Update from Magee Marsh and nearby sites in Ottawa and Lucas counties, northwest Ohio:For the last three days, Tuesday through Thursday, April 26-28, warblers and other neotropical migrants have been all over n.w. Ohio, especially the migrant traps along the Lake Erie shoreline.Looking ahead, it appears that the weekend of April 30 / May 1 should be very good in the area.Although I don’t expect a massive arrival, the numbers and variety should be enough to keep us busy and happy through the weekend.

The weather has been so unsettled that the forecasts are being revised frequently, so any bird predictions are a little uncertain, but here is how it looks at the moment.

Tonight (Thursday April 28) the wind was still strong out of the west-southwest at dusk.With overcast skies and wind shifting to west, it’s not a great night for migration, so some of the hordes of birds present today should stick around.By mid-morning Friday, winds are supposed to shift toward the west-northwest.Those winds (not conducive to local migration) are supposed to continue through Friday evening, shifting to more northwest and then north during the night – and then swinging back around to southwest and then south just before dawn on Saturday!That might sound as if it would merely leave the birds confused; but forecasts show a low-pressure area approaching from the west and a high-pressure area moving off eastward over the Appalachians, and between them a sustained flow of air coming from the south.So despite the seemingly contrary winds for much of Friday night, I’m guessing that we’ll have a good arrival of new birds on Saturday morning.Saturday should be a good day to be outdoors, too, with diminished winds and fairly warm temperatures.Sunday may produce even more migrants, but it’s also likely to rain again, a factor to take into account.

Currently present in the area:Thursday 4/28 produced a phenomenal movement of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and excellent numbers of Palm Warblers, to go with the abundant Yellow-rumps.Based on what I saw and on reports from others, at least 23 warbler species were present between Magee Marsh and Metzger Marsh on this day, with highlights including Yellow-throated Warbler at both sites and Kentucky, Hooded, and Prairie warblers at Magee.These four warblers are all “overflight” species in this part of the state: they breed mostly farther south, and they often show up on the lake shore in late April when they overshoot or overfly their breeding range.(Several years ago, Mark Shieldcastle dubbed the late April wave the “Overflight Wave” because of the predictable occurrence of these southerners.)

In addition to the warblers, medium-sized songbirds like Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, and Baltimore Oriole have reached Lake Erie, and we have had the first big daytime flights of Blue Jays.Broad-winged and Sharp-shinned hawks are scattered around as single birds, and I saw a Black Vulture, rare in n.w. Ohio, flying north over the town of Oak Harbor during strong winds on Wednesday April 27.The Tricolored Heron found by Sherrie Duris several days ago was seen as recently as Thursday morning along the causeway at Metzger Marsh.

For anyone coming to bird n.w. Ohio, remember that Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) maintains “birding pages” with a lot of free information to help you make the most of your visit, at http://www.bsbo.org/birding/
These pages include detailed “birding maps” for several sites that can be downloaded and printed, a local bird checklist also available for free download, information on local restaurants and lodging, and more.I also write reports and predictions on the migration, frequently updated at this time of year; these can be accessed through the birding pages or at http://cranecreekbirding.blogspot.com/

Black Swamp Bird Observatory is located just north of Route 2 at the entrance to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, halfway between Toledo and Port Clinton.The observatory’s shop and “window on wildlife” will be open essentially every day from now through the end of May; if you’re birding in the area, consider stopping by for the latest information or copies of our maps, or to tell us what you’ve seen.
Kenn Kaufman
Editor, Kaufman Field Guides series
http://www.kaufmanfieldguides.com/
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