Magee Marsh Wlldlife Area
& Crane Creek State Park

To get there: In Ottawa and Lucas counties, ten miles north of Oak Harbor. The entrance is on Ohio 2, seventeen miles west of Port Clinton and two miles west of Ohio 19.

This wonderful mosaic of marsh, impounded ponds, swamp forest, and the waters of Lake Erie is one of the premier birding locations in the United States. The area includes the Crane Creek State Park beach. The marsh was purchased by the state in 1951, and in 1956 the Crane Creek Wildlife Experiment Station was established. Taken together, the area comprises 1,821 acres of extensive marshes, ponds, woods, Lake Erie beach, and fields. An attractive nature center is located a short drive from the entrance, and a paved road crosses the width of the marsh to the Lakeshore, where there are beaches, woods, picnic facilities, and a fine nature trail.

Considerable numbers of Canada Geese have been induced to nest in the area. With the addition of migrants, many thousands of these birds are present in late October and November and again in March. In May and June, proud and protective parent birds shepherd their goslings about the refuge, even up onto the roads, where it is a common sight to see families of geese holding up traffic.

During the greater part of the year, there is good birding from the moment one enters the wildlife area. A roadside pond just inside the entrance frequently overflows its banks during wet weather and attracts shorebirds, geese, gulls, egrets, and an occasional rail.

In spring and summer, there are Tree Swallows and Purple Martins flying about the visitor center and there is always the possibility of seeing one of the Yellow-headed Blackbirds that have nested nearby in recent years. The shallow ponds behind the center should be searched for shore birds such as Solitary, Pectoral, Least, and Semipalmated Sandpipers.

From the visitor center, turn left and continue down the road to the east, take the bend to the north and slowly follow the road as it intersects the vast width of Magee Marsh.

The water levels vary greatly from year to year, and season to season, affecting the ease with which one can see appreciable numbers of birds. When the water is low, mudflats are exposed and the wading birds tend to concentrate in a few favored places.

From April through October, there are good numbers of Great Blue Herons, a few Green-backed Herons, plenty of Great Egrets (sometimes close to the road) and lesser numbers of the more secretive Black-crowned Night Herons. In March and April, ducks are plentiful, along with large flocks of American Coots, and a sprinkling of Pied-billed Grebes. Tundra Swans are a possibility during the first part of the period, especially in March. Ring-billed and Herring Gulls will be liberally scattered about the marsh, and there's always a good chance of finding a little flock of Water Pipits along the water's edge. Look for migrating hawks in the skies.

Toward the end of April, when many of the waterfowl have departed, there are still some birds that stay behind to nest. And a few other waterbirds arrive daily as the season progresses into May. Coots abound; every once in a while, an American Bittern will flounder into the air on its bi-colored wings and flap across the marsh, and there's always a chance of seeing a King, Virginia, or Sora rail. Every other willow seems to have its Yellow Warbler, and their "sweet-sweet-sweet tsee tsee" songs fill the air with music.

Continuing out the causeway, check the dredged channels on either side of the road for Dunlin, White-rumped Sandpipers, and other small peeps. Wilson's Phalaropes are sometimes seen in this area. Be on the lookout for Bonaparte's Gulls and Forster's Terns. Each species shows flashes of silvery white in their wings. Caspian, Common, Forster's, and Black terns are sometimes seen over the marsh or migrating along the shore. As the road nears the lake, it turns left through an area that was once used for parking. Pull off here and climb up on the retaining wall along the lake. Scan the slabs of concrete for Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones and search the lake for additional gulls and terns. Sometimes Palm Warblers and White-crowned Sparrows will be feed ing in the protective shelter provided by the wall.

When a good migration is underway, hundreds of swallows can be observed flying westward along the shore, and during the early morning hours many other species can be seen engaged in a similar migration. From April 25 to May 15, migrating flocks of blue jays in a single morning sometimes total thousands of individuals (and sometimes reverse their migration). Also look for migrating flocks of cedar waxwings, Indigo Buntings, Goldfinches, and smaller numbers of other species. Here also is a section of relatively undisturbed beach sometimes visited by Bald Eagles. Look for Ruddy Turnstones, Sanderlings, and other shorebirds. Scan the offshore waters for passing waterbirds.

After returning to the car, carefully look over the old parking lot - which is now mostly grown up in grass - for shorebirds. Then proceed west to the new parking area, paying particular attention to the elongated pond on the left side of the road. When the water is down, look for shorebirds; when the water is up look for Common Moorhens and Least Bitterns. A boardwalk built with tax check-off funds circles part of this pond so you will have a second opportunity to look it over when you are on foot.

Entrances to the boardwalk bird trail are located at the west and east ends of the parking lot. The boardwalk is handicapped-accessible and was built to provide a safe efficient circuit of the area -- a fine example of a bird "trap." Surrounded by marsh on three sides and the lake on the fourth, this bit of swamp forest attracts huge numbers of passerine birds during the spring migration and only slightly fewer numbers in the fall. On days after heavy nocturnal migration, many species concentrate here and continue to build up even during the daylight hours. The fact that the lake lies just beyond undoubtedly tempts many spring arrivals to rest and feed here before continuing their journeys. Conversely, in the fall, for many birds this is the first landfall after crossing the lake.

The mature cottonwoods found here, along with numerous willows, snarls of grapevines, and dense thickets of underbrush are frequently swarming with warblers and other migrants. During late April and May, 20 to 30 warbler species are often found within a few hours. Scarlet Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Northern Orioles are usually present in good numbers. Every bend in the boardwalk is apt to reveal a new surprise: Young Great Horned Owls, looking like balls of yarn, a whip-poor-will or a woodcock almost at one's feet, Prothonotary Warblers chasing each other through shafts of sunlight.

In late March and April, grapevines and red cedars are favorite hiding places for Northern Saw-whet Owls. Eastern Screech-Owls are permanent residents but difficult to find. Great Horned Owls start nesting in February and March, often utilizing goose nesting tubs that have been erected about the swampy woodland. The boardwalk winds past various inundations, ponds, inlets, and rivulets that honeycomb the entire area. From March to April, Rusty Blackbirds frequent these wet places, and there is always a chance of seeing a Brewer's Blackbird. May specialties include several pairs of nesting Prothonotary Warblers, migrant Northern Waterthrushes, Mourning, Hooded, Wilson's, and Canada warblers.

Over 300 species of birds have been recorded at Magee Marsh. Cattle Egrets are sometimes seen, Glossy Ibis show up occasionally, and a few Sandhill Cranes are seen almost every year. The list of western strays grows more impressive with each passing year.

Other rarities include: American White Pelican, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, White-faced Ibis, Mute Swan, Brant, Greater White-fronted Goose, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Eider, King Eider, Golden Eagle, Gyrfalcon, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, Yellow and Black rails, Wilson's and Piping Plovers, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Willet, Whimbrel, Hudsonian and Marbled Godwits, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Ruff, all three phalaropes, Groove-billed Ani, Snowy Owl, Western Kingbird, Northern Shrike, Townsend's Warbler, Kirtland's Warbler, Clay-colored, Lark, LeConte's, Sharp-tailed, and Harris' sparrows, Western Meadowlark, and Brewer's Blackbird.