Magee and Metzger Marsh Field Report and Photos 2026-05-16

The biggest day in the biggest week

Now that's the good stuff. 17,427 total pictures before culling. (30fps plus pre-capture can add up quickly...)

Magee Marsh Boardwalk

Jackie and I headed out to Magee Marsh for the second morning in a row, because all the BirdCast forecasts say this will be the biggest migration day of the year. And they were right - this was my best day of this year, which makes it my best day of bird photography ever. Lots and lots (and lots) of warblers - Myrtle, Blackburn, and Chestnut-Sided were everywhere, and Black-and-White and Black-Throated Green were also common.

Prothonotary Warbler Just Don't Care

I had two more fantastic Prothonotary Warbler viewings - one near the nest on the boardwalk, coming so close that he over-fills my 400mm - I can't zoom out enough to get the whole bird in the frame.

At the west tower, a different prothonotary delights a young girl - "it's my favorite bird!" she tells her mom. Mom tries to get her to look at the other birds - there are Bay-Breasted and Black-and-White Warblers hopping around nearby. "I'm still watching MY bird, mom. It's so pretty!" That Prothonotary is persistent, and keeps getting closer to us on the platform, giving us the hairy eyeball. When someone spots a Chestnut-Sided, and we all start looking for it, it lands on a tree right in front of us, calling insistently. "I think it's jealous that we're looking at other birds," someone says, and we all burst out laughing.

My Nemesis - Wilson's Warbler

On the boardwalk I spend time with a group searching for a Wilson's Warbler in the brush and leaves. It's the usual - "I see it ... dropped down out of sight - there it is ... jumped to the left. I can never get a clear view, not even for identification purposes.

Parking lot trail comes through again

The lot between the east side of the parking lot and the overflow lot is also a warbler haven. I see a pair of life birds - a Canada Warbler and Blackpoll warbler - within minutes of each other. There are Magnolia warblers everywhere, and I get some good Red-Eyed Vireo shots and a Great-Crested Flycatcher. It's threatening rain, but it never actually arrives.

Metzger Marsh

Jackie and I stop at Blackberry Corners for lunch (and some lifer pie - Cherry Berry is fantastic.) We see some BlueSky posts about rare birds at Metzger Marsh, which I've never visited, so we drive there next.

We drive around a large group of birders is standing on the causeway, checking out a Glossy Ibis that is far from its home range. We head on past, stopping at a few of the pullouts to check the egrets off in the lagoon. At the end of the causeway we get to the hotspot - a small woodlot on the bit of land sandwiched between the boat canal and the Ottawa lagoons. And what a spot it is!

Yellow-Billed Cuckoo

We join the crowd in the parking lot looking at a Yellow-Billed Cuckoo (another life bird!) I really struggle to find it in the leaves, but eventually Jackie points it out to me, and I get a great flight shot as it jumps between branches.

Wilson's Warbler - Nemesis no more!

Then we head to the dike trail, where you can walk along between Lake Erie and the lagoon, all the way to Ottawa National Wildlife refuge. We don't do that, because the trees along the trail are hopping with warblers. American Redstart, Black-Throated Green, Blackburnian, and Magnolia warblers are there in abundance. And, I finally get my Wilson's Warbler shot, though I don't know it at the time (I thought I missed it.) I get a good shot of an American Kingbird too.

That's One Lost Ibis

Finally, on the way out, we join the crowd for a shot of the Glossy Ibis. It's calmly walking around out in the lagoon while a bunch of us stare at it in wonder. If we were in Florida, the Glossy Ibis would be a common bird. Up here in Ohio? That bird got very, very lost to wind up here.

I don't know how I'm going to top this day of bird photography. Three different life-bird warblers (Canada, Blackpoll and Wilson's), two other life birds (Yellow-Billed Cuckoo and Glossy Ibis), and good photos of ten different warbler species? This day was FANTASTIC.