Another exciting season of BSBO Lake Erie Pelagic trips is in the books. These trips never fail to deliver fun and excitement to those adventurous enough to go birding on a boat in the middle of winter. ​ ​Winding down the Cuyahoga River overlooking downtown Cleveland is a thrill all its own, but when you pair that with intrepid birders and expert guides who love educating people about these birds, it delivers a unique and memorable birding experience.

​Speaking of expert guides...

When you invite The Gull Guide author Amar Ayyash to help guide a pelagic, boy does he deliver! (With a major assist from Santa, who hitches a ride on our pelagic  to give his reindeer a rest!)  

What a thrill and an honor to have one of North America's leading gull experts join us on our pelagic trips. With his sharp eye and expertise, we added some really cool gulls to our trip lists, including: 
Great Lakes Gull - (American Herring Gull x Great Black-backed Gull hybrid), Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull, Iceland Gull (Thayer's), Great Black-backed Gull, and Lesser Black-backed Gull.   
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Order The Gull Guide in the BSBO Online Swamp Shop, HERE! ​

Trip reports:

Saturday, December 13

• Snow showers with a high around 25F with westerly winds 15 to 25 mph.
• Highlights included: Long-tailed Duck (pictured above), Northern Pintail, Iceland Gull, and over 20,000 Red-breasted Merganser!
• Leaving the boat dock, we traveled down the Cuyahoga River into Cleveland Harbor and down the inside of the breakwall. On the way back into the river, we had a beautiful view of a snowy Cleveland skyline.

Sunday, December 14

• High of 20F with winds NW at 25 to 35 mph with a few snow showers and negative wind chill temperatures.
• Highlights included: Great Lakes Gull (American Herring x Great Black-backed Gull hybrid), Glaucous Gull (pictured below), Iceland Gull, Iceland Gull (Thayer's), Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-crowned Night Heron family of four, Peregrine Falcon, and Northern Mockingbird.
• Since the winds were so high, this trip stayed on the Cuyahoga River and traveled to some destinations that we haven't been before including the Great Lakes Shipyard and Towing Company on the old Cuyahoga River and Industrial Valley up the river. This allowed for great, close looks at birds.

Thursday, January 1

• Cloudy skies with a few flurries or snow showers possible and a high of 20°F with westerly winds at 15 to 25 mph.
• Highlights included: Three Black-crowned Night Heron, Iceland Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, a good sized flock of Canvasback and Redhead, American Black Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, and a Belted Kingfisher.
• Winds were high and wind chills were low, so this trip traveled the Cuyahoga River and the old Cuyahoga River into the Industrial Valley up the river like the December 14 trip. This was a great duck trip with close looks at some diving duck species.

We'd like to thank our guides Amar Ayyash, Tim Jasinski, Alex Eberts, Chuck Slusarczyk, Anthony Rodgers, and Gabe Leidy for their time and expertise, all the birders who braved the cold to join us, and the crew of The Holiday, as well!

*All gulls were chummed with Mazuri diving duck pellets, recommended by wildlife rehabilitators. No bread products were used on our trips. ​

Videos from both trips that were posted on social media can be seen below!

As part of the 126th Audubon Christmas Bird Count, Black Swamp Bird Observatory staff and volunteers ventured forth on a cold, dark morning on Wednesday, December 17, to count as many individual birds and species as possible within a 15-mile diameter circle (divided into six sections) covering Fremont, OH. Handed off to BSBO in 2007 (after some years of inactivity), this marked the 19th Fremont CBC coordinated by the Observatory. *

While birders might not think of Fremont, Ohio as "birding nirvana," there are many great birding sites around the area including Creek Bend Farm, Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area, Wolf Creek Park, and numerous woodlots, state wildlife areas and production units, and grasslands for finding wintering birds.

​This year, 21 counters recorded 28,610 individual birds, represented by 72 species (right at average). Birds recorded were about 16% below the yearly average (34,010). Highlights included seldom-encountered species including:

• Cackling Goose
• Greater White-fronted Goose
• Wild Turkey
• Chipping Sparrow
• Northern Shrike (2)
• Killdeer
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Turkey Vulture
• Black Vulture
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ​

​Of the 72 species recorded, 22 were observed in all six sections of the count circle. Bald Eagle was by far the highest-recorded raptor, with 108 individuals reported (a new count record) and Downy Woodpecker the number one woodpecker spotted (72). 

