BSBO Advocates for Habitat Designations
BSBO WINS IMPORTANT DESIGNATION FOR LAKE ERIE'S WESTERN AND CENTRAL BASINS
About the Western Basin Globally Important Bird AreaThis sprawling IBA includes open lake waters, coastal wetlands, Lake Erie Islands, a large bay, sand beaches, numerous river mouths, deciduous woodlands, and shrublands (~250,000 hectares). It represents the shallow backwater and associated marshes of Lake Erie. Onshore woodlands and shrublands populate ancient beach-ridges and remnants of the Great Black Swamp that once extended to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Between these ancient beach ridges and the Black Swamp oak woodlands lie the marshlands. The islands include an important nesting island for waterbirds (West Sister Island NWR) and migratory stopover sites for landbirds (Bass Islands, Kelleys Island). Sandusky Bay is an important Bald Eagle fall/wintering area. Open waters surrounding the islands and in Maumee and Sandusky Bays are important waterfowl staging areas. Various public agencies including U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, Division of Parks and Recreation, Division of Wildlife) administer much of the habitat. Among the more significant sites are Maumee Bay State Park, Mallard Club Wildlife Area, Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area, Cedar Point NWR, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Darby Unit ONWR, Navarre Unit ONWR, West Sister Island NWR, Magee Marsh State Wildlife Area, Toussaint Wildlife Area, Little Portage Wildlife Area, Kelleys Island, the Bass Islands, Sandusky Bay, Medusa Marsh, Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve, Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve, Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area, Willow Point Wildlife Area, Resthaven Wildlife Area, and Castalia Pond. Also included are large expanses of privately managed marshland including Winous Point Marsh Conservancy, Ottawa Shooting Club, and Toussaint Shooting Club.
Criteria and Species Summary Rusty Blackbird, Semipalmated Sandpiper, American Black Duck, and Lesser Scaup were confirmed by U.S. IBA Committee on 5/26/15. U.S. IBA Committee has also Confirmed Blackpoll Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Broad-winged Hawk, Canada Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, Double-crested Cormorant, Dunlin, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Golden-winged Warbler, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Kirtland's Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Philadelphia Vireo, Red-breasted Merganser, Swainson's Thrush, White-throated Sparrow, Wood Thrush, & Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. West Sister Island National Wildlife Refuge provides nesting habitat for 40% of the breeding herons and egrets within the U.S. Great Lakes Basin. The Western Lake Erie Basin IBA holds the largest concentration of waterfowl anywhere in Ohio during migration. Sandusky Bay and surrounding areas provide refuge for over one million waterfowl during fall and early winter staging, with the bay hosting a peak of 290,000 at one time, including up to 71,000 American Black Ducks and over 170,000 Red-breasted Mergansers. Among the other species found in the IBA, with maximum counts, are Canvasback (32,700), Redhead (9,800), Gadwall (26,000) Green-winged Teal (15,525), Northern Pintail (26,400), American Wigeon (25,000), Blue-winged Teal (15,000), Common Goldeneye (22,200), Ruddy Duck (5,100), American Coot (18,000), Mallard (159,000), Ring-necked Duck (15,000), Bufflehead (14,500), and scaup species (170,000). It is increasingly utilized as a wintering area for Tundra Swans (10,000) and Snow Geese. Thousands of Canada Geese (66,000 high count) also occur. Over 100 Bald Eagles regularly concentrate in Sandusky Bay in fall and winter with fall staging numbering as many as 400 in the region. A single day estimate of 540,000 Broad-winged Hawks were counted from one observation point along the Michigan coast. The historical beach ridge bridged by the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area boardwalk is a major conduit for migrant landbirds and hosts birding enthusiasts numbering more than 1000,000 annually. The Navree Marsh, a second historical beach ridge seven miles southeast of Magee, is the site where Black Swamp Bird Observatory annually bands thousands of neotropical migrants. Over 250 species of birds are recorded annually in the region. The marshes are the largest breeding and migratory