It's great to have so much information available for the Magee Marsh / Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge area. I would imagine that most of the people on this listserv have been to Magee, but for those that haven't..... If you haven't had the experience of birding this area during the month of May -- check out Kenn Kaufman's, "Best Bets for Birding the Crane Creek / Magee Region" _www.bsbobird.org/birding_ (http://www.bsbobird.org/birding) -- and GO THERE! It's amazing! While there are many wonderful places in Ohio to enjoy spring migration, the boardwalk at Magee is perhaps the finest. And not just in Ohio! Tens of thousands of people from across the country (and other countries) will visit this area because the birding is so spectacular. What makes it so great? The fact that in most years the trees have not fully leafed out during early May making the birds really easy to see. The birds are often foraging low -- offering stunning eye-level views. The boardwalk is expansive -- winding its way along approx. seven acres of great habitat -- of which, I'm sorry to say, there is very little left along the Lake shore. Most of these areas have been developed so there is this sort of funneling effect, piling the birds into the few remaining areas of habitat left. It's a sad commentary on the state of things -- but it does provide amazing opportunities for birders. It also provides opportunities for teaching visitors about the value of these remaining areas! Each Saturday during the month of May, the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) assisted by members of the Ohio Young Birders Club, will be offering FREE bird banding demonstrations and migration programs at the BSBO headquarters located just inside the entrance to Magee Marsh and Crane Creek State Park. Programs will take place from 10:00 - 11:30 AM and will offer detailed information on BSBO's migration studies, including what we've learned during the more than 20 years that BSBO has been studying migration in the Lake Erie Marsh Region. Visitors will have the opportunity to study beautiful spring warblers, thrushes, and vireos up close, and learn more about the amazing passage of these birds as they utilize the critical stopover habitat that this area provides. Basic bird identification will be included, so bring your favorite field guide! Join us for this unique opportunity! More information is available at _www.bsbobird.org_ (http://www.bsbobird.org) One final note -- (and I know that my local birding buddies will curse me for this!) but... For many years we were birding the Magee area before it became so famous. This was before the existence of the Boardwalk when there was just a trail winding its way through the area and you could find a parking space in the lot on any given day in the month of May. (remember those days?.....) During those days the trail became known as "the bird trail" because, well, it was a trail - and there were tons of birds there. The local birders still know exactly where you're referring to when you say the bird trail. But now we locals are joined by thousands of birders from across the country. There are many walking trails in the area now, including some great trails at Ottawa NWR and even a short (but sweet) trail at BSBO that offer great looks at Eastern Meadowlarks and American Woodcocks! So, you can see how it can be confusing to folks visiting for the first time when we talk about "the bird trail." We've managed to break ourselves of this old habit and have started refering to it as "The Magee Boardwalk" because then EVERYBODY knows what we're talking about! Yikes! I know I'm going to take some heat for this. But hey, I'm used to it! : ) Great birding! Kim Kaufman Education Director Black Swamp Bird Observatory **************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851) ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]