Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge

Located on Ohio 2 approximately midway between Toledo and Port Clinton and less than half a mile west of Crane Creek State Park.

The Ottawa National Wlldlife Refuge complex encompasses over 8,000 acres including an island and a series of marshes that hopscotch along the shores of Lake Erie from west of Port Clinton nearly to Toledo. Eighty-six-acre West Sister Island, nine miles offshore, supports an important heron and egret rookery and has been designated a National Wildlife Area.

Approximately 750 pairs of Great Egrets nest on the island, plus substantial numbers of Great Blue and Black-crowned Night-Herons, six to ten pairs of Snowy Egrets, and over 300 pairs of Double-crested Cormorants. Little Blue Herons and Cattle Egrets have nested in the past. Visitation is limited to authorized researchers.

The largest marsh, described here, abuts the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area and is headquarters for the entire Ottawa Complex. Little Cedar Point, nee Cedar Point, the westernmost link in the system, is discussed on p.---. The Navarre Marsh is jointly owned by the Toledo Edison and Cleveland Electric Illuminating companies and is the site of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station. Darby Marsh, at this writing, is still being developed as a wildlife refuge.

The "backside" of the Ottawa Refuge, a productive birding area, is accessible from Veler Road, which is about five miles west of the headquarters building on Ohio 2. Directions are given later in this account.

An overflow channel parallels the right side of the entrance road to the headquarters building and parking lot of the main refuge, behind which is a wetland of grasses and sedges, a favorite feeding ground of geese and puddle ducks. Shorebirds also inhabit this fine environment, and it is a good place to find Black-bellied Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Greater and Lesser yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpipers, a variety of peeps, Common Snipe, and an occasional Wilson's or Red-necked phalarope. In late summer and fall, look for Long-billed Dowitchers.

A few puddle ducks and occasional shorebirds can be found in the pond behind the headquarters building. Except in mid-winter, Canada Geese will be everywhere and their clamorous honking will fill the air.

Most of the six miles of walking trails are atop dikes surrounding the large impoundments. Before investigating them, check the brushy area and woods immediately west of the parking lot for small landbirds.

March, April, and early May are the best months to see migrating hawks. Scan the sky every few minutes; use binoculars to look at, around, and under clouds where hawks might be riding the updrafts high overhead. This vicinity is one of the best in the state to find appreciable numbers of Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, and Red-shouldered hawks. In late April, May, and again in September, keep a sharp lookout for spiraling kettles of Broad-winged Hawks. Other raptors to look for are Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin (rare), and Peregrine Falcon (rare). The parking lot opposite the administration building is a good observation point. Bald Eagles nest on the refuge and one or two can usually be found year round. Small numbers of Ospreys are usually present during each migration, but seldom are more than one or two seen in a day. Rough-legged Hawks are uncommon winter residents and on the scarce side in migration.

The water level of the various impoundments varies from season to season. Water is regulated to achieve the growth of specific plant associations and to maintain proper soil-water combinations. By following the trail from the parking lot around the first impoundment, a loop of about two miles, most of the birds present can be observed. Heavy though they are to carry, a spotting scope on a tripod is almost a necessity.

Tundra Swans appear soon after the ice melts each spring. Through March, several thousand will probably be present throughout the region, although less than a hundred are apt to be on any one impoundment. Also look for Wood Ducks. Green-winged Teal, American Black Ducks, Mallards, Northern Pintails, Blue-winged teal, Northern Shovelers, Gadwalls, and American Wigeons. Along with the surface-feeding ducks there are usually a number of diving ducks. Look for Canvasbacks, Redheads, Ring-necks, Lesser Scaups, Buffleheads, Hooded and Common mergansers, and Ruddy Ducks, Other diving ducks can be seen on Maumee Bay to the west, Sandusky Bay to the east, on borrow pits, and frequently rafted up offshore.

In spring and fall, when a big migration is under way, small landbirds seek cover in marginal willows and shrubs and along the edges of the marsh. Such birds include Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes, Brown Thrashers, Yellow-rumped and Palm warblers. The small birds that pop up out of the grass and fly twenty or thirty yards only to disappear again are probably Savannah Sparrows. Listen for the metallic chink notes of Swamp Sparrows.

At the extreme north end of the dikes is a patch of flooded trees and tree-lined banks along a channel. These spots can be excellent for everything from Prothonotary Warblers and other songbirds to herons, Wood Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, Common Moorhens, American Coots, and Belted Kingfishers.

For shorebirds, the best time for a visit is May and again from mid-July to October. When water levels are ideal (shallow pools), impressive numbers of birds are often present. Species such as the Short-billed Dowitcher are common, and Dunlin (May and late September-October) at such times throng the mudflats. Other shorebirds regular in migration are the Semipalmated Plover, Greater and Lesser yellowlegs, Solitary, Spotted, Semipalmated, Least, and Pectoral sandpipers. Rarer species to look for include Black-bellied and Lesser Golden-Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Sanderling, Western, White-rumped, Baird's, and Stilt sandpipers.

Ring-billed Gulls are ubiquitous. In August and September there are noticeable increases in Green-backed Herons. A few Cattle Egrets might be present. Caspian, Common, and Black terns are likely. By the end of the period, mixed flocks of Forster's and Common terns appear on the scene.

To get to the Veler Road section of the Ottawa Complex, take Ohio 2 five miles west, turn to the right, and proceed to the gate. Before starting out, please check the Ottawa headquarters for permission to enter the property, The large tract combines large expanses of marsh, mudflats, meadows, and croplands. During the first half of the 1970s, this part of the refuge was extremely good for shorebirds and it is still an excellent place to visit for a variety of interesting species.

Beyond the gate, the road extends back into the marsh, in the process passing the site of an old farmhouse, orchard, and large fields. The first two locations are good for small flocks of migratory song birds in the spring and fall. Eastern Kingbirds, Willow Flycatchers, vireos, warblers, Indigo Buntings, Orchard Orioles, and Pine Siskins have been seen here. In March and April, it is a good place to find Rusty Blackbirds and an occasional Brewer's Blackbird.

The fields and fallow meadows along the road sometimes become slightly flooded; when this happens, look for plovers, yellow legs, and other shorebirds. This is also a good habitat for Upland Sandpipers, Water Pipits, Dickcissels, Savannah and Grasshopper sparrows, Bobolinks, and Eastern Meadowlarks.

Look for Northern Harriers over the fields and marshes. Walk about a half mile and there might be flooded fields and flats on the right side of the road.

In addition to shorebirds, in season, the Veler Road location is a veritable spa for herons, egrets, geese, and surface-feeding ducks. Before leaving, scan the skyline to the east&emdash;chances are good that you will see a Bald Eagle perched in one of the distant trees.

A word of precaution: always bring extra clothing, especially jackets and sweaters- even if the weather is warm when you start out. Sudden changes in the weather and precipitous drops in temperature are commonplace along the lake.