Birding at Edge of Appalachia Preserve
West Union, Ohio
General Information
Address
4274 Waggoner Riffle Rd, West Union, OH 45693
County/Counties
Adams
DeLorme Page Number and Coordinates
(7th Edition and earlier) Page 84, A to C – 1 to 2
Nearest Town or City
West Union, Ohio.
Directions from Nearest Town or City
From Cincinnati: Take SR 32 east to SR 247 south to West Union. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours driving time.
From Dayton: Take I-75 south to I-275 east. Then follow SR 32 east to SR 247 south toward West Union. Allow 2 to 2.5 hours driving time.
From Columbus: Take SR 23 south to SR 32 west. Then follow SR 41 south to West Union. Allow 2.5 hours driving time.
About Edge of Appalachia Nature Preserve
Birding at the Edge and the surrounding area can be very rewarding for Ohio birders. Here at the states’ southern border, vast wooded tracts, varied edges, grasslands and old fields make a medley of habitats available to breeding and migrating birds. 172 species of birds have been recorded on the preserve. 107 breed here, and 11 are of high conservation concern. Many Ohio birders come to the preserve, and elsewhere in Adams County, to find the first arriving species each year, or those species found in few other places in the state.
Visiting Information
Closed hours/season
Open all year during daylight hours.
Parking Areas
At the Lynx Church, the Buzzard Roost Rock parking area on Weaver Road, and the Wilderness Preserve parking area on Shivener Road.
Fees/Permits
None,
Restroom Facilities
None.
Harmful Insects, Poisonous Plants, or Animals
Some bugs, chiggers in prairie areas in summer, an occasional copperhead snake.
Restaurants in the Area
West Union has all the expected fast food restaurants, a Chinese take-out, Mexican food, and the Murphin Ridge Inn.
Other Birding Spots in the Area
Adams Lake, Adams Lake Prairie, Wheat Ridge fields above Dunksville, the Ohio River shoreline.
Birds of Interest by Season
Winter
All of the expected winter sparrows and finches can be found here, in varying numbers, each year. An occasional Bald Eagle is reported from down near the Ohio River about every year now. You never know what will show up on the Christmas Bird Count.
Spring
Nearly all eastern warblers have been recorded on the Edge at one time or another. One day in 1998, 32 species of warblers were seen here. There is usually not much here in the way of waterfowl. All of the expected buteos, accipiters, American Kestrel and Great-horned, Barred and Screech Owls are found here in good numbers. Waterthrushes are usually the first warblers to arrive, followed closely by Black-and-white and Prairie Warblers.
Summer
Unusual Ohio breeding birds that one might expect to find on the Edge are: Black Vulture, Chuck-will’s-widow, Yellow-throated Warbler, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler Cerulean Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey, Blue Grosbeak, Savannah Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow’s Sparrow and, if you are very lucky, perhaps a Bewick’s Wren.
Fall
Many fall warblers come through on their way back south. This is a difficult time of the year to bird here, as it gets very quiet.