LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — It is the Biggest Week in American Birding and out-of-state visitors are asking locals to join them in spotting songbirds before they cross Lake Erie.
While the boardwalk at Magee Marsh is the centerpiece of the Biggest Week in American Birding, Maumee Bay State Park is the heart of the event.
Maumee Bay Lodge is home to main registration and is the starting location of most guided tours. The parking lot is packed with cars from across the country.
"Mainly the number of birds, all the different kinds of warblers that you see," Ann Laudeman, who visits often from Mt. Vernon, said. "I tried to learn them, and I finally decided it doesn't matter, I just want to see the birds."
The birders I spoke with say they are thrilled to come back on returning trips and see more and more people from NW Ohio taking part in the annual bird migration celebration.
"The funny thing is, the first year we came there were almost no people from Ohio, you know, all the license plates were from out of state," Kurt Silverstein, visiting from Maine, said. "Now the third time, there's a lot more local people it seems that are enjoying the birds around here, they're becoming aware of it."
These birders said the Biggest Week is actually the best time for a beginner, as veteran birders love to help.
"There are so many people that are out there who know the birds, and they just call out the names," Laudman said. "You don't even have to have a guide."
There is no barrier to birding, which adds to the experience during the Biggest Week.
"It's just a whole collegial atmosphere amongst the birders," Silverstein said. "Everyone is very friendly and helpful, so they point out birds to you."
The lodge at Maumee Bay State Park will be hosting a birders vendors market all week long where you can pick up everything from optics to booking your next birding excursion, to even picking up some songbird-branded coffee.
For the first time, registration for events remains open for all Biggest Week activities, so if you're experienced or a birding newcomer, there will be plenty of opportunities this week.
"And, you can take it as far as you want to," William Kraeling from Newport, Kentucky, said.
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