area for rails and bitterns and includes what may be the only viable population of King Rails in the state. The northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan marshes are important migratory resting and feeding habitat for shorebirds. The Lake Erie marshes qualify as a Site of Regional Importance in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Thirty-eight species of shorebirds have been recorded within the marshes since 1993. Spring migration stopover sites include controlled-level marshes and flooded crop fields. In fall, shorebird migration can be concentrated, especially on the Crane Creek estuary. As many as 25,000 shorebirds are recorded during peak days in fall migration. The Crane Creek estuary and several associated marshes comprise the only known eastern U.S. site for Long-billed Dowitchers to stage and molt in fall over the course of several weeks (500-600 max. season in October). The IBA includes federally-designated habitat for Piping Plover. Over 150,000 shorebirds have been documented visiting the northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan marshes annually during northward and southward migrations, with total stopover population estimates ranging from 500,000 to 1 million. Over 100,000 Double-crested Cormorants have been counted during late summer staging in western Lake Erie. Migrant landbirds pass through the region in the hundreds of millions according to some estimates. The estimate for the Blackpoll Warbler alone is over 11,000,000, Magnolia Warbler (16,000,000), and White-throated Sparrow (18,000,000), and Swainson’s Thrush (15,000,000). It is estimated over 270,000 Rusty Blackbirds utilize the IBA annually. The region is a significant area for breeding of many species including Yellow Warbler, Marsh Wren, and Willow Flycatcher. Threats Wetland invasion by purple loosestrife and common reed compromise habitat quality. Garlic mustard is invasive on beach ridges and woodlands with possible negative effects on both migrant and nesting landbirds. Double-crested Cormorant breeding population is affecting habitat for breeding waterbirds on West Sister Island and other Lake Erie islands. Recreational housing is growing throughout the IBA. Threats to the air column habitat from wind power expansion into the region may be one of the greatest threats for all species in this intensive stopover habitat. About the Central Basin Globally Important Bird AreaThe Ohio open waters of Lake Erie extending from the east side of the Bass Island Archipelago eastward to the Pennsylvania border, known as the Central Basin. Roughly 790,000 hectares
Criteria and Species Summary Red-breasted Merganser, Bonaparte's Gull & Ring-billed Gull confirmed by U.S. IBA Committee on 5/26/15 Aerial surveys over the past 30 years conducted by the Ohio Division of Wildlife for waterfowl, commercial fishing, and specific pelagic species have exposed vast amounts of bird life utilizing not only the harbor regions but distant open water. Counts of Red-breasted Mergansers have recorded nearly a quarter million birds, representing a large portion of the global population, contained within the basin at one time. These large concentrations continue to this day even though many of the routine surveys have been discontinued. Significant concentrations of American Black Duck (>4,000), Canvasback (~9,000), Bufflehead (6,800), and Common Goldeneye (>10,000) have also been recorded. Recent pelagic surveys designed to document bird activity for purposes of assessing risk from planned offshore wind facilities indicate large concentrations of Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Bonaparte's Gull, Ring-billed Gull, and Herring Gull occur throughout the IBA. High counts for Bonaparte’s Gull (30,000), Herring Gull (17,000), and Ring-billed Gull (100,000) have been recorded from land-based observation sites. Wintering numbers of northern gulls such as Glaucous, Iceland, Greater Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed, and Little Gulls are just now being recognized. The importance of the region to migrating landbirds as they pass between Canada and Ohio cannot be overstated, as the large concentrations found at shore-based sites following major migration events is well-documented. Threats Greatest threats in this IBA would include botulism to waterbirds, wind turbines to waterbirds and landbirds, and Organo-clorine and heavy metal residues in fish. |
Global IBA CriteriaA site that meets at least one Global criteria is termed a Global Important Bird Area.
