So I am trying to get back into the swing of things in terms of photography. I just haven't been feeling inspired much lately, I guess. So anyway, looking to get inspired, I decided yesterday to make a trip out to Magee's Marsh (see the accompanying photo of the day post here or below). Magee Marsh Wildlife Area is located about 90 miles west of Cleveland between Sandusky and Toledo. Although the most direct route was probably to just take Interstate 90 to Ohio 2, I chose to instead make use of my Ez Pass and took the Ohio Turnpike. To get to Magees, I took 480 West to the Ohio Turnpike