Birding at Black Swamp Nature Center

Paulding, Ohio

Visiting this Site

Site Maps & Info

Information about the site.

Black Swamp Nature Center

Visiting Information

Closed hours/season

Open all year from dawn until dusk.

Parking Areas

Paved parking lot.

Fees/Permits

None.

Restroom Facilities

Basic facility with no running water. Better restrooms at Reservoir Park located on the other side of Creek (entrance off County Road 107).

Harmful Insects, Poisonous Plants, or Animals

Poison Ivy.

Special Note

Keep an eye out for groundhog excavations on trails.

Restaurants in the Area

Red Owl Inn, 401K, Los Gallitos in downtown Paulding. McDonalds, Subway, Dairy Queen, China Wok and Marco’s Pizza at north end of Paulding on U.S. 127.

Other Birding Spots in the Area

Paulding Reservoir (just south of Black Swamp Nature Center), and Thomas Wetlands (5.5 miles west and 3 miles north of center of Paulding at intersection of County Road 176 and Twp. Road 61).

General Information

Address

Corner of County Road 107 (Scott Road on DeLorme map) and County Road 132.

County/Counties

Paulding

DeLorme Page Number and Coordinates

(7th Edition and earlier) Page 34, C-3

Nearest Town or City

At southwest corner of Paulding Village.

Directions from Nearest Town or City

At southwest corner of Court House square in downtown Paulding, go south on Williams Street and continue on road past fairgrounds. Black Swamp Nature Center is to the west, just past the fairgrounds. To get to entrance, turn left (south) on County Road 107 and drive south about two hundred feet to driveway on left, which is marked by a sign.

About Black Swamp Nature Center

This 55-acre property, formerly known as the Paulding Ponds, was once managed by the State of Ohio as a hunting and fishing area. Located on Flat Rock Creek, it consists mainly of mixed deciduous woodland, especially in the creek floodplain. There is a large, shallow pond of 5-6 acres, an approximately 4-acre marshy area, and three smaller ponds.
 
A brushy field, located next to the parking lot, provides some habitat for field species. The trails are good and generally well-maintained. Since 1985, 190 species have been recorded at this location. – See more at: http://www.ohiobirds.org/site/library/sites/showsite.php?Site_ID=42#links

Birds of Interest by Season

Winter

None- common resident and winter visitors.

Spring

Excellent for migrant songbirds (34 species of warblers recorded), including Connecticut, Hooded, Worm-eating, Prairie, Cerulean and Kentucky warblers. American and Least Bitterns have been found in the marsh.

Summer

The marsh has hosted nesting Common Moorhens and Pied-billed Grebes.

Fall

Good for migrant songbirds- warblers, vireos, kinglets, thrushes, etc.