Have you heard the birds?
That’s not your imagination. We’re in the height of spring nesting and migrating season and the early-morning backyard songfest can be deafening. Isn’t it great?
The red-breasted grosbeaks started showing up in Northeast Ohio about two weeks ago. They may be checking out your bird feeders, fresh from their migration from Mexico and Central America.
May is a wonderful month to see a wide variety of birds in your backyard. And if you’ve got birdhouses, wreaths or other handy spots for a nest, you’ll probably see robins, bluebirds, wrens and others tending their young.
Below is information from Lake Metroparks about local birding trails, if you’re not getting enough backyard bird action. Learn more at lakemetroparks.com/events-activities/activities/birding.
Important Bird Areas provide essential habitat for one or more species of birds and include sites that birds use during their nesting season, during the winter and/or while they are migrating. Usually, these sites stand out as special from the surrounding landscape. Lake Metroparks has three parks that are of particular interest to birders, as they are designated Important Bird Areas by Audubon Ohio for their role as breeding areas and places of rest and feeding during migration: Chagrin River Park, Girdled Road Reservation and Hell Hollow Wilderness Area.
Lake Erie Birding Trail
Lake Metroparks is part of the Lake Erie Birding Trail, a series of 84 premier birding locations along Ohio’s north coast coordinated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.
A birding trail is a directory of the most productive and accessible birding sites in an area with the goal of bringing people to the birds. The Lake Erie Birding Trail closely follows the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation America’s Byways program, and covers Ohio’s entire 312-mile coastline. The 84 trail sites represent more than 30 federal, state, county and local park districts and management agencies.
The Lake Erie Birding Trail is divided into seven loops. The sites within each loop are similar in habitat type and landscape. Six Lake Metroparks are featured:
Ashtabula loop: Arcola Creek Park (Madison Twp.)
Cleveland loop:
- Hell Hollow Wilderness Area (Leroy Twp.)
- Girdled Road Reservation (Concord Twp.)
- Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park (Fairport Harbor)
- Penitentiary Glen Reservation (Kirtland)
- Chapin Forest Reservation (Kirtland)
Before You Go
Spend time enjoying your backyard birds. Watch your feeders… learn bird postures, silhouettes, habits, songs and calls, where they like to hide and feed. Pretty soon you will know them without having to go through a list of field marks.
In the spring, Northeast Ohio is alive with migratory birds and residents. Our lakeshore habitats are known for sheltering colorful warblers and other songbirds that return as daylight increases and the weather warms. Lake Erie Bluffs, Lakeshore Reservation and Chagrin River Park are excellent locations for a bird walk.
Try to set aside plenty of time, know the trail, walk quietly and avoid the urge to chit chat. Covering the same route regularly is a great way to become more observant and better understand how that habitat is being used.
What to Bring on a Bird Walk
- Field guides (mobile apps are also helpful)
- Binoculars
- Water & snacks
- A hat
- Comfortable shoes
- A jacket (dressing in layers is ideal)
- A checklist or journal for notes
