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      • Wrens, Gnatcatchers, Kinglets
      • Thrushes, Mimids, Waxwings
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  • EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
    • Birds at Home
    • Lake Erie Pelagics
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  • NW OHIO BIRDING
    • Responsible Owl Viewing
    • Magee Marsh WA Closures
    • Kenn Kaufman's Crane Creek - Magee Birding Blog
    • Local Birding Hotspots
    • Local eBird Tips
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    • Timing of Spring Migration
    • Timing of Fall Migration
    • Timing of Fall Shorebird Migration
    • ABA Code of Birding Ethics
    • Ohio Bird Alpha Codes
    • Birder Calling Cards
    • Birding Ohio
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Mission and Vision Statement
    • Equality and Diversity Policy
    • Annual Report
    • BSBO Board of Directors
    • BSBO Staff
    • BSBO's Visitors' Center >
      • Visit BSBO
      • Anna Macke Mikolajczyk Window On Wildlife
      • John Gallagher Memorial Birding Trail
    • eNews
    • BSBO Videos >
      • BSBO's 20th Anniversary by Deb Neidert
    • BSBO Blogs >
      • Kenn Kaufman's Crane Creek - Magee Birding Blog
      • BSBO Bird Bander's Blog
      • BSBO Education and Outreach Blog
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • Support BSBO
    • Donate
    • Join or Renew
    • Sponsor A Mist Net
    • Year-End Appeal
    • Help BSBO while you shop
    • Our Wish List
    • Birds and Business Alliance
  • RESEARCH
    • Peer-Reviewed Publications
    • Passerines >
      • Passerine Research
      • Prothonotary Warbler Research
      • Building Collision Study
      • Oak Openings
    • Project SNOWstorm >
      • About Project SNOWstorm
      • Meet Buckeye
      • Meet Wolverine
    • Northern Saw-whet Owls
    • Research Highlights >
      • Gray-Cheeked Thrush from Colombia, South America
      • BSBO Bird Bander's Blog
    • Past Research >
      • Colonial Wading Birds
      • Ohio Winter Bird Atlas
      • Shorebirds
    • Reports >
      • Navarre Marsh Annual Banding and Survey Data
      • Annual Project Reports
    • Research Volunteer Form
    • Research Volunteer Page
  • EDUCATION
    • Bird Migration Profiles >
      • Cuckoos, Nightjars, Hummingbrids
      • Hawks, Woodpeckers
      • Flycatchers, Vireos
      • Crows, Nuthatches, Creepers
      • Wrens, Gnatcatchers, Kinglets
      • Thrushes, Mimids, Waxwings
      • Finches, Sparrows
      • Blackbirds, Chat, Cardinals
      • Warblers
    • Family Activities >
      • Free Online Resources
    • Young Birders >
      • Ohio Young Birders Club
      • Young Birders Network
      • Youth Birding Camps
    • Teachers >
      • Wetland Investigation Network
      • Songbird Banding and Migration Programs
      • Students Against Balloon Releases
    • Group Programs >
      • Presentations by Request
    • BSBO Bird Knowins
  • Conservation
    • BioBlitzes
    • Bird-safe / Birder-friendly Communities
    • Responsible Wind Energy
    • Conservation Updates
    • Position Statement on Feral and Free-Ranging Cats
    • Habitat Designations
    • Easy Ways for YOU to Support Conservation
    • Breeding Bird Surveys
  • EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
    • Birds at Home
    • Lake Erie Pelagics
    • Highway Clean-up
    • Killdeer Plains Wintering Hawks & Owls Trip
    • Fremont Christmas Bird Count
    • BSBO's Biggest Week In American Birding
  • NW OHIO BIRDING
    • Responsible Owl Viewing
    • Magee Marsh WA Closures
    • Kenn Kaufman's Crane Creek - Magee Birding Blog
    • Local Birding Hotspots
    • Local eBird Tips
    • Regional Bird Checklist
    • Timing of Spring Migration
    • Timing of Fall Migration
    • Timing of Fall Shorebird Migration
    • ABA Code of Birding Ethics
    • Ohio Bird Alpha Codes
    • Birder Calling Cards
    • Birding Ohio

Shorebird Migration Monitoring and Habitat Usage

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.
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All rights reserved

The mission of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory is to inspire the appreciation, enjoyment, 
and conservation of birds and their habitats through research, education, and outreach.


We are located at the entrance of the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area
| 13551 W. State Route 2  |  Oak Harbor, Ohio 43449  |  419.898.4070  |