There were several notable highs and lows for the count. Sandhill Cranes were counted for the sixth straight year as this species continues to return to the Ohio landscape. As a group, waterfowl numbers were below average. Almost all water bodies were frozen and surely contributed to this drop. Gulls were also way below average, maybe in response to a completely frozen lake and bay. Mourning Dove had its lowest count since 2016. This was the lowest total for American Goldfinch and Black-capped Chickadee since BSBO started organizing the count, a trend that seems to be continuing for the chickadee. It was the fourth straight year that Northern Mockingbird was recorded as the soft winters may be aiding these species in northward expansion. Snow Bunting had its highest count since 2013 as did the Red-breasted Nuthatch. It was a good American Tree Sparrow year as it had its highest count since 2017.

Here's a note from count volunteer Kenn Kaufman on a particularly interesting  encounter this year.

​Blue Jays, like other members of the Corvidae (jays, crows, ravens, magpies), are intelligent, adaptable birds that readily take advantage of novel food sources. On December 17, Kimberly and I were on the Fremont, Ohio, Christmas Bird Count, walking through a wooded park where most of the creek was frozen. Birds were concentrated near one stretch where the creek was open, and there we saw a Blue Jay fly up from the water’s edge, carrying something silvery in its bill. This turned out to be a small fish that we later ID'd as a Gizzard Shad! Blue Jays are certainly not rare birds, but I thought this behavior was interesting enough to be worth sharing.

By Gautam Apte, BSBO's Morning Flight Counter

Following the success of our pilot spring season of visible migration monitoring at the Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area, the fall season was upon us in what felt like no time at all. A season of fall migration counting at the same site held some amount of uncertainty. While we had a general understanding of diurnal migratory movements along this section of lakefront in the springtime, thanks to prior studies and plenty of experienced observers, there were far fewer data on active migrants available for fall, and nobody was quite sure what to expect from the birds or their movements. Luckily for us, there was a great number of birds on the move throughout the season, and the comparison to the spring flight was an excellent addition to our understanding of migratory movements along the Lake Erie shoreline. 

The highlights of the season were too numerous to all be listed out, but a few are listed here. Be sure to check out the photo gallery at the end for some images of these species from the count!
 

• Jaegers were an excellent feature of the count this season, and we were lucky enough to record over two dozen individuals over the course of the season. The majority of these records came in August and September, when most juvenile birds are undertaking their migration from high Arctic breeding grounds to their wintering sites in deep tropical ocean waters. Jaegers prefer deeper offshore waters when they stop over in the Great Lakes and there were only a few historical records from the shallow Western Basin prior to the fall count season, but we’re pleased to report that they do seem to pass through the area in good numbers in the fall – even if they might not stay for long! We recorded both Long-tailed and Parasitic Jaegers this season, although most jaegers were left unidentified – identifying this group can be very tricky, and is often impossible with only distant views. 

 

• Like jaegers, scoters are another arctic-breeding, ocean-wintering group of species that are not often seen in the Western Basin. We were fortunate to record all three species of these chunky sea ducks this season, and it appears these birds may be more common than previously thought in active migration through the region.

 

• We saw some great movements of shorebirds this season, but the most striking feature was the presence of American Golden-Plovers. This species tends to be an uncommon sight at mudflats and elsewhere on the ground in Ohio in the fall but was one of the most abundant shorebirds we observed in active migration, often first detected by their distinctive whistling call notes. Golden-Plovers flew over the count on 28% of survey days this season, and were recorded in all four months of the count, an impressive presence!

 

• In early September, a very unusual falcon appeared over the marsh – a faded white Merlin! Pigment abnormalities are very rare in this species, and it was an exceptionally cool individual. Even more interestingly, this exact same bird had been photographed by a birder in Canada some 140 miles away just two days before it appeared at Metzger Marsh, a great example of migration tracking on an individual scale!

 

• A rare Cave Swallow flew by on November 9th, one of only a small handful of records for Northwest Ohio! This species is known for appearing in the Great Lakes following late-season warm fronts, but most are typically seen further east. This individual was a lone highlight of an otherwise cold, rainy day.

 

• A Golden-winged Warbler that flew by on September 3rd was an excellent addition to the season total, and an uncommon fall record of this declining species.

 

• We saw not one, but two rare Little Gulls this season, both juvenile birds. These are scarce breeding birds in the Great Lakes region and always rare; to see multiple in a single season is very noteworthy!

