Birding Events Matter.

How does a tiny back-water town like Shreve, Ohio become a eco-tourism Mecca-for-a-day each year?  Shreve Migration Sensation 2014 was a big hit as usual. What draws the 1000 plus crowd and makes this event so popular?

A gang gathers round the Time and Optics booth.  
Someone must be telling a great fly-catcher story.

 It is the people.  We love the slow pace of the town of Shreve, often no faster than a horse's trot. This event is an opportunity to take a step back in time. One can witness how large families interact with love and respect.  This is one "gang" of teens I can't wait to meet up with on a back road, because they know where all the best birds are hiding!

A motto to live by.

 The Amish and English (non-Amish) gather together and much is accomplished.  The gentle ways shine, clear through to the core of this event.  From the school principal and kind custodians, to the folks at the door, cooperation rules the day.

Snake-boy flashes a smile.

 There are tons of children's activities, from dip-netting, snake petting, face painting, crafts and good food. One of my annual favorites (like most birders) is the homemade pie! The Wildness Center provide an education display and live birds are featured by the Medina Raptor Center.  The Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists offer family activities.

Judy Kolo-Rose and Hugh Rose

 It is a time to meet up with dear friends.  I met Judy and Hugh some 10 years ago at a birding Big Sit! They have run countless birding information booths and cultivated friendships across Ohio.  They are the dearest of friends.

Sally Deems-Mogyordy wants you to "just go birding."

Birding friends really are the best kind of friends.  We share stories and smiles.  We love to help beginners. Birders offer their equipment to strangers.  We invite non-birders to "step up and take a look" through our scopes.  When was the last time a fisherman or hunter offered to share their pole or gun with you?

Big hugging going on at the Greater Mohican Audubon Booth.

 Shreve is about meeting up with friends and making new ones.  Real people who care about your family and want to know how the Bobolinks at Byers Woods fared this year.
Greater Mohican Audubon folks "man" and "woman" the field stations at Shreve Migration.  This year it was a very cold and wet job; so we send them a special  "thanks"  for their services!

Bobolink painting (by Linda Scheck) was presented
to Cheryl Harner for serving as Pres. of  GMAS 2007-13

 Bird art abounds at Shreve! From full-sized canvas paintings, photos, note cards, ceramics, painted rocks, and the ever-popular birds painted on roof-slate by Linda Scheck.  I forgot to take a photo of her booth, but here is a photo of me holding a  favored treasure, one of her paintings!  It was given to me by the Greater Mohican Audubon Society.

A few of the speakers from Migration Sensation 2014 

 Speakers!  All day long, speakers come and go in the auditorium. Some of them are nationally known like Jim McCormac and Kenn and Kim Kaufman.

Let me tell you something about these speakers: they want to be there.  They are all about spreading the love of birds, their song, and migration.  They want to help you find your way to the best birding spots.  They don't do this event for the money- their pay cannot even cover all their expenses- much less their time.  They are here in Shreve, Ohio because they love to share their love of birding  and want to help protect birds on migration and the habitats which serve them.  These speakers want to interact with beginning birders, non-birders and old friends alike.  Chuck Jakubchak has a wonderful teaching style, and Lisa Rainsong helped people train their ears to hear birds in a new way.  Jim McCormac has been my long-time mentor and one of the best speakers I have ever seen or heard, in Ohio or beyond.

This is the spirit of Shreve.  It is the spirit of people who want to share their passion for nature.

Kim and Kenn Kaufman of BSBO and Kaufman Field Guides

Kim was unable to be with us this year (I used this old photo from a free field they did for Ohio Birding Facebook group), but Mark Shieldcastle did a bang-up job on her program about the Winter Bird Altas. Kenn's program opened our eyes to some interesting migration patterns and to a world perspective on birding.

These are two passionate people- passionate about birding, and kids and yes- even each other!  There have never been two people who worked any harder to promote nature. Believe me, they are not motivated by fame or money. As you can see by their flashy mode of transportation- it's not just about them. They want to bring everybody along for the ride.  Ohio is lucky indeed to have the likes of the Kaufmans living here.

Birding festivals matter. Eco-tourism allows us to celebrate birds and monetize habitats in a way that gets the attention of non-birders. Believe me they notice when 1000 new folks show up in Shreve on a Saturday in March. Sign up now for the Biggest Week in American Birding and the Ohio Ornithological Conference. You will be helping save bird habitats with eco-tourism. Do good and have fun at the same time!

A Great Egret pondering its great regret, "Why am I back in OHIO?"

