A fledgling birding festival that hatched 15 years ago has become an international event drawing visitors from around the world to northwest Ohio. While the stars of the show at the Biggest Week in American Birding (BWIAB) are migrating warblers, there are dozens of other species which draw crowds from every state and continent including wading and shore birds, tanagers, songbirds, waterfowl and raptors.
Tourism officials estimate more than 80,000 visitors participate in birding activities in the region during the month though the festival itself runs just 10 days, from May 9 to May 18. Official conference registration, which includes more than 100 field trip options at additional cost, is available in-person at Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center beginning May 8 as well as online.
Full-color 96-page guides are available free at most gas stations, convenient stores and restaurants in the region. The publication features field trips, a bird field guide and numerous articles on birds, migration, birding and wildlife sites in the region, dozens of which are free and open to non-registered attendees.
The large number of people that flock to the region each May has earned Lucas and Ottawa counties the nickname “The Warbler Capital of the World.”
A prothonotary warbler at Magee Marsh. (Photo by James Proffitt)
“On paper, Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) is a non-profit organization founded by a group of scientists studying bird migration,” explained Kimberly Kaufman, executive director. “But in practice we’re one of the most effective non-profits connecting people to birds, the joy of birding and understanding their role in habitat conservation.”
While there are more than 35 established birding sites spread across several counties, the two hotspots for getting up-close-and-personal with dozens of warbler species are the boardwalks at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area and Maumee Bay State Park. Both give folks a breathtaking, intimate look at the birds.
Warblers: tiny and amazing
“This is a family of birds that are very tiny, very colorful and they sing very interesting songs,” Kaufman said. “If you work very hard during spring migration you can see 37 different species from Magnolia warblers to Blackburnian warblers to American redstarts and Black-throated blues. They have very interesting names, too.”
A black-throated blue warbler on Maumee Bay State Park boardwalk. (Photo by James Proffitt)
She said the region’s geography — marshes and woodlands on the shore of a large body of water — makes it the perfect site for warblers to eat and rest before continuing their journeys to Alaska and Canada as far north at the Yukon Territory. The tiny birds, many weighing only as much as a ball point pen, generally fly solo and att night.
“They instinctively know when to migrate and where to migrate to,” Kaufman said. “There are theories but I don’t know if anyone has really come up with a solid answer. It’s just magic, and for some people it’s really just a spiritual thing, honestly.”
Citing just one amazing example, the Blackpole warbler she explained, migrates south after breeding in the far north, moving through Ohio then turning east to the Atlantic coast. From there, it will head south again spending 80 hours in the air over open ocean often traveling to the tip of Brazil in a single flight.
Biggest Week supports science, conservation
While BWIAB is the public face of BSBO, its long-running research program is the nuts-and-bolts. Mark Shieldcastle, research director, said the organization has spent decades creating long-term data sets on bird migration as well as conducting more specialized studies.
“We have one of the largest and longest-running stations in the country,” he said. “That’s the kind of data which is going to give us an indication of how birds are reacting toward climate change and other issues. Those long-term data sets are few and far between.”
Banding migratory birds is one of the methods used by BSBO to track long-term trends. (Photo by James Proffitt)
Shieldcastle said it can be difficult to obtain funding for scientific studies which don’t offer quick answers to specific questions. But nonetheless, BSBO continues to monitor birds and their migrations. In addition, they also work on smaller studies, like current projects with Metroparks Toledo.
“We’re monitoring the maturation of Howard Marsh Metropark and how birds are responding to that. We’ve been doing that almost a decade now. We’re seeing it from when it was cornfields and that’s kind of rare,” he said. “We’re also in our third year of monitoring a Metroparks project looking at the feasibility of using cattle grazing in some of their areas where prairie grass has become monocultural. Prescribed fires aren’t easy to do in populated areas and of course the buffalo isn’t here any more.”
Shieldcastle said that between larger long-term studies and smaller localized studies for conservation partners, he hopes BSBO is part of needed solutions. In another study, his office has been monitoring climate-related changes in vegetation that might affect migratory birds.
A blackburnian warbler at Magee Marsh. (Photo by James Proffitt)
“It does appear vegetation seems to be emerging earlier, with warm spells in March,” he explained. “Insects are emerging earlier but the birds are still arriving at their normal time. Because of this, species without built-in flexibility will suffer, those without the ability to adapt quickly. But the Arctic species are the ones that are going to be in trouble. The ones nesting in the far north — as it warms, where will they go?”