 

• In the last few days of the count, it was great to see some Tundra Swans arriving back from their Arctic breeding grounds. We’re looking forward to counting this species again when we start back up next spring! 

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we’re turning our attention to the true superstar of the season, the Wild Turkey! These birds are far more than a holiday icon. From their impressive size and surprising agility to their comeback story in Ohio and beyond, Wild Turkeys have a fascinating history worth celebrating.

You may know that young turkeys are called “poults” or that the President of the United State “pardons” a turkey prior to Thanksgiving,. The practice has been attributed back to the Truman administration but didn’t firmly take hold until the Reagan administration, in 1981. President George H. W. Bush was apparently the first president to announce the pardon of the turkey, stating “But let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table, not this guy – he’s granted a Presidential pardon as of right now.” One fact that many students learn in grade school is that Benjamin Franklin wanted the Wild Turkey to be our national symbol.

Other turkey facts you may know:

• the “hangy” thing that droops over the turkey’s beak is called a snood
• males are called toms, females are hens, and young males are called jakes
• Turkeys have beards as well. Their beard is actually modified feathers that hang from the turkey’s breast and can be used to age the turkey to an extent. Did you know that 10%+ of female turkeys will also have beards?

​Here are some Turkey Trivia Giblets, er, Tidbits that you can amaze your family and friends with on your Thanksgiving Day Zoom call.

1. There are 5 subspecies of "Wild" Turkey found in the US and Mexico, and another species found in Central America.
    a. Eastern Wild Turkey- is found in 38 of the 48 continental US states.
    b. Osceola Wild Turkey- only found in Florida, named for the Osceola region in the state.
    c. Rio Grande Wild Turkey- found primarily in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
            There is also a population of this subspecies in Mexico.
    d. Merriam’s Wild Turkey- this subspecies is found in the mountains of the western US.
    e. Gould’s Wild Turkey- resides in Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico.
    f. Ocellated Wild Turkey- is a separate species of turkey found in a small area in the Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, and              Guatemala.

​Black Swamp Bird Observatory was deeply honored to host the 17th Annual Ohio Young Birders Conference at the Toledo Zoo this year, a truly incredible day of joy, inspiration, and community. We are thrilled to share that this was the largest conference in club history, a milestone that filled us with immense pride and gratitude. From the very first smiles at check-in to the laughter and friendship shared throughout the day, the energy was nothing short of amazing.
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Our student presenters were the heart of the event. Their thoughtful, impressive, and uplifting presentations showcased not only their knowledge, but their passion, curiosity, and commitment to nature. We extend our heartfelt thanks to each of our incredible young speakers. Moments like Lifelist bird card trading and private aviary tours added fun and adventure, while the beloved Kaufman ID Quiz, returning for its 17th year, brought students and adults together in learning and lighthearted challenge. We were overjoyed to see a record number of raffle and silent auction donations, helping raise more than $2,000 for student scholarship programs. The generosity of our supporters continues to move us each and every year.

​A very special thank you goes to the Toledo Zoo for their complimentary use of their stunning venue, their welcoming staff, exclusive aviary tours, and a delicious lunch. We are so fortunate to have such dedicated local partners who share our commitment to nurturing the next generation of conservation leaders.

​Our deepest appreciation goes to our student speakers: Joel, Baron, Silas, Anya, Catalina, Emily, Sophie, Desmond, and Marcella, whose presentations radiated joy, knowledge, and heartfelt enthusiasm for birds and the natural world. Our keynote speaker, Killian Sullivan, delivered a truly inspiring and memorable program that encouraged everyone in the room to cherish not only birds and birding, but the community that brings us together through shared wonder. Speaking to a sold-out crowd would challenge anyone, yet every presenter spoke with confidence, pride, and grace.

This conference would not be possible without the remarkable support of our sponsors. Thank you to our Golden-winged Warbler level sponsors Pattye Bakes Cookies, Dr. Jeff Zipkin and Shelly Gerson. To our Great Egret level sponsor, The Toledo Zoo. To our Black-necked Stilt level sponsors Kaufman Field Guides, Vortex Optics, Land, Sea & Sky, and Zeiss Optics. To our Osprey level sponsors Sabrewing Nature Tours and Tri-Moraine Audubon. To our Wood Duck level sponsors the Ohio Ornithological Society and TownePlace Suites Oregon. And to our White-throated Sparrow level sponsors BWD Magazine, Wild Birds Unlimited Toledo, and American Bird Conservancy. Your belief in our mission uplifts every student who participates.

