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My grandparents got me interested in wildlife at an early age, taking my brother and me for drives through the countryside, looking for deer, rabbits, and birds of all sorts. My passion for wildlife has persisted through the years, taking me back to northwest Ohio for the Biggest Week in American Birding every year. Formerly known as Crane Creek, Magee Marsh hosts one of the best birding hotspots in the United States in early May. Warblers and other migrating birds of all sorts congregate there to rest up before crossing Lake Erie. Just walk through the parking lot during the week-long celebration, and you'll see license plates from all over the United States and Canada.
My grandparents' farm was located just a few miles from there, and we frequently spent summer afternoon picnicking on the beach and swimming the lake. Crane Creek had public beaches that were open for swimming back then. A lot has changed since my childhood. It's probably better this way.
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In spring, before it was warm enough to swim, we'd drive to the beach, looking for goslings, swans, Coot, and muskrats along the way. We'd walk the boardwalk and look for turtles and frogs. The beach would be deserted in the spring, and we'd enjoy watching the waves crash along the shore.
This year, Magee Marsh was closed during spring migration due to the pandemic and large crowds that are usually present. However, working from home allowed me a much better view of the migration happening in my own yard. Normally busy going into the office and taking my daughter to her after school activities, I miss most of our migrants. Not this year -this year, I enjoyed the following birds that we rarely, if ever, see in our own backyard. Not all are migrants, but some are ones we simply don't see very often.
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White-throated Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Wood Thrush
Baltimore Oriole
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Catbird
Red-headed Woodpecker
Yellow-rumpted "Myrtle" Warbler
Black-Throated Green Warbler
Ovenbird
Nashville Warbler
Canada Warbler
Chestnut-side Warbler
Veery
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Eastern Phoebe
Magnolia Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Swainson's Thrush
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