Discover the diversity of Shawnee Forest-  BIRDS!

Over 100 species of birds nest in Shawnee, and May is by far the best
month to enjoy them. Not only are the males looking resplendent in their
breeding plumage, but the air is filled with their songs.  Of particular
interest are the Neotropical birds; species that winter in the tropics of
Central and South America, and return to nest in northern haunts like
Shawnee.  Included in this colorful lot are species like Hooded and
Cerulean warblers, Scarlet Tanagers, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  
With over 60,000 acres of forest, they occur in abundance, too.  Many
of our guides know birds well and can help participants find interesting
species.  Sometimes one of the biggest issues with exploring Shawnee's
forests is deciding where to look- at neat flowers on the ground, or
colorful birds in the trees!
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Sept. 30, 2016
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BIRDS
Magnolia Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Veery
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    The Ohio Ornithological Society to "Rally for Rails"                    Oct. 1-2, 2016


    The abundance of rails in Ohio’s fall wetlands is hard to verify, but it is not for lack of trying.  Birds in the
    family Rallidae include the regularly occurring Sora, Virginia and King Rails, and the more extroverted
    and easier to find Common Gallinule and American Coot. Yellow and Black Rails may be present but
    these tiny birds are incredibly secretive and rank high among the most difficult birds in North America to
    view. In addition to the possibility of rails, there will be lots of fall migrants around, and birders should
    rack up large lists during field forays.

    Lakeside, Ohio will be the gathering grounds on October 1, 2016 for birdwatchers keen on rails and
    wanting to learn more about the area’s most productive wetlands.  Featured speakers will include experts
    from Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO), Winous Point Marsh Conservancy and Ottawa National
    Wildlife Refuge and Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

    Saturday evening the Ohio Ornithological Society will have their Annual Banquet. Our keynote speaker is
    an inspiring young woman, Auriel  Fournier, a PhD Candidate with the Arkansas Cooperative Fish
    and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Arkansas.  Auriel is no stranger to us; she grew up in
    North-west Ohio and was active in Ohio Young Birders at BSBO.  She returns annually to lead field trips
    for Biggest Week in American Birding and collaborates with local wildlife biologists studying rails.   

    Field trips to biological hot-spots for birding and bird conservation are available on Saturday and Sunday
    (Oct. 1-2). Featured locations on Saturday will be Meadowbrook Marsh, Ottawa National Wildlife
    Refuge, and a premium trip (all funds to benefit Rail Conservation) offered to visit the King Rail study at
    Winous Point.  Sunday trips will be hosted by numerous conservation agencies, including The Nature
    Conservancy, Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Ohio Wetlands Association, The Environmental
    Protection Agency and others to be announced.


















                                                                            Auriel is passionate about wetlands, birds and trying to
    understand their migration while making the conservation and scientific communities more diverse.