We are also deeply grateful to all who donated to our raffle and silent auction. Your generosity brings so much opportunity to young birders. Special thanks to Friends of Magee Marsh, Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Wild Birds Unlimited, Drawing 10,000 Birds, Julian Bean, Kaufman Field Guides, The American Birding Association, and Mentor Me Photography. 
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Our appreciation extends to Toledo Metroparks for allowing us to host our speaker's dinner at the beautiful Glass City Enrichment Center, and to Carolyn’s Catering for providing a wonderful meal that set the stage for the next day's event. 

A big thanks to ODNR Staff photographer and OYBC Southeast Chapter advisor Tim Daniel for photographing the day's events!​

​Finally, to every person who supports the Ohio Young Birders Club—our chapter advisors who give endlessly of their time, the parents who nurture their students’ curiosity, and the community members who continue to invest in the leaders of tomorrow, thank you. Your encouragement, kindness, and belief in these young conservationists shape their futures in ways we cannot measure. We are filled with pride and gratitude for every one of you.
We cannot wait to see you all on November 7, 2025, as we celebrate a truly remarkable milestone the 20th anniversary of the Ohio Young Birders Club at our next annual conference. Until then, thank you for bringing so much hope, happiness, and inspiration to this unforgettable event.
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Several members of the BSBO staff traveled to the Ohio State Fair for the award ceremony in the wonderful 8-acre ODNR park at the fairgrounds. Our Executive Director, Kimberly Kaufman, accepted the award on behalf of BSBO's staff, board, volunteers, members, and supporters.

We offer sincere thanks to Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio Division of Wildlife (ODOW) for this tremendous honor, and we also thank our amazing team of volunteers, members, and supporters who make our work possible. This is your award, too, and it's an honor to share this accomplishment with all of you.​

And finally, we offer congratulations and gratitude to all of the natural resources champions who were recognized yesterday. It was an honor of the highest order to share this with all of you.

Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame inductees: Jean Beaty, Paul Brooks, Cheryl Harner (posthumously), Stu Lewis, Sr., Elaine Marsh, David Nolin, and Harvey Webster. 

Cardinal Award recipients: Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Willie Franklin, Dale Gnidovec, Phil Hillman (posthumously), Vicki Proctor, and Dan Yaussy ​

Written by BSBO Morning Flight Counter, Gautam Apte

Join Gautam for a Birds at Home presentation HERE.

From the first day of March through the last day of May this year, it was an excellent season to count birds as part of BSBO’s first full-season morning flight count at Metzger Marsh Wildlife. Thanks to the support of our regional partners, we were able to have a very successful first season of counting, and we’re looking forward to continuing our efforts in the field of visible migration monitoring!

It's long been known that the marshes of northwest Ohio are a critical area for migratory birds, but most research aiming to describe the importance of the region has focused on birds in the stopover phase of their migratory journey - those that are in the process of resting and refueling in between migratory flights. The mission of our morning flight count is to shine some light on these less-studied flights, as we attempt to survey birds in active visible migration. By observing and documenting birds that are undertaking migratory flight, we have the capability to collect data on a spectacular diversity of birds as they move over the region from a single site. This ability to sample a host of species that, on the ground, use largely different habitats, makes visible migration monitoring a highly efficient method to gain a better understanding of migration through northwest Ohio. As migration is the period with the highest mortality rate for the overwhelming majority of North American species, better understanding the dynamics of migration is crucial to help protect birds in this most vulnerable phase of their annual cycle, and we’re happy to report that we’re already learning more about some of our regular migrants after just one season of counting. 

The early days of the count were often long and bitterly cold, but occasional warm and sunny March skies along with southerly winds brought staggering numbers and diversity of birds, with tens of thousands of individuals passing over on the most active days. From the early March days featuring streams of diving ducks and swarms of blackbirds, the weather softened into April as hordes of Bonaparte’s Gulls and high kettles of hawks became the staples of the count. By May, the dawn hours were filled with the soft chip calls of warblers, orioles, and other songbirds passing over in morning flight before squadrons of Blue Jays would appear high overhead as the warmth of the day set in. In what felt like no time at all, migration had passed its peak, and the last Arctic-breeding shorebirds turned the last page of the count, drawing to a close after three action-packed months.