Most of all, this festival celebrates birds.  The photo of a forlorn Great Egret was shot out my car window as I drove home through the sleet and snow.

Yes, there were plenty of birds in Shreve- or rather nearby Killbuck Marsh and Funk Bottoms Wildlife Areas. We had scads of ducks, a congregation of coots and a fly-over of Sandhill Cranes. It was everything one could hope for in a one day birding event and I sincerely hope we will see you there next year!

Shreve Migration Sensation

One of Ohio's earliest spring birding festivals, the Shreve Migration Sensation is a fun family event.  Over a thousand people attend annually, with attendance peaking on warm years. Sometimes we have ice and snow, occasionally it is warm and sunny.  This year we had early morning fog, 



With prices like this, it is still a bargain!

...but the people packed in.  Many of them chose to stay in for the programs rather than brave the elements.

A wide assortment of programs are offered each year.  It was quite an honor for me to be included in this stellar line-up: Chuck Jakubchab, Judy Semroc, Jim McCormac and both Kim and Kenn Kaufman.  No wonder I never made it outside!



Sue Olive works the Greater Mohican Audubon booth.


There were plenty of vendors, displays, yummy food and hands-on learning stations for the kids.







It is a great place to catch up with friends.
Jan Kennedy (center) Jim McCormac and Guy Denny





The bird sightings were texted to your blogger and charted on the board.

Shreve is now 4-G!  This event is totally up to speed, thanks to Scott Hannan's suggestion for texting in the bird sightings. Once the fog lifted enough for Scott to see the eagle on its nest, he reported in! We are getting all modern here in Shreve. Who knows? Next year we may add Twitter feeds! 



Carbon- or methane-  off-set?

We didn't have a carbon offset project, but then again, a third of the crowd arrives by buggy. Maybe we should consider a methane off-set project.

Kenn Kaufman had a hard act to follow- Kimberly Kaufman!

The auditorium was packed for all the programs.  By the late afternoon, the heavy hitters had standing room only!  Kenn Kaufman ended  the day with "The Magic of Bird Flight."

Jim McCormac and Mary Ann Barrett

The quaint town of Shreve must feel the influx of all these birders. We love to patronize the local businesses and enjoy having lunch at Des Dutch Essenhaus.  They even have a website!

The only birds I got to see were the ones from the Medina Raptor Center, but it was still an amazing day spent with good friends and a wonderful town full of kind-hearted people ready to welcome us in!

Thank you to everyone who donated their time and talents to this event, and to all the attendees.  Shreve Migration Sensation is a perfect example of how eco-tourism works to help promote natural areas and wildlife. 

Shreve Migration- Sensational!

Welcome to the 12th Annual Shreve Spring Migration Sensation!

 The official door greeter, a Peregrine Falcon took his job very seriously.

 "This ain't no Walmart, Mister."

 The Medina Raptor Center provides live birds for the event. It is a rare opportunity for many kids to see a magnificent bird of prey eye-to-eye.

 The vendor booths are always popular, but something extra special must have been going on at "Time and Optics".  Maybe our friend Robert Hershberger was telling one of his famous birding stories?

Holy Salamanders!  Nina Harfmann, the winner of the DOW Diversity Stamp photo contest was also on hand!  A lot of folks got their  Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamps signed by Nina.  If you haven't bought one yet, be sure to pick one up at Black Swamp Bird Observatory this spring.  That $15.00 stamp promotes wildife diversity throughout Ohio.

Your Blogger caught up with the now-famous Ryan Steiner while birding at Cemetery Road.  Ryan is a fantastic birder, who has amazing abilities and writes articles for the Greater Mohican Audubon Newsletter!  One of my favorite partners for Christmas Bird Counts, this young man has a wealth of birding information which he eagerly shares!

It is his latest find that was probably all the talk at that Time and Optic booth. Ryan tooks some youngsters out to bird at Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area and turned up a Neslon's Sparrow!  UNHEARD of in March in Ohio.  This is big birding news folks!

Nelson's Sparrow, photo by Ryan Steiner

 Not only did Ryan find the bird, he got a very good photo to document it!   We'll get Ryan (the birding rockstar!) to tell us the whole story in a future GMAS newsletter.

The soggy trail at Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area where the Nelson's Sparrow was found.  A second Nelson's was also seen at this location during the Shreve Sensation.

Kenn Kaufman was our keynote speaker at Shreve. We took copious notes and photos as it is always an honor to learn from Kenn.  His "Spectacular Sparrows" was the perfect program for the Year of the Nelson's Sparrow.  Usually we are all about waterfowl at this early migration event, but 2012 took a whole new turn!

