Hello Birders,

Ohio's biggest birding event begins in just a few days. The Biggest Week In American Birding, centered on the Lake Erie shoreline in the northwest part of the state, runs May 4 to 13 this year. Subscribers to this listserve who plan to attend are probably registered already (I think today is the last day to register anyway), so this post is not intended as promotion. I just want Ohio's birding community to be aware of the good things accomplished by the event.

Staff and volunteers of Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) work literally all year to make sure that this event has the maximum benefit for the local communities, for bird conservation, and for birders. Some highlights to consider:

1. Community outreach. Birders sometimes tend to be a closed group - we spend too much time just talking to each other, not to the public. That's not the case with BSBO and the Biggest Week. Spring migration has now caught the attention of everyone from the baseball team to the art museum to members of Congress. The Toledo Mud Hens, arguably the most famous team in minor league baseball, are celebrating birding throughout the month of May: see http://www.bsbo.org/pdf/Mud_Hens_Ad_2012.pdf At the same time, the Toledo Museum of Art has a special exhibit that was inspired by the Biggest Week; see http://bsbo.org/pdf/For_the_Birds_Press_Release_032012.pdf And U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who represents this region in Congress, toured the area with BSBO and the Black Swamp Conservancy last spring, and she now includes birding in her standard list of great things about her district. That's a diverse set of audiences catching on to birding! I've been to birding festivals all over North America and I can tell you that VERY few have this kind of impact on public awareness.

2. Ecotourism effects. It's not surprising that BSBO's co-hosts for the Biggest Week include the county visitors' bureaus for Lucas, Ottawa, and Erie counties (Destination Toledo and Lake Erie Shores & Islands) and the Lodge at Maumee Bay State Park. These organizations recognize the festival's value to the economy of the region. Hotels, restaurants, stores, gas stations, and other businesses from Toledo to Sandusky benefit from the influx of birders. By making these businesses aware of this benefit, BSBO has helped to build support for habitat conservation. BSBO also has managed to arrange birders' discounts at an amazing number of places - something to keep in mind when you come to the area.

3. Benefits to birders. I hear "old-timers" complain about the crowding on the Magee Marsh boardwalk. But based on careful observation since 2005, I can say that the crowding at that spot was LESS during the last 2 years than it had been in the 4 preceding years. BSBO has actively promoted other birding sites in the general area, and the Biggest Week takes field trips out in all directions, away from the boardwalk. Every birder who comes to NW Ohio still visits the boardwalk, of course, but they don't spend all their time there any more, so the crowding on any given day is reduced from what it would have been before.

4. Recruitment of new birders / conservationists. I firmly believe the point made years ago by Roger Tory Peterson: we can create more support for conservation by creating more birders. And the excitement and publicity around the Biggest Week is helping to draw in brand new birders. People in the area can't help but hear about this event; curiosity brings them out to see what it's about, someone grabs them and shows them a Blackburnian Warbler or a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and they're hooked. It's tremendously exciting to me to see all these new birders here. People in other parts of North America complain about the aging demographics of birding, but the picture here is very different, with loads of younger people getting involved. BSBO works year-round to keep the atmosphere here just as welcoming, friendly, and inclusive as possible.

5. Conservation. Organizing and putting on the Biggest Week involves a huge amount of work by many people - many of whom are volunteers, and none of whom are making even minimum wage for the amount of time they put in. The driving motivation for most involved is a dedication to bird conservation. Indeed, conservation is at the heart of everything about Black Swamp Bird Observatory and the Biggest Week. I encourage you to read the information at this link for more background: http://bit.ly/IyQStF

Early May offers wonderful birding throughout Ohio, so many people on this listserve won't be attending The Biggest Week In American Birding, but I think we can all take pride in the fact that this event takes place here. It shines a very positive light on Ohio's birds and its birding community. It has drawn the support of birding organizations on the national level (such as Cornell Lab of Ornithology and American Birding Association) and on the regional level (such as Toledo Naturalists' Association, Kirtland Bird Club, and Columbus Audubon Society), as well as optics companies, tour companies, bird magazines, and scores of individual volunteers. I encourage everyone to take a few minutes to look over the website at http://www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/ and see what this event is all about.

Thanks and good birding -

Kenn Kaufman
Oak Harbor, Ohio





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