by Ken Ostermiller | May 30, 2020 | What's New
About state of Ohio website links
You may have noticed than the state of Ohio is in the process of updating websites. All of the links to information about state parks, wildlife areas, state nature preserves, boat ramps, and more currently go to a temporary website. The new websites are in development but will not be ready until summer. Once the new websites are ready, it will take some time to update the links. In the meantime, I ask for your patience.
Ken Ostermiller
There are 3673 eBird hotspots in Ohio.
New eBird Hotspots
Kendrick Woods–Cottonwood Trail Access
Parking and access to the Cottonwood Trail is on Zion Church Road at the north end of the Kendrick Woods Important Bird Area. Thanks to Mandy Roberts for suggesting this hotspot and for providing photos.
Glenwillow Village Trail
The Glenwillow Village Trail on the north side of Pettibone from Austin Powder Drive to Richmond Road is extensively used by residents walking, riding bikes, and jogging. The trail connects with the trail system in Oakwood Village and the Cleveland Metroparks. Thanks to Cory Chiappone for suggesting this hotspot and for providing a photo.
Pettibone Park
Photo by Cory Chiappone
Pettibone Park
The main attraction of Pettibone Park in the Village of Glenwillow, as far as birders are concerned, is that it is adjacent to an old landfill. The best spot to view it is from the top of the hill at the parks far west end. You can walk there from the parking lot but the lawn can be pretty soggy, so it is best reached by parking in the designated parking spots along the road next to the hill. Thanks to Cory Chiappone for suggesting this hotspot and for providing tips for birding and photos.
LaDue Public Hunting Area–Rapids Road
Thanks to Garrett Lane for suggesting this additional hotspot in the LaDue Public Hunting Area
Holmes County Trail–Killbuck
The trail entrance is located next to the former train depot on Water Street (County Road 622). Parking is available in downtown Killbuck on Front Street, Water Street, and Main Street. Thanks to Joseph Boros for suggesting this additional hotspot on the Holmes County Trail.
Portage River @ OH-163
Bank Swallows regularly nest under the bridge over the Portage River at OH-163 in Port Clinton. The area can be viewed from the bridge or from the parking lots of nearby businesses. There is parking for Jet Express on the south side, east of the road. On the north west side there is a place to clean fish, also with a parking lot. Please be respectful of businesses, especially when they have many customers. Thanks to Ami Horowitz for suggesting this hotspot and providing tips for birding.
Clayton Township Road 217
Perry County Road 112
Thanks to Brad Imhoff for suggesting these two hotspots and for providing tips for birding and photos.
Chudzinski-Johannsen Park
Chudzinski-Johannsen Park is Ballville Township’s newest park. The park’s setting is on a gentle rolling parcel of land approximately 74.5 acres located next to Tindall Bridge. The park has 1900 feet of water edge property along the banks of the Sandusky River. Thanks to Chris Byers for suggesting this hotspot.
Updates
Forest Hill Park–East Cleveland
Thanks to Linda Coulter for providing photos.
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
All the National Wildlife Refuges in the US, including Ottawa NWR, may be viewed, “explored” in eBird from the Explore tab.
Each of the National Wildlife Refuges has been defined as a polygon and the resulting page collects data from all the checklists (at hotspots and personal locations) within the refuge. Here’s the link to the page for Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge:
https://ebird.org/region/USFWS_147?yr=all
I noticed that some of the hotspots at Ottawa NWR were not showing up in the data, mostly hotspots where the marker was placed on a water feature at the refuge. For example, the marker for the Boss Unit on Benton-Carroll Road was in the pool adjacent to the viewing deck and the marker for the Walking Trail Pools was out in one of the pools. I experimented with moving the markers for these locations to land locations and, eureka, they showed up on the page above. I made adjustments in this way to the locations of markers for 8 sublocations at Ottawa NWR and data from them is now included in the output of this tool.
This is an example of how polygons are used in eBird to display data from eBird. I understand that the National Wildlife Refuge polygons were set up with special funding and using the polygons that are defined by the National Wildlife Refuge system.
