Magee Marsh Boardwalk 5/15--Cape May, Bay-breasted, & Blackburnian Warblers

Cape May Warbler (female)
Photos: Shari Zirlin

 The jewel of NW Ohio, the main reason for going, the destination for 70,000 birders during the week of the festival, is the boardwalk at Magee Marsh, approximately 1 mile of swamp forest dripping with warblers if you catch them at the right time. On Friday afternoon, after we returned from Oak Openings, it was the right time. You didn't really need binoculars, the birds were low in the branches and close to the boardwalk. Before we even entered onto the wooden trail we had a Blackburnian Warbler, and along the way we picked up Bay-breasted Warbler and Cape May Warbler. The last species had us confused as it was so drab--as female Cape Mays are. We also managed another Mourning Warbler and amazingly, it wasn't surrounded by a "bird jam" of frenzied birders and photographers.

Another cool bird for us to see was an Eastern Screech-Owl, very well camouflaged in the opening of a tree. It took a contortionist to see it but I think it was the first screech-owl I've seen since Texas.

Magnolia Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Mourning Warbler

29 species
Canada Goose  2     heard
Killdeer  1
Eastern Screech-Owl  1
Merlin  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Warbling Vireo  5
Blue Jay  1
Tree Swallow  3
House Wren  3
Swainson's Thrush  2
American Robin  2
Gray Catbird  1
Black-and-white Warbler  1
Mourning Warbler  1
Common Yellowthroat  2     heard
American Redstart  12
Cape May Warbler  2
Northern Parula  1
Magnolia Warbler  2
Bay-breasted Warbler  1
Blackburnian Warbler  1
Yellow Warbler  3
Chestnut-sided Warbler  1
Black-throated Blue Warbler  2
Black-throated Green Warbler  1                                                                                                              Northern Cardinal  1     heard
Red-winged Blackbird  10
Common Grackle  5
Baltimore Oriole  3

Black-throated Green Warbler