Click below to view details and application of each criterion. 1. Globally threatened species
Criterion: The site is known or thought regularly to hold significant numbers of a globally threatened species, or other species of global conservation concern. Notes: The site qualifies if it is known, estimated or thought to hold a population of a species categorized by the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable. In general, the regular presence of a Critical or Endangered species, irrespective of population size, at a site may be sufficient for a site to qualify as an IBA. For Vulnerable species, the presence of more than threshold numbers at a site is necessary to trigger selection. Thresholds are set regionally, often on a species by species basis. The site may also qualify if holds more than threshold numbers of other species of global conservation concern in the Near Threatened, Data Deficient and, formerly, in the no-longer recognized Conservation Dependent categories. Again, thresholds are set regionally. A2. Restricted-range species Criterion: The site is known or thought to hold a significant component of a group of species whose breeding distributions define an Endemic Bird Area (EBA) or Secondary Area (SA). Notes: This category is for species of Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs). EBAs are defined as places where two or more species of restricted range, i.e. with world distributions of less than 50,000 km2, occur together. More than 70% of such species are also globally threatened. Also included here are species of Secondary Areas. A Secondary Area (SA) supports one or more restricted-range species, but does not qualify as an EBA because less than two species are entirely confined to it. Typical SAs include single restricted-range species which do not overlap in distribution with any other such species, and places where there are widely disjunct records of one or more restricted-range species, which are clearly geographically separate from any of the EBAs. A3. Biome-restricted species Criterion: The site is known or thought to hold a significant component of the group of species whose distributions are largely or wholly confined to one biome. Notes: This category applies to groups of species with largely shared distributions which occur mostly or wholly within all or part of a particular biome and are, therefore, of global importance. As with EBAs, it is necessary that a network of sites be chosen to protect adequately all species confined to each biome and, as necessary, in each range state in which the biome occurs. The 'significant component' term in the Criterion is intended to avoid selecting sites solely on the presence of one or more biome-restricted species that are common and adaptable within the EBA and, therefore, occur at other chosen sites. Additional sites may, however, be chosen for the presence of one or a few species which would, e.g. for reasons of particular habitat requirements, be otherwise under-represented. A4. Congregations Criteria: A site may qualify on any one or more of the four criteria listed below: i). Site known or thought to hold, on a regular basis, >1% of a biogeographic population of a congregatory waterbird species. ii). Site known or thought to hold, on a regular basis, >1% of the global population of a congregatory seabird or terrestrial species. iii). Site known or thought to hold, on a regular basis, > 20,000 waterbirds or >10,000 pairs of seabirds of one or more species. iv). Site known or thought to exceed thresholds set for migratory species at bottleneck sites. Notes i. This applies to 'waterbird' species as defined by Delaney and Scott (2006) Waterbird Population Estimates, Fourth Edition, Wetlands International, Wageningen, The Netherlands, and is modelled on Criterion 6 of the Ramsar Convention for identifying wetlands of international importance. Depending upon how species are distributed, the 1% thresholds for the biogeographic populations may be taken directly from Delaney & Scott, they may be generated by combining flyway populations within a biogeographic region or, for those for which no quantitative thresholds are given, they are determined regionally or inter-regionally, as appropriate, using the best available information. ii. This includes those seabird species not covered by Delaney and Scott (2002). Quantitative data are taken from a variety of published and unpublished sources. iii. This is modelled on Citerion 5 of the Ramsar Convention for identifying wetlands of international importance. iv. Thresholds are set regionally or inter-regionally, as appropriate. |
With the assistance of many dedicated volunteers, the Observatory monitors shorebirds during spring and fall migration in the Ohio and Michigan Lake Erie marshes. Species timing, habitat utilization, and habitat parameters are documented to assist in improved management of diked wetlands for this group of birds. Sixty to 150,000 birds have been counted in the area in a single year. The Lake Erie marshes are the most important stopover sites between Cheyenne Bottoms in Kansas and Delaware Bay on the east coast. Seven years of shorebird data were submitted in the spring of 2000 to the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) for nomination of the Lake Erie Marshes as a Shorebird Reserve Site.
At the September meeting of the WHSRN Council, the Lake Erie Marshes were awarded Regional Shorebird Status. Regional statusprovides the area wetlands with great recognition. There is only one other regional shorebird site in the Midwest and that is Chatauqua NWR, Illinois. This designation exemplifies the value of these wetlands for supplying shorebirds with necessary habitat and food for their long distance migration. Future land acquisition and restoration grants will be boosted in value because of this Regional Shorebird status. It is the hope of the Observatory that land managers involved will strive to maintain this designation and make a more concerted effort to assist these birds on migration. The Observatory is confident with more years of data that the status can be raised to International Shorebird Status for this region. To reach International status more than 100,000 birds must be documented in the area. If the area were to attain International Status, it would be a first for the Midwest.
At the September meeting of the WHSRN Council, the Lake Erie Marshes were awarded Regional Shorebird Status. Regional statusprovides the area wetlands with great recognition. There is only one other regional shorebird site in the Midwest and that is Chatauqua NWR, Illinois. This designation exemplifies the value of these wetlands for supplying shorebirds with necessary habitat and food for their long distance migration. Future land acquisition and restoration grants will be boosted in value because of this Regional Shorebird status. It is the hope of the Observatory that land managers involved will strive to maintain this designation and make a more concerted effort to assist these birds on migration. The Observatory is confident with more years of data that the status can be raised to International Shorebird Status for this region. To reach International status more than 100,000 birds must be documented in the area. If the area were to attain International Status, it would be a first for the Midwest.