In eBird, the Audubon Important Bird Areas have also been set up at polygons for data display. They do not have a display in the “Explore” tab similar to the National Wildlife Refuges, but may be selected from the tools which build bar charts, first and last sightings, and more. In this website, there is a page for each of the Important Bird Areas in Ohio. This link will take you to the index page where you may explore data from the Ohio IBA polygons.
Browns Lake Bog State Nature Preserve
Thanks to Tom Fishburn for providing photos.
County and Township Roads
Adjusted the names of County Roads and Township Roads to include the name of the county or township. There was not time to finish this project. There will be similar changes to other hotspots in the next week.
Alum Creek State Park–Delaware County Road 10A Fishing Access
Ashland County Road 1950
Charles Mill Lake–Ashland County Road 1217 Access
Conesville Coal Lands–County Road 7 Pond
Grassy Fork Bottoms, Jackson County Road 2
Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area–Marseilles Township Road 103
Mohicanville Dam–Mohican Township Road 2250
OH-269 @ Erie County Road 175
Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area–Sandusky County Road 232
Sandusky County Road 202
Sandusky County Road 244
Seneca County Road 34
Thompson Township Road 178
West River Road–I-75 to Hancock County Road 139
Woodbury Wildlife Area–Bedford Township Roads 56 and 58
Woodbury Wildlife Area–Coshocton County Road 4
Woodbury Wildlife Area–Coshocton County Road 70
Woodbury Wildlife Area–Coshocton County Road 286
Woodbury Wildlife Area–Jackson Township Road 302
Woodbury Wildlife Area–Jackson Township Road 403
by Ken Ostermiller | May 24, 2020 | What's New
About Ohio website links
You may have noticed than the state of Ohio is in the process of updating websites. All of the links to information about state parks, wildlife areas, state nature preserves, boat ramps, and more currently go to a temporary website. The new websites are in development but will not be ready until summer. Once the new websites are ready, it will take some time to update the links. In the meantime, I ask for your patience.
Ken Ostermiller
There are 3664 eBird hotspots in Ohio.
New eBird Hotspots
Buck Creek Trail–Pumphouse Road Access
Parking for the Pumphouse Access is available at Old Reid Park.
Brecksville Reservation–Buckeye Trail, Ottawa Point Picnic Area to Snowville Road
The Buckeye Trail traverses 16 miles through the Brecksville Reservation. There are trailheads which provide access to the Buckeye Trail in the southern section of the Brecksville Reservation at the Ottawa Point Picnic Area, on Riverview Road, and on Snowville Road. Thanks to Fred Losi for suggesting this hotspot.
Cleveland Cultural Gardens
Thanks to Alex Burke for suggesting this hotspot which is in the Dike 14-Doan Brook Important Bird Area.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park–Frazee House Towpath Trail
There is access to the Towpath Trail from Frazee House. Thanks to Fred Losi for suggesting this hotspot.
LaBoiteaux Woods Preserve
LaBoiteaux Woods is a mix of woodland and greenspace on the west side of Cincinnati. Thanks to Aaron Hobson for suggesting this hotspot.
Oakwoods Nature Preserve–East Wetlands
Thanks to Bob Sams for suggesting this hotspot and for providing a photo.
Prairie Grass Trail–London Trailhead
Starting at the Prairie Grass Trailhead, located behind the Madison County Senior Center, 280 West High Street, London, the Prairie Grass Trail runs southwest for approximately 10 miles where it reaches South Charleston.
Byron Road
Byron Road traverses privately owned properties. Please view birds from the roadside only. Thanks to Lee Funderburg for suggesting this hotspot.
Updates
Schoenbrunn Village
Thanks to Dan Kramer for providing photos.
by Ken Ostermiller | May 17, 2020 | What's New
There are 3656 eBird hotspots in Ohio.
New eBird Hotspots
Photo by Ron Sempier
Faurot Park
Faurot Park is located on South Cole Street in Lima. Thanks to Stefan Minnig for suggesting this hotspot.