Kim and Kenn Kaufman greeted the crowds after their programs.  Kenn, almost passing for Amish, still had on his Ammodramus sparrow hat.

All the speakers were well attended and provided an interesting selection of topics.  Thanks to the committee who runs the Migration Sensation and the many volunteers who make it happen:  The school staff, the many volunteers -especially the ones providing educational opportunies for kids, and our Greater Mohican Auduboners who help in the field.  Thank you to the people who make this event continue to attract over 1,000 people each year! 

While Shreve is normally considered a waterfowl/ wetland event, it was my honor to present the first ever Shreve Migration program on butterflies.  It was a wonderful opportunity to talk about butterflies that migrate, and others who emigrate. Who knew the temperatures would already be in the high 60's with numerous species flying in March? Studying about butterfly migrations was unique opportunity for me to learn so much more about the insects that interest me so. 

A special thanks goes out to the wonderful friends who provided information and books about butterflies; I couldn't have done it without you.

Hope to see you all again next year at this family friendly event!

Shreve Migration- a Sensation!

Shreve Migration Sensation- As always, great programs, awesome vendors, plenty of Amish essen.. but for those of us working- so little time to bird! ...... Once we learned of the "secret" location of the Black Scoter Su Snyder found- the word spread. By the time Bianca Davis, Greg Miller, and the rest of our troups arrive, Bob Lane (in center with scope) and Su were getting others on the bird. ... Here is what we were looking for- and a good reminder: BUY DUCK STAMPS TO SAVE HABITAT!

Yes, that is Dave "Loopy" Lewis and Laurie bundled up against the chilly wind. It was so cold they left Bobb the Chipmunk in the car.

Friends Hugh and Judy were along, also anxious to see a few good birds after a long day working the booth for Black Swamp Bird Conservatory.

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I don't have many photos to share from this year's event as it all went by in a blur.

However, this Screech Owl caught my eye long enough to get one photo-

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I am sure there will be loads of other good posts- by speakers Jim McCormac, Greg Miller (check out his new site!), Kim Kaufman... and who knows what photographer Dave Lewis will post!

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Shreve is always a fun family event- and I encourage you to visit next year- if you weren't able to catch our act in person this year!

Shreve Migration Sensation

Whenever kids are outside, learning, and having this much fun- someone is getting it right! Thanks to Carrie Elvey and her crew from The Wilderness Center, the wetland dip-net portion of the Shreve Migration event is a sensation in every way!

Greater Mohican Audubon partners on many events each year and Shreve has become one of my favorites. It is not about the big names, not much flash or pizazz here, it is all about families. Kids garner much of the attention.

The highlight of my day? After adjusting my scope to half its normal height, I stood back to watch this young birder hone in on a Ruddy Duck. As he scanned across Wright Marsh, this polite young man quietly confirmed the waterfowl ids with his nearby father. Next, his brother stepped up to the scope and gave his hand a try. It is a privilege to bird with these young Amish birders, and share our respect and awe for the natural world. Their quiet lives make more sense to me than most of this troubled world.

It was shoulder to shoulder on the observation platform at Funk Bottoms, and as always we shared our sightings and compared good finds.

Shreve is a wonderful event for meeting up and sharing time with our many birding friends. Long distance travelers Nina and Anton Harfmann even won the prize for the longest drive! A few of my favorite characters are pictured here, slurping up gummy worms after a "tough" morning of birding! Greg Miller and Janet Creamer flaunt their snacks, while Jason Larson is looking stunned to be caught with his hand in the "worm bag." Hard to believe, but compared to these three (and a few others seated nearby), the Weedpicker almost seems normal!

Speakers, speakers, speakers... a full compliment of educational programing included a few of my friends: Laura Jones, Kim and Kenn Kaufmann, and of course, Jim McCormac- seen here being "wired" for sound by Joe Edinger. Joe is the man behind the scenes in Shreve for this wonderful event. He coordinates all the programs and volunteers and the million details to make this show go on. This is no small feat, as over 1022 people were in attendance at this "Sensation!"

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And a special "thank you" to all of our wonderful GMAS volunteers who work so hard at these events! Bianca Davis, Bob Hopp, Roger Troutman, Dick Stoffer and especially Su Snyder for arranging for our spotters at the various locations. And on the inside- thanks to: Sally Deems-Mogyordy, Sue Olive, Su Snyder, Bianca Davis, Jim Sloan and Janet Creamer for setting up and working our booth. Thank you all- it couldn't be done without you! Hope to see you again next year