Welcome to Birding in Ohio
From the Ohio Ornithological Society
Descriptions of Birding Locations in Ohio
This website provides descriptions and maps of eBird Hotspots in Ohio. In eBird, Hotspots are shared locations where birders may report their bird sightings to eBird. Hotspots provide birders with information about birding locations where birds are being seen.
Hotspots are organized by county. If you know the county of a location, click on the county name on the map, in the Alphabetical list of Ohio Counties, or on the page of Ohio Counties by Region.
If you do not know the county, select a hotspot from the Alphabetical list of Ohio Hotspots.
Or use the search icon (
) on the top menu bar to enter all or part of a hotspot name.
Descriptions of Birding Locations in Ohio
This website provides descriptions and maps of eBird Hotspots in Ohio. In eBird, Hotspots are shared locations where birders may report their bird sightings to eBird. Hotspots provide birders with information about birding locations where birds are being seen.
Hotspots are organized by county. If you know the county of a location, click on the county name in the Alphabetical list of Ohio Counties.
If you do not know the county, select a hotspot from the Alphabetical list of Ohio Hotspots.
Or use the search icon () on the top menu bar to enter all or part of a hotspot name.
Overview – Counties – Hotspots – Recent visits
eBird Rare Bird Alert for Ohio – Species map
Top Ohio eBirders
All time – Current year
My eBird Links
Life list – Year list – Month list
Needs Alert (birds you have not seen in Ohio)
Never seen – Not seen this year
Recent Sightings in Ohio
BirdFinder
Ohio Notable Bird Sightings
Where to Go Birding in Ohio
Audubon Important Bird Areas in Ohio
Ohio Birding Drives
Ohio Birding Day Hikes
Roadside Birding
Accessible Facilities
About Rare Bird Sightings
eBird is a real-time, online checklist program which has revolutionized the way that the birding community reports and accesses information about birds. Jointly sponsored by the Laboratory of Ornithology at Cornell University and the National Audubon Society, eBird provides rich data sources for basic information on bird abundance and distribution.
Links to eBird web site
About eBird
eBird Hotspot Explorer
eBird Help Documents
eBird Hotspot Frequently Asked Questions
Lists of all eBird Hotspots world wide
eBird Facebook page
Tips on Managing your eBird Records
How to change the location of a checklist
How to merge a personal location with an eBird Hotspot
How to share a checklist with other birders
How to suggest a personal location as a new eBird Hotspot
How to get a “life list” of birds seen at a personal location
Hotspots by Ohio County
Top Birding Locations in Ohio
Updated 1/5/2021
Also, see the list of Top 100 individual hotspots
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge – 302 species
Headlands Beach State Park – 298 species
Lakefront Reservation – 292 species
Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area – 285 species
Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area – 284 species
Lorain Harbor – 284 species
Buck Creek State Park – 283 species
Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve – 282 species
Maumee Bay State Park – 281 species
Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve – 281 species
Wendy Park, Whiskey Island – 277 species
East Fork State Park – 275 species
Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve – 270 species
Big Island Wildlife Area – 269 species
Lorain Impoundment Lakeside Landing – 269 species
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park – 267 species
Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge – 261 species
Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area – 260 species
Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve – 260 species
Miami Whitewater Forest – 258 species
Hueston Woods State Park – 259 species
Englewood MetroPark – 258 species
Caesar Creek State Park – 258 species
Mill Creek Wildlife Sanctuary (restricted access) – 258 species
Pipe Creek Wildlife Area – 255 species
Sandy Ridge Reservation – 255 species
Kelleys Island – 255 species
Findlay Reservoirs – 255 species
Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area – 255 species
Fernald Preserve – 253 species
Spring Valley Wildlife Area – 253 species
East Harbor State Park – 252 species
Cuyahoga Valley National Park – 250 species
More Information
Resources
Books on Birding in Ohio
All About Birds – online bird guide
Birds of the World
Alpha Codes (4-letter)
Code of Birding Ethics
Websites about Birding in Ohio
Ohio Ornithological Society
Ohio Bird Records Committee
Lake Erie Birding Trail
Lake Erie Public Access Guide
Birding in Ohio from Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Biggest Week in American Birding
A Birder’s Guide to the Biggest Week by Greg Miller
Best Bets for Birding Crane Creek/Magee Marsh
Ohio-birds email list (Ohio Ornithological Society)
Facebook and Other Groups
Birding Ohio
Ohio eBird Q & A
Ohio Rare Bird Alert
Bobolink Area of Ohio
Birding Central Ohio
Cincinnati Birders
Lake Erie Birding
Medina County Birding
Ottawa County Birding
South and Central Ohio Birders
Summit County Birding
West Central Ohio Birders
Ohio Backyard Birding
Other Organizations and Bird Clubs
Appalachian Front Audubon Society (South-central Ohio)
Athens Area Birders
Audubon Ohio (Statewide)
Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland
Audubon Society of Ohio (Cincinnati area)
Audubon Society/Mahoning Valley
Audubon Miami Valley (Butler County area)
Blackbrook Audubon Society (Lake County area)
Black River Audubon Society (Elyria/Lorain area)
Black Swamp Audubon Society (Defiance area)
Black Swamp Bird Observatory (Northwest Ohio)
Canton Audubon Society (Canton area)
Cincinnati Bird Club (Cincinnati area)
Clark County Audubon Society (Springfield area)
Columbus Audubon (Columbus area)
Aullwood Audubon Society (Dayton area)
East Central Audubon Society (Newark area)
Firelands Audubon Society (Sandusky area)
Greater Akron Audubon Society (Akron area)
Greater Mohican Audubon Society (Mansfield area)
Kelleys Island Audubon Club (Lake Erie islands)
Kirtland Bird Club (Cleveland area)
Ohio Bluebird Society (Statewide)
Ohio Division of Wildlife
Ohio State University Sea Grant
Ohio Young Birders Club
Scioto Valley Bird and Nature Club (Chillicothe area)
Shawnee Nature Club (Portsmouth area)
Toledo Naturalists’ Association (Toledo area)
Tri-Moraine Audubon Society (Lima area)
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society
Ohio Notable Bird Sightings
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Thanks to Ed Norton for designing BirdFinder