Mohican State Forest–Fire Tower
Thanks to Jeremy Miller for suggesting this additional hotspot in the Mohican State Forest.
Huron River Path MetroPark
Dupont Marsh State Nature Preserve lies within this MetroPark on the Huron River. Thanks to Paul Sherwood for suggesting this hotspot.
Sandusky Amvets Baseball Field
Thanks to Madison Jones for suggesting this hotspot adjacent to Sandusky Bay.
Johnson Nature Preserve
Johnson Nature Preserve is on Deerfield Road in Montgomery. Thanks to Katie McGee for suggesting this hotspot.
Indian Green Cemetery and Worden Conservation Area
Indian Green-Worden Family Conservation Area is east of and adjacent to Litzenberg Memorial Woods. It was created to preserve the natural area along the Blanchard River, expand wildlife habitat, and improve access to the Heritage Trail, which begin in the south unit of Litzenberg Memorial Woods.Thanks to Bob Sams for suggesting this hotspot.
Mink Street
Mink Street is County Road 26, southwest of Mount Vernon. During wet weather a skypool may form in the agricultural fields adjacent to the road and attract ducks, geese, and wading birds. This road traverses privately owned properties. Please view birds from the roadside only. A White-faced Ibis has been reported recently at this location. If you submitted a checklist at a personal location, please change your location to this new hotspot. Thanks to James Muller for suggesting the hotspot.
Great Lakes Mall
View birds from the parking lots of the Great Lakes Mall. Common Nighthawks have been observed from this location. Thanks to Josh Hargrave for suggesting this hotspot.
Beaver Wildlife Area
Beaver Wildlife Area, a mix of tallgrass prairie, wetlands and oak savanna, is located on Marion-Green Camp Road southwest of Marion. Thanks to Ron Sempier for suggesting this hotspot and for providing photos.
Cascade Valley Metro Park–Schumacher Trail
The hilly 1.2-mile Schumacher Trail provides a closer look at some of Summit County’s most pristine scenery. Thanks to Adam Jackson for suggesting this hotspot.
Schoenbrunn Village
The primary area of birding interest and accessibility is the portion west and south of Delaware Drive Southeast. Approximately 125 acres of land are open free of charge to the public year round for walking, birding, and picnics. Located in New Philadelphia, Schoenbrunn Village is the site of several Ohio firsts—settlement, church, schoolhouse and code of laws. The village, restored to appear as it did more than two centuries ago, includes the original cemetery and 16 reconstructed log structures, as well as the church and gardens. Thanks to Dan Kramer for suggesting this hotspot.
Updates
Roadside Birding
There are many locations, especially in rural counties, in Ohio where you can view birds from your vehicle. Rural roads through agricultural lands, state forests and wildlife areas, “skypools” that form after a rain, airport runways near public roads, cemeteries, the wildlife drive at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, all are examples of places you can do roadside birding.
Added the many cemeteries in Ohio which are eBird hotspots to this list.
Mohican State Park–Gorge Overlook
Added photos.
Litzenberg Memorial Woods
Updated maps.
Cascade Valley Metro Park
Changed the name of this from Cascade Valley Park.
by Ken Ostermiller | May 9, 2020 | What's New
There are 3645 eBird hotspots in Ohio.
New eBird Hotspots
Blendon Woods Metro Park–Natural Playground
Thanks to Leonard Schofield for suggesting this additional hotspot in Blendon Woods Metro Park.
Thanks to Jackie Kellett for suggesting three local hotspots in New Albany.
Marburn Academy Field
The athletic filed adacent to Marburn Academy may be viewed from the sidewalk on Butterworth Green Drive.
New Albany Wetland
This wetland is adjacent to the New Albany High School baseball fields and tennis courts.
Windsor Preserve
There are two ponds in the natural area of Windsor Bridge at the Preserve condominium community.
Miami Township West Community Park
Thanks to Daniel King for suggesting this hotspot on the Great Miami River.
