Guided walks around our local area parks and preserves give a chance to get to know one another, study birds in their natural habitat, get a better understanding of seasonal distribution and enjoying our Firelands area. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in this part of the state and there is always the exciting possibility of adding to that list!
Join us at any of our open to the public walks. Just bring your binoculars and have fun.
Norwalk Reservoirs (Huron County) - Bird Hike
June 24, 7:00pm
Meeting location TBA
The Norwalk Reservoirs are a cluster of three reservoirs just southeast of Norwalk. Each reservoir is its own eBird hotspot, with the largest reporting nearly 200 species. We may see and hear birds such as Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Wood-Pewees, and Warbling Vireos, many of which are accomplished singers, so this is a great time to work on recognizing birds by their songs!
Birding hotspots info: Norwalk Memorial Reservoir
Ohio DNR official website (includes map): Norwalk Reservoirs Fishing Area
Warbling Vireo
Green Heron
Sheldon Marsh (Erie County) - Bird Hike
July 23, 7:00pm
2715 Cleveland Rd W, Huron, OH 44839
Meet at parking lot.
Sheldon Marsh, located between Sandusky and Huron, is one of the top birding spots in Erie County. It's an easy, accessible 1-mile hike (on a paved path) straight out to the lakefront. We may to see birds like Wood Ducks, Great Egrets, Great Blue and Green Herons, American Herring Gulls, and of course Bald Eagles. (Last year on this hike, a rare Yellow-crowned Night-Heron landed right in front of the group!)
Birding hotspots info (includes map): Sheldon Marsh Nature Preserve
Ohio DNR official website: Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve
Huron impoundment (Erie County) - Bird Hike
August 26, 7:00pm
30 Main St, Huron, OH 44839 (pier)
Meet at parking lot.
At the end of Main St. in Huron is the pier, and at the end of the pier there is a semicircular sheltered area that is one of the hottest birding spots in the area in late summer. To get there, you need to hike to the end of the pier as well as walking out over the rocks, which are comfortably wide, but it's not an even surface, so sturdy, stable shoes are a must. (There can also be great birds all along the pier, if you prefer not to go all the way out!) Just at this time of year, there are records of at least 6 gull species, 4 tern species, and well over 20 shorebird species--which ones will we see?
Birding hotspots info (includes map): Huron Harbor--Impoundment
Ohio DNR official website: Huron Harbor West Pier
