Birding the Maumee River

Hello again. Here we are in early November, and temperatures this weekend in North West Ohio were in the 70's. With that being said, there was no way we were staying in the house. Saturday took Jill and I to Side Cut Metro Park in Maumee, Oh. We saw lots of birds, people and fellow photogs out and enjoying the awesome weather. While walking the levees in the park, we got a glimpse of a new bird for us, the Pine Siskin. There were plenty of the regular birds and we managed to get in several miles of walking.

On Sunday, we drove farther south down the Maumee river and wound up at Farnsworth Metropark in Waterville, Oh. Farnsworth is the site of an ancient Indian meeting place and the site of a former French settlement. It is also the end of the Erie-Miami canal. With Chloe in tow, we walked the park and hiked some trails. Birds were out inforce including Nuthatches, Goldfinces, Cedar Waxwings, Gulls and even a Harrier. From Farsworth we headed down the towpath to Bend View, and Providence Metroparks. 

From the Toledo Metropark website: Canal boats once carried goods and people 249 miles between Toledo and Cincinnati, linking Lake Erie and the Ohio River. Visitors to Providence today get a sense of what canal travel was like during a trip aboard an authentic, mule-drawn canal boat on an original section of the Miami and Erie Canal. The Providence Dam, just upriver from another attraction, the Isaac Ludwig Mill, was originally constructed to keep the canal filled with water. The canal boat and mill are open May through October.

It was a great day and beautiful weather. Today as with yesterday, we saw another new bird for our lifetime birding list - the Redheaded Woodpecker. This year, there are lots of new birds migrating to our area due to a poor food supply in southern Canada. Purple Finches, Cedar Waxwings, Pine Siskins, Crossbills and Grosbeaks are just a few of the birds infiltrating our area to winter over. Can't wait for next weekend to get back out there and look for more. 

I hope you enjoy the pictures and have a great week!