Hi all - I highly recommend the BSBO sight. I'm an information junkie and the maps are a great addition to my files. Cooper's hawk and a sharpie tormented the birds feeding in my backyard today. Sandy Brown Akron --- On Thu, 2/25/10, Kenn Kaufman <[log in to unmask]> wrote: From: Kenn Kaufman <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: [Ohio-birds] Regarding "new-to-the-area" status To: [log in to unmask] Date: Thursday, February 25, 2010, 1:00 PM For birders newly arrived in this region, Troy Shively has just provided an excellent overview of the birding opportunities throughout the state. The birding community in Ohio is generally very open and welcoming to newcomers; the fact that an expert like Troy takes the time to provide so much information is a good indication of that. Troy ended his post by mentioning a mid-May visit to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area (Ottawa and Lucas counties, n.w. Ohio) as the one "must-see" birding destination. Many birders would agree. I just wanted to point out that the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO), located at the entrance to Magee, maintains a set of online "birding pages" with detailed information on birding in northwest Ohio; the pages can be accessed here: http://www.bsbo.org/Birding/ From the home page you can link to "Birding hotspots: directions and maps," with detailed birding maps for Magee Marsh, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, and other best sites in this area. The page also links to notes about timing of the migration, area hotels and restaurants, and other kinds of logistical info. During migration seasons, there are also frequent updates on what is being seen locally, as well as predictions for the next day's migration based on analysis of the weather forecast. So new birders who are thinking about their first visit to the migrant spots in n.w. Ohio should bookmark the BSBO birding pages. New birders here should also be aware of a spring event called "The Biggest Week in American Birding," being held May 6-16 in the area centered on Magee Marsh and Ottawa NWR. This event features multiple free birdwalks every day, as well as many programs that are either free or very inexpensive, so it will offer many opportunities for newcomers to learn about the area and the birds. More information is here: http://www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/ As Troy already indicated, birders in this state are a friendly crowd. If you are new to the area, we'll hope to see you this spring up in northwest Ohio! Kenn Kaufman Oak Harbor, OH ______________________________________________________________________ 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] ______________________________________________________________________ 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]