted on one drive) ... |
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| Maumee Bay State Park Nature Center (this is a Red-headed Woodpecker) ... |
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| Howard Marsh (here is a Killdeer on the path) ... |
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| Metzger Marsh (this is an eastern Kingbird) ... |
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| Trails behind the Black Swamp Bird Observatory offices (this is a Gray Catbird) ... |
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| The Magee Marsh Visitors Center (this is a Bay-breasted Warbler) |
I am providing all these locations now because I am not going to do a play-by-play on each trip, nor will I tell you where each bird photo is from unless it is really relevant.
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| For example, the Bald Eagle Nest just off the Magee Marsh Boardwalk |
While I was booking everything, I shaped the rest of my trip. So, before I go into more detail on BWIAB or share the many, many bird photos I took, I am going to cycle back to May 3 when I left my house to head east.
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| Monument Rocks, Kansas |
In my next post.
Trip dates: May 3-21, 2025
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