2025 Winter Raptor Extravaganza at The Wilds!
2025 Winter Raptor Extravaganza at The Wilds: January 18, 2025
We’re looking forward to birding with members again at The Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio, in 2025! Don’t miss a fun day of birding, seeing old friends and learning about the Eastern Hellbender!
The OOS will return to The Wilds on January 18, 2025, for our annual trip to find wintering raptors and wintering waterfowl! This event is a big THANK YOU to all of the OOS members that help support our great organization. Because of you, we were able to sponsor many conservation programs/projects to organizations in Ohio for the protection of our birds and their habitat.
And the Youth Education Committee is always working on providing Ohio’s youth with opportunities through scholarships, educational opportunities, etc. in order to further their interest/passion to help Ohio’s bird conservation for them and future generations.
YOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE! REGISTRATION IS LIMITED!
This is a members-only event** so sign up today to become eligible to join us! Signing up as a member (or renewing your membership) is easy – just click on the link below to join the OOS today!
Become an OOS Member or Renew Here
Once you’re a member, register for the 2025 OOS Winter Raptor Extravaganza by sending an email to Jason Larson at bairdstrogon@yahoo.com and join us for a fun day of birding! It’s free to members (although with rising costs we kindly request a small donation of $10 to help defray our costs). Read more below!
**If you know someone who is not a member and they would like to attend the event, simply have them sign-up for an OOS membership! Members may also invite non-members to attend the event, but an OOS member must make the reservation.
The Wilds is a large reclaimed surface mine grassland area that has abundant wintering raptors and grassland nesting birds. While most of the region is rolling grassland, there are also areas of ponds, lakes, wetlands, spoils forest and remnant hardwood forests. Wide-open vistas make this a great raptor-watching spot. Special species that we may find are: Golden and Bald Eagle, Rough-legged Hawk (light & dark morphs), Northern Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Northern Shrike and Eastern Meadowlark. Open water areas can also attract a large variety of waterfowl. In the past we have seen such rarities as Long-tailed Duck, Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose and Green-winged Teal. If we are very fortunate, we might get to see something like the Prairie Falcon that spent the winter in 2003-2004.
