A New Mexican at The Biggest Week in American Birding

I have recently returned from a week at The Biggest Week in American Birding, a ten-day birding festival in Northwest Ohio. Nothing in my experience as a New Mexico birder prepared me for the dazzling array of migratory warblers that I encountered on the boardwalk at Magee Marsh, located on the south shore of Lake Erie. If you're a birder, you MUST go to The Biggest Week. Kenn and Kim Kaufman and their dedicated team put on a wonderful event. I arrived in Ohio practically foaming at the mouth in anticipation of seeing Eastern Wood Warblers. Although we have many lovely birds New Mexico, there is a notable shortage of warblers.

Nothing in my prior birding experience prepared me for the crowds of birders on the boardwalk at Magee Marsh.

Birders and more birders.

I thought I would hate the crowds. In fact, the birders were friendly and helpful, and they were quick to point out tiny warblers to a New Mexican who was accustomed to looking for much larger birds. The boardwalk at Magee Marsh is as much a social experience as it is a birding experience. Kim and Kenn Kaufman, Jeff and Liz Gordon, Greg Miller and many other well-known birders are on the boardwalk, and they are happy to talk to birders from all over the US.

On my first morning in Ohio I took a photography class from Christopher Taylor. I have followed him on Twitter for over four years, and I was delighted to meet him in person.

Christopher Taylor (far right) and members of the photography group.

I saw many beautiful warblers. Despite the fact that they bounce around rapidly in the leaves, I was able to photograph some of them. Here are a few of the warblers that I saw:

A Yellow Warbler hunts for insects in the leaves.

A Palm Warbler flies by. 

A Hooded Warbler hides in the leaves.

A Prothonotary Warbler announces his presence.

A Black-throated Green Warbler sings from a branch above me.

The Northern Parula is one of the prettiest of the Warblers.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler at least was not a new bird for me.

I love the colors of the Chestnut-sided Warbler.

The Blackburnian Warbler is truly a stunning bird.

It was amazing to see many Magnolia Warblers flitting through the trees at eye level.

Of course we saw other birds besides warblers, although warblers were the main attraction.

These Great-horned Owlets were almost ready to fledge.

A male Rose-breasted Grosbeak looks as if he wants to communicate with the birders …

… although his attention was probably focused on this lovely lady in the trees.

We were excited to see a lovely Scarlet Tanager.

Sharon Stiteler, the BirdChick, digiscoped an Eastern Screech Owl for me with my iPhone.

One morning we had a great deal of excitement when a Kirtland's Warbler was spotted near Magee Marsh. Approximately 300 birders rushed to get a look at the bird. Although I did get good looks at the bird through a spotting scope, I did not get a photo of it. I did, however, get a photo of the crowd that came to look at one tiny bird.

Birders. Lots and lots of birders.

Of course we did not spend all of our time birding. It was also a time to reconnect with birding friends and meet new ones.

Birding girlfriends Dawn Fine, Kelly Riccetti, Linda Rockwell, Sharon Stiteler and Debbie Miller on the boardwalk. Photo courtesy of Paul and Debbie Miller.

Sharon Stiteler, the BirdChick, hosted a Birds & Beers event that was THE social event of the festival.

Kim Kaufman and Sharon Stiteler share a moment at Birds & Beers. It was a fun evening!

I enjoyed meeting birding guide Gunnar Engblom, with whom I shared the house on Lake Erie that I rented for the week.

Gunnar's song "Bird Party" became the unofficial anthem of The Biggest Week.

I cannot forget to mention the views from the patio of my rented house on Lake Erie.  This is the patio overlooking Lake Erie.

Patio of the Lake Erie house. Photo courtesy of Dawn Fine.

From beautiful sunrises …

 … to gorgeous rainbow days …

… to spectacular sunsets …

… it was a wonderful place to stay.

The Biggest Week in American Birding is a spectacular festival. There are many fun things to do, many beautiful birds to see and many wonderful birders to meet. If you haven't been to Northwest Ohio for this festival, you should make plans to attend.

 All photos © Linda Rockwell. Contact corralena@gmail.com for permission.