Magee Marsh Warbler Migration

About this spectacle

Each spring, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area on the southern shore of Lake Erie transforms into one of North America's premier birding destinations. Exhausted warblers and other neotropical migrants pile up along the lakeshore after crossing Lake Erie overnight, making the boardwalk trail a remarkable close-encounter experience. Dozens of warbler species — Yellow, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, and more — forage at eye level in the willows and cottonwoods, often indifferent to watching humans. The air fills with song and the clicking of camera shutters. During the Biggest Week in American Birding festival, birders line the boardwalk shoulder-to-shoulder, sharing scope views and species lists. The flat, accessible trail winds through lakeside scrub, offering intimate views of birds that would normally be treetop specks. Dawn brings the greatest activity as new arrivals settle in, and overcast days after a north wind produce the most dramatic fallout concentrations.

When to go

Mar — Oct, peak May

Getting there

Nearest airport: TOL. Nearest city: Toledo.

Booking options

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