Tom and I decided to take a day trip to Lake Erie and do some birding at Magee Marsh, Metzgar Marsh and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Migrating warblers and other birds stop at all three places before starting the next leg of their journey across Lake Erie to nesting grounds in Canada and the far north.
We invited a friend who is a beginning birder to come with us. This was his first time to walk the Magee Marsh boardwalk. It was a perfect day, a Fall-out Day. There was a wind in the upper trees which drove the birds down. We saw many of them within a couple feet of us at eye level. To make the day even better, the temperature was in the sixties. (Fahrenheit)
When we arrived at the boardwalk, we were hungry so we had a picnic lunch before starting out on the boardwalk.
The birds were flitting about in the branches in front of the van. I laid out lunch. Tom and our friend birded. One of the first warblers that checked us out was a Northern Parula. Our friend had seen the bird earlier in the week while on the Miami County Bike Trail but could not positively identify it. He had no doubt this time.
"It's the bird I saw on the bike trail."
Northern Parula
We also saw a Baltimore Oriole during our lunch.
Baltimore Oriole
We were birding one day after the end of the Biggest Week in American Birding so there were still quite a few people on the boardwalk.
In the parking lot we saw cars and vans from all over the country as well as a few from Canada.
My favorite sighting was a Black-throated Blue warbler. Tom was off down the boardwalk making his own discoveries. John and I watched it with delight. Better than seeing the bird was sharing it with someone who was seeing it for the first time. Even though I have seen the bird beforeI didn't know that the blue feathers on its back are iridescent. This time he was so close it was easy to see his shining feathers.
Black-throated Blue
Other warblers that we saw...
Black-throated Green
Cape May
Bay-Breasted
Blackburnian
Blackpoll
Chestnut-sided
Magnolia
American Redstart
We invited a friend who is a beginning birder to come with us. This was his first time to walk the Magee Marsh boardwalk. It was a perfect day, a Fall-out Day. There was a wind in the upper trees which drove the birds down. We saw many of them within a couple feet of us at eye level. To make the day even better, the temperature was in the sixties. (Fahrenheit)
When we arrived at the boardwalk, we were hungry so we had a picnic lunch before starting out on the boardwalk.
The birds were flitting about in the branches in front of the van. I laid out lunch. Tom and our friend birded. One of the first warblers that checked us out was a Northern Parula. Our friend had seen the bird earlier in the week while on the Miami County Bike Trail but could not positively identify it. He had no doubt this time.
"It's the bird I saw on the bike trail."
We also saw a Baltimore Oriole during our lunch.
We were birding one day after the end of the Biggest Week in American Birding so there were still quite a few people on the boardwalk.
My favorite sighting was a Black-throated Blue warbler. Tom was off down the boardwalk making his own discoveries. John and I watched it with delight. Better than seeing the bird was sharing it with someone who was seeing it for the first time. Even though I have seen the bird beforeI didn't know that the blue feathers on its back are iridescent. This time he was so close it was easy to see his shining feathers.
Other warblers that we saw...
What a fun day! The only warbler I could identify with is the Redstart as we get that one here! Great photos Tom! :)
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