Conneaut Harbor Important Bird Area

About Conneaut Harbor Important Bird Area
Conneaut is the only bit of increasing mudflat habitat between Huron and Presque Isle in Pennsylvania. Conneaut IBA is located on the southern shore of Lake Erie at the mouth of the Conneaut River. Conneaut harbor is a deep-draft commercial harbor with the outer harbor, including associated mudflats, approximately 142 acres in area and formed by a system of breakwaters. Sand and silt deposition have increased the mudflats in this IBA. The harbor is changing over the years and marsh species are increasing. There is an ODNR-designated nature sanctuary, involving some of the mudflats but mostly the riparian corridor.

This is the principal shoreline staging area for birds in Northeast Ohio along Lake Erie. It is both a spring and fall site for shorebirds, as estuaries such as this are relied upon in the deeper central basin of Lake Erie. It is a raptor and vulture migratory corridor. Gulls concentrate at Conneaut in both spring migration and during winter. This spot is characteristically very transient in nature for birdlife. Records of nesting Least Bittern and Marsh Wren in the associated wetland exist. Merlins have summered along the gorge upstream and recorded hunting.
From Conneaut Harbor Important Bird Area webpage