Deer Creek State Park–Adena Ridge Trail
Thanks to Jacob Abel for suggesting this additional hotspot at Deer Creek State Park.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park–Boston Run Trail
The Boston Run Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is accessed from the Happy Days Lodge parking lot on the north side of OH-303.
Sand Run Metro Park–Big Bend Trailhead
Thanks to Thomas Sheridan for suggesting this additional hotspot in the eastern section of Sand Run Metro Park.
Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail—McDonnell Trailhead
Thanks to Chris Lamb for suggesting this additional hotspot on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.
MacIvor Woods
MacIvor Woods is 57 acres of woodland that has been perpetually protected by a conservation easement held by the Humane Society Wildlife Land & Trust. An entrance to the north end of the property is located adjacent to Kroger on West 5th Street and is also accessible from Emmaus Road to the south. There is a 1.2 mile nature trail that allows visitors to experience the natural beauty of this protected land. The trail is open daily from dawn to dusk. Thanks to Gerald Strosnider for suggesting this hotspot.
Caesar Creek State Park–Hopewell Day Lodge
There is a parking area right in front of the lodge and it can be used even when it is reserved because there are several public trails around the lodge. These trails follow the edge of the lake in an older growth forest with many oak and beech trees. A scope is not necessary as it is more of an “in the woods hike,” although you can see the lake at a few vantage points. Due to the old growth forest this area is good in the spring for warblers, cuckoos, flycatchers, thrushes, and more. This is also a good area for woodpeckers and the occasional roosting owl. Thanks to Jason Cade for suggesting this additional hotspot in Caesar Creek State Park and for providing tips for birding in this part of the state park.
Updates
With the addition of the Boston Run Trail, updated the list of Ohio Birding Day Hikes in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Cuyahoga County day hikes:
Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail
Station Road Trails
Summit County day hikes:
Brandywine Gorge Trail
Boston Run Trail
Everett Road Covered Bridge Trails
Ira Road Beaver Marsh Towpath Trail
Oak Hill Trails
Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail
Ritchie Ledges Area Trails
Station Road Trails
Virginia Kendall Lake Trails
Wetmore Tails
Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail
Updated the list of hotspots which are along this trail in these four counties.
by Ken Ostermiller | May 4, 2020 | What's New
There are 3634 eBird hotspots in Ohio.
Photo by Bob Sams
New eBird Hotspots
Shaker Median Trail
Located in Shaker Heights, the trail runs along a corridor in the wide, wooded median space of Shaker Boulevard, following a pleasant tree-lined route along the edge of residential neighborhoods. Thamks to Sameer Apte for suggesting this hotspot.
Jackson Landing
Jackson Landing is an undeveloped, .9-acre natural area. It serves primarily as a landing option and rest area for canoeists and kayakers paddling the Blanchard River Water Trail from Blanchard River Nature Preserve to Riverbend Recreation Area and beyond. Thanks to Bob Sams for suggesting this hotspot and for providing a photo and tips for birding.
Ottawa Upground Reservoir
The Ottawa Upground Reservoir is a small reservoir which attracts waterfowl and shorebirds during migration. The reservoir is small (.7 miles of dikes), but there is plenty of areas to walk in bird in the back area. Thanks to Bob Sams for suggesting this hotspot and for providing a photos, a map, and a description of the location.
Middle Branch Trail–Saratoga Hills
An extension of the Middle Branch Trail in the Saratoga Hills housing complex is under development. Thanks to Barbra Lewis for suggesting this hotspot and for providing tips for birding at this location.
Stan Hywet Gardens
The Stan Hywet estate features a historic 65-room Tudor Revival Manor House, Gothic Revival Conservatory, Gate Lodge, and approximately 70 acres of artistically landscaped grounds and formal gardens. There are fees for various tours. Please check the website for information about access. Thanks to Sophia Morton for suggesting this hotspot.
Updates
Hubbard Valley Park
Thanks to Tom Fishburn for adding a photo to the page about this hotspot.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park–Oak Hill Trails
Thanks to Tom Fishbur for adding photos of these trails in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
