Altogether: Welcome birders

Get ready, set, go — or get ready to go. Birders can see species like this Magnolia Warbler at the Biggest Week in American Birding festival happening at various locations in northwest Ohio, including Ottawa County. Provided photo/KENN KAUFMAN Thousands of bird enthusiasts and nature lovers worldwide will soon gather on Ohio's shores to celebrate the Biggest Week in American Birding. Welcome, welcome and welcome, are the three most important words for our community to make everyone who visits feel right at home. We're good at that, welcoming tourists to our area is what we do. The annual 10-day festival is scheduled from May 5-14 and is sponsored by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory in Oak Harbor. Co-hosts of the event are the Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center, Shores & Islands Ohio and Destination Toledo. Kim Kaufman, the observatory's executive director, expects 90,000 human visitors to fly, or drive, into the area. "It is an incredibly immersive experience that brings people from all over the world to northwest Ohio," Kaufman said. The annual festival occurs the first week of May, as it coincides with the peak of songbird migration, allowing guests to see many different species of these birds up close — more than 30 — at about a dozen different locations. Kaufman said that the northwest Ohio region is ideal for seeing these birds. Their three main migratory routes converge over Northwest Ohio and act as a barrier that the birds are reluctant to cross. This hesitation causes a funneling effect, as the birds will refuel in the surrounding marshland before they cross Lake Erie. It's a rare opportunity that birders should not pass up on, Kaufman said. "This is really the only time people can see these birds in our region. Most warblers are neotropical migrants meaning they spend winters in South America," Kaufman said. "Our ultimate goal is for people to fall in love with birds and ensure their habitats remain safe and clean," Kaufman said. That is, in our view, a worthy goal. * For information go to biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/summary-schedule.html to view a full schedule of events. Some events require a cost, and some events are free with pre-registration while others are free and welcome walk-ups. The biggest week website also includes options for registration, information for beginner birders and more.