The Warbler Capital of the World
- Stephanie Pikulski
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Talk to any birder, and they will inevitably bring up Magee Marsh in Northern Ohio.
Magee Marsh is a world famous birding location, attracting thousands of avid birders over just a few weeks in May every year.
During the spring migration, warblers and other birds who spend the winter in Central and South America make the long trek north, sometimes as far as the Arctic circle to breed. On this arduous journey, these birds often need to stop and rest. Magee Marsh, located on the south shore of Lake Erie, is the perfect place for that. Many of the birds that find themselves in the marsh will need to continue their journey by flying over Lake Erie. The marsh provides perfect habitat for them to rest, feed, and wait until weather conditions are favorable to fly over the lake. Additionally, the birds are all trying to find a mate during this time of year, and are therefore all singing their hearts out. Fans of the bird app Merlin will apprecaite a stroll on the boardwalk as the app lights up with dozens of bird species. Interestingly, if you visit during the fall migration, you won't hear much of anything as the birds have no reason to sing!
Side note - have you ever seen the bird radar? There are so many birds in the skies during spring migration that meteorologists can pick them up on doppler radar! How cool!?
David and I made the 5 hour trip to Magee in mid May to witness this amazing spectacle. While the marsh offers a variety of birds all year, the middle of May is prime warbler viewing as its the peak of migration.
We started out each morning around 6 am, arriving at the marsh just as the sun was rising (and before the crowds got there!). Though we were often calling it quits by mid morning when the heat was climbing to 80 degrees, we saw more birds in just a few square miles than I've seen in entire nature preserves. I even got to cross a few birds off of my lifer list, like the scarlet tanager and indigo bunting!
Enjoy!
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