📸 Photos by me / Canon r5 - 600mm Lense

Did not make it to the boardwalk on Lake Erie, but we visited Magee Marsh Wildlife Area today.

A scratchy mewing coming from dense foliage near the ground often is the sign that a Gray Catbird is nearby. In a couple of instances in the past, it sounded to me like a baby in distress. But the catbird can make other sounds, often imitating parts of other birds' songs. They are a mostly gray bird, with a black cap and blackish tail. They also have a rusty undertail. I watched for fifteen minutes for him to lift his tail and reveal the rusty patch, but he did not cooperate:-)     

May 15th, 2025

Tens of thousands of birders and bird enthusiasts were at Magee Marsh this past weekend and will head there again this coming weekend and next, to revel in the annual migration of these little jewels of the avian world.  Most of you reading this did not go.  Perhaps you wanted to go but had no time to do so, or you had no idea such an amazing experience could be witnessed on the shores of Lake Erie, or you just don’t think about birds very much on a regular basis. Whatever.  This little bit of wonder can be experienced virtually - head on over to Birding Magee Marsh for dozens of fantastic photos and excellent guides.  Then explore BIrds of North America (BNA) (access on campus).  BNA is arguably the most extraordinary online reference resource for birds of our continent, with sound files to compliment the extensive reference information.  Thank you, Cornell University Lab of Ornithology! 

Blackburnian Warbler One of the many warblers seen on the boardwalk at Magee Marsh (Crane Creek) during the "Biggest Week in American Birding-2018 !"  This is NW Ohio, the Warbler capital of the world!

Rather big eaglets stretching their wings as mama/papa keeps an eye out, Magee Marsh