In our first season at Metzger Marsh, we recorded a total of 660,796 birds across 203 species. These numbers represent only birds observed in active migration. 27 additional species of birds were seen or heard at the site but not recorded as part of the count as they weren’t observed actively migrating. This total of 230 species for the spring is one of the highest single-site lists for all of Ohio this year, emphasizing that we are extraordinarily fortunate to have a hotspot like this right here in northwest Ohio! In addition to bird species, we made note of non-avian migratory taxa at the site and incidentally recorded 9 species of insects in active migratory flight. Our counter Gautam spent at least 6 hours surveying migration on 83 days this spring, and in total he recorded 526 observation hours from his watchpoint along the outer dike. 

Over the course of the season, we welcomed 1,421 visitors to the morning flight count, a number far greater than we expected at the beginning of the season! The interest displayed in this brand-new effort was incredible, and it was a privilege to be able to share our research with folks from around the world right there in the field. We hope to soon have more information on our findings from the count available, and to be back in the field counting birds! 

The highlights for the count were many and frequent, and a few of these are shared below.
​(All images by Gautam Atpe)

This project would not have been possible without our partners at Ohio Division of Wildlife, Winous Point Marsh Conservancy, Kowa Sporting Optics, Trektellen.org, and our generous donors. Please visit bsbo.org to learn more about our mission and the morning flight project. ​

​The second day of camp was July 3 and the BSBO staff team of Jamie and Annalise headed to the field station for Environmental Adventure Camp for campers varying in ages 9-12.

The first group, ages 9-10, were incredibly excited to get out and do some birding! We went over birding basics like being quiet, how to use binoculars, and using field guides. The group was quick to spot over a dozen species on our short walk and the kids loved practicing how to look up the birds they found in their field guides. We ended our session with information about owls and had fun dissecting owl pellets. The kids dug in, literally, and found all sorts of cool bones!

The second group, ages 11-12, enjoyed the opportunity to visit Kelleys Island State Park, just across the street, where we found quite a few species. The favorites were Baltimore Oriole and Northern Flicker. The campers were really into the owl pellets and enjoyed learning about all of the owl species that can be found throughout Ohio. The campers ended their session with a fun migration relay game that helps them understand how important stopover habitat is to birds. 

The first time I saw a toucan was while visiting a Mayan archaeological site in Belize (like cemeteries, ruins can be great places for birding).  A pair of Keel-billed Toucans flew across the open space between buildings.  I don’t remember the colors, just that distinctive silhouette.  A few years later, in Panama, I learned there was another type of toucan, the Black-mandibled Toucan (now Yellow-throated Toucan). And I kept learning about more and more species of this family.

Most recently, I visited south-east Brazil to bird in the Atlantic rainforest of Sao Paolo state. From sea level to more than 4,000 feet in elevation, I fell in love with the mountain scenery.  There was the possibility of four (4!) new toucans – the Green-billed or Red-chested Toucans, Spot-billed Toucanet, Saffron Toucanet and Channel-billed Toucan.  And I saw them all! After meeting our guides at the airport, I stressed how much I wanted to see the toucans, and the local guide just smiled and said not to worry.  Before we even reached the first lodge, we saw the Green-billed Toucan. The other 3 species showed up as promised.  We watched the spot-billed bowing as he called.  Next, a brief glimpse of the Saffron Toucanet, and finally the gorgeous Channel-billed Toucan. The channel billed toucan has a wide distribution in Brazil, and most fascinatingly, it has been divided into several races with various color morphs, from mostly blue, white and yellow in the north to orange, yellow and crimson in the south.  ​

them grow up.  For such tiny juveniles, they can put on a burst of speed when they see an adult come up from a dive with food.  And sometimes, they add a tiny squeal to their zoom across the water to show their excitement. (Baby American coot and common gallinules have their odd charm, also.)​

I knew from my reading that, as with loons, the young grebes will sometimes ride on its parent’s back.  I always looked with hope but never thought I would actually see it for myself.  But it happened!

Early this August, I was doing an early morning walk around Howard Marsh West. Most of the young grebes were already half-grown, but I still enjoyed watching the family interactions.  Then I saw a group of chicks that looked quite young.  My obsession with baby grebes means I have to photograph nearly every one I see.  While I was watching and photographing, I thought I saw something roll off the back of the adult.  Was it?  It was!!  My excitement soared, and I was able to watch the baby get on and off several times before the family moved off into the reeds.
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It was time to get to work anyway, so off I rushed to share my best sighting of the summer. And I’m more determined to get out to the marsh more frequently next year.
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