2025 Regional Director Birdwalks

2025 Regional Director Birdwalks

by | Mar 29, 2025 | Past News and Events

Join the OOS Regional Director Birdwalks!

Every year, the Regional Directors of the Ohio Ornithological Society lead a birdwalk in their region.

Mark your calendars and join them for a fun morning of birding. Learn about birds and birding areas in your region OR venture outside of your region and see what great birding areas are available within our beautiful Ohio.

Regional Directors are working on setting up their walks for 2025. 

 

Be sure to check our website, Facebook and your email for continuing information on these walks as they develop.

Summer Grassland & Wetland Birds 
with Leigh Casal, Northeast Regional Director

Where: Bath Nature Preserve, Summit County
When: Thursday, June 19 from 8:00 am to 11:00 AM
Register: leigh.casal@ohiobirds.org

Join us for a morning of birding through the diverse habitats of Bath Nature Preserve in Summit County! We’ll explore prime grassland in search of Bobolinks and Henslows’s sparrows and venture into wetlands where we’ve encountered Least Bittern, Marsh Wren, Common Gallinule, Trumpeter Swans and more. Time permitting, we may also explore the tamarack bog and old-growth forest. 

Expect to walk around 2 miles on mostly flat terrain, with a few hills. Directions, parking details and more specifics to come. Register with Leigh Casal at leigh.casal@ohiobirds.org. 

Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge (restricted area)

Fall birding at Pearls
with Rick Luehrs, Regional Director

Where: Pearls Fen
When: Saturday, September 6, 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Register:  Register with Rick

Pearls Fen is one of the Greene County Parks and is part of the Beavercreek Wetlands network and it is usually awesome for birding in the Fall. We hope to see good numbers of hummingbirds, woodpeckers, flycatchers and Warblers! Maybe even a surprise or two!

We’ll meet at the paved parking area on Byron Road in Fairborn. There is a porta-potty and a picnic table beside the lot. We’ll walk the scenic boardwalk that crosses the natural spring first and then we’ll walk the wide, easy trail that skirts the fen.

Red Eyed Vireo

Late Fall in Southeast Ohio​
with Madison Donohue, Southeast Regional Director

Where: Lake Snowden Campground
When: Saturday, October 25, 2025 – 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Register: RSVP to madison@ruralaction.org 

Lake Snowden is a late fall Southeast Ohio hotspot, especially for migrating waterfowl, including American Coot, Northern Shoveler, Common Loon, Ruddy Duck and grebes (Pied-billed and Horned). The bushes around the fish ponds are very good for sparrows, including White-crowned and Vesper and also Wilson’s Snipe.

We’ll meet at the pavilion near the small jungle gym to bird from 10am to noon. Dress for the weather and bring water.

lake snowden
Warblers & Wildflowers Weekend 2025

Warblers & Wildflowers Weekend 2025

by | Jan 24, 2025 | Past News and Events

Artwork by Ann Geise - prints available at anngeiseart.com

Warblers & Wildflowers at Shawnee State Park

April 25-27, 2025

Register Here!
Detailed Itinerary
Field Trip Descriptions
Meet the Speakers

Join the OOS at Shawnee State Park Lodge in Scioto County, OH for a celebration of Warblers and Wildflowers. The last weekend in April gives you a chance to meet the first big wave of spring migration, enjoy excellent presentations and experience the fellowship of fun and avid birders! Rooms and cabins available at Shawnee Lodge until full. Book your room by March 24 to receive an early bird discount (see details on the event registration page). 

New this year: Are you a student? This year we are excited to offer a 50% registration cost discount for high school and college students. Use discount code “student” at check-out. 

Please note that the registration deadline is April 18 at 5:00 PM and registration fees will be non-refundable after March 31 (extenuating circumstances may be considered.)

Tentative Schedule

Friday night will begin with registration in the lodge lobby beginning at 3:00 pm. A happy hour cash bar with a presentation by Shawnee State Park Naturalist Jenny Richards highlighting the wonderful biodiversity of the State Park and Forest. After a delicious buffet dinner, enjoy nature-inspired music with singer-songwriter Megan Bee and then off to listen for Chuck-will’s-widows or visit the cabins for Mothing.

Saturday will feature a wide variety of bird and botany guided trips with experienced leaders. Saturday evening, after a buffet dinner, keynote speaker Kent Miller will present on his lifetime of joyful exploration & discovery in Ohio followed by another search for Chuck-will-widows or Mothing.

Sunday morning birders will be on their own with the possible option to bird with guides remaining for the morning. We will share a map of Shawnee Forest for you to explore on your own.