Recent bird trends in northwest Ohio
Two larger species that have long since been absent from the region have returned, the American white pelican and the Sandhill crane.
“Sandhill cranes are a species that’s not new, they’re a native species in northwest Ohio but with habitat loss and other issues, those birds were pretty much gone from the area,” Kaufman explained. “Twenty-five years ago it was really unusual to see a crane in the Western Basin of Lake Erie and now they’re breeding again in the marshes.”
Searching for shore birds along Lake Erie is a major draw for BWIAB. (Photo by James Proffitt)
She describes sandhills as big, stately birds with a rich rest-red crown on their heads. They can stand nearly four feet tall with wingspans six feet or more.
“And the sound, I hope people will Google Sandhill crane call , it’s a sound of the wilderness. When you see a flock of Sandhill cranes fly over it’s incredible, but when you hear them, I just don’t know, it stirs your soul,” she exclaimed.
American white pelicans have also recently begun returning to the area in great numbers after a long absence. They’re massive birds weighing up to 30 pounds and with wingspans up to nine feet.
“They’ve come roaring back on their own,” Kaufman said. “That’s an expansion of their range into this area and I’m pretty sure last year was the first confirmed breeding pair of white pelicans on Lake Erie islands in the Great Lakes. They’re prolific breeders and so we should see American white pelicans continue to grow and what an incredible sight to see them fly overhead, massive white birds with extensive black wingtips. It’s really exciting to see them coming back.”
A new tourism season
According to Mark Stahl, a 17-year Ottawa County commissioner, BWIAB is the county’s largest single tourism event.
“It’s one that’s really out-of-season,” he said, as this event occurs before the boating, islands and general tourism season really kicks off around Memorial Day, so it’s really a benefit to the county, its residents and businesses.
Kimberly Kaufman said birders from other nations go nuts for the northern cardinal a bird most have never glimpsed. (Photo by James Proffitt)
“You see birders out on the boardwalk in Lucas County and at Magee Marsh in Ottawa County all the way to Marblehead, they’re everywhere. We’ve seen a bump upward in sales tax when the birders come in and it’s been pretty consistent.”
Kaufman said BWIAB simply took advantage of the natural phenomena of migration.
“Quite frankly, we created a birding tourism season that simply didn’t exist before,” she said. “We know a lot about migratory birds, what species are arriving when and we wove that into our marketing. It’s a very decentralized event and that’s by strategy. We’ve built this into one of the most iconic birding destinations on the continent.”
In the past birding has often been associated with older white people with plenty of discretionary income, but Kaufman said BWIAB, and birding in general, is everything but that.
“We work hard to offer birding opportunities that cost nothing and we have free, accessible field trips every day,” she said. “Our guides will take you out and teach you how to use binoculars, how to find and identify birds, it’s very welcoming. It’s so easy to participate and we even have equipment people can borrow if they don’t have a binocular.”
The boardwalk at Magee Marsh. (Photo by James Proffitt)
Novice birders on either boardwalk are sure to see warblers and get an earful of chirping from birds and birders.
“The people here are so knowledgeable and friendly and it makes sense,” Kaufman said. “It’s human nature that when you find something beautiful or exciting you want to share it with someone, you want to show them or tell them about it. And birding is no different.”
In addition to establishing North America’s largest birding festival, BSBO has pioneered the promotion of federal duck stamps which in the past were aimed solely at hunters, to the birding crowd. Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation stamps and Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamps are sold to help pay for conservation projects related to migratory birds and wetlands.
“Most people think birders and hunters are diametrically opposed to one another, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Kaufman explained. “There’s so much common ground. We’ve found that when you market the stamps to birders they will readily and eagerly buy it.”
She said the more people learn about migratory birds, the more they’ll want to see them.
A bay-breasted warbler at Maumee Bay State Park. (Photo by James Proffitt)
“It’s not just that the birds are beautiful and sing amazing songs, it’s that what they accomplish is just so moving and inspiring it keeps you going out there on this amazing treasure hunt,” she said.
Stahl agreed, saying BWIAB is a great opportunity to get away and garner a new experience.
“With everything that’s going on in the world I’m thankful we have a place in the region where people can just sit back and relax and enjoy the unique setting and the wildlife.”
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Featured image: The boardwalk at Magee Marsh. (Photo by James Proffitt)