PLANNED FIELD TRIPS

  1. The Amazing Birds & Botany of Shawnee
  2. Neotropical Jewels: Warblers
  3. Birds and Butterflies: Wings of Spring
  4. All Creatures (and plants) Great and Small
  1. Birding 101
  2. Thru the Lens: Photographic Birds
  3. Birds & Wildflowers of Adams County – Edge of Appalachia
  4. Birds & Botany of Adams County – Lynx Prairie

About the Area

Shawnee State Forest, and surrounding areas in Scioto and Adams Counties, is well known among Ohio birders as the place to get a head start on spring. Our tropical migrants arrive here well before they make their way to Ohio’s northern reaches. Some, such as Worm-eating Warbler, Blue Grosbeak and Summer Tanager, seldom make it to Lake Erie, as their breeding range is limited to the southern part of the state. One in particular, Chuck-wills-widow, is confined to a small area in southern Adams County. So, if you want to compile a large Ohio list, you will need to visit here.

Just as spring comes earlier for the birds in the Shawnee region, the same is true for wildflowers. The south-facing slopes along the shore of the Ohio River warm up first, kicking off the northward march of spring. The timing of wildflower blooming is tied to the weather much more than the timing of avian migrant arrival, so it is hard to predict what you can find in late April. But the diversity of habitats in this area guarantees that there is sure to be a correspondingly wide diversity of blooms.

Shawnee National Forest Sign
Shawnee National Forest Scenery - Creek
SAVE THE DATE: Warblers & Wildflowers: April 25-27 2025

SAVE THE DATE: Warblers & Wildflowers: April 25-27 2025

by | Jan 13, 2025 | Past News and Events | 0 comments

Mark your calendars and reserve a room for Warblers and Wildflowers at Shawnee State Park: April 25-27, 2025

It’s time again to plan for next Spring’s Warblers & Wildflowers at Shawnee State Park. Get a jump on spring migration along with the opportunity to see and hear nesting species that don’t migrate further north. And for the botanists in the group, there’s lots of native flora not seen many other places in Ohio.

You can reserve your room or cabin now at discounted prices. Call Shawnee Lodge & Conference Center at 740-858-6621 and tell them you’re reserving a room/cabin for the event with Ohio Ornithological Society on the dates indicated for the discount.

Tentative Schedule

The tentative schedule will start Friday evening with happy hour, a buffet dinner, a short introduction to the Shawnee area, an evening speaker (TBD) and off in search seeking to hear the Chuck-will’s-widows.

Saturday morning will feature a wide variety of bird/botany walks with experienced leaders. Saturday evening, after a buffet dinner, will feature a keynote speaker (TBD) and again go in search seeking to hear Chuck-will-widows. In addition, we will be setting up mothing sheets near the cabins for both nights! It looks to be a great event that you won’t want to miss.

Watch the OOS website, Facebook, your email and see the Chip Notes in late-January for more information and a link to register for the event. We are looking forward to having a full event this year and hope you will join us for a great weekend!

2025 Winter Raptor Extravaganza at The Wilds!

2025 Winter Raptor Extravaganza at The Wilds!

by | Dec 13, 2024 | Past News and Events | 0 comments

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.

Register Here

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.

OOS Birders enjoying The Wilds in winter

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. 

2024 Annual Meeting at the Gorman Nature Center

2024 Annual Meeting at the Gorman Nature Center

by | Oct 17, 2024 | Past News and Events

OOS Annual Meeting
November 23, 2024
Gorman Nature Center, Richland County

Are you planning on attending this year? You’ll have fun and we need your member input. So we hope you’ll register soon.

Register Here

OOS will again have our annual meeting at the beautiful Gorman Nature Center in Richland County – 2295 Lexington Avenue, Mansfield, OH 44907. Event is free, but you need to register. Register here (via email) and indicate which birdwalk you wish to take – Clearfork Lake or Ohio Bird Sanctuary. (Please include all names in your party.)

We’ll start the day at 9 am with morning birdwalks at Clearfork Reservoir and the Ohio Bird Sanctuary in the area with experienced leaders. When everyone returns to the center around noon, we’ll have a chili cookoff lunch – be sure to vote for your favorite. And after, a short talk from our current Vice President, Jeremy Dominguez. Lastly, and most importantly, our annual elections. Join us and enjoy meeting with old birding friends and possibly meeting new ones.

 

Ohio Bird Sanctuary

The Ohio Bird Sanctuary is a haven for native birds, nature preserve, and living museum. It is dedicated to caring for and rehabilitating Ohio native birds, protecting natural habitat, and creating opportunities for people to engage with nature. Hike the footpaths and boardwalks lacing the woods and marshes along the headwaters of the Clear Fork River. The majority of the Sanctuary’s displays are accessible to wheelchairs and strollers for everyone to enjoy.

Clearfork creek

Clearfork Reservoir

Clearfork Reservoir Park is located seven miles southwest of Mansfield near State Route 97. The reservoir was designed to be the major source of water for the City of Mansfield and was completed in 1949. Situated in the upper Clearfork River Valley, the lake contains 997 surface acres of water and 14 miles of shoreline. Thirty-five square miles of farmland act as a collector of rainwater to keep the supply of water in the reservoir as constant as possible. The lake together with 1,000 acres of surrounding land is available for picnicking, boating, fishing, camping, hiking, hunting, and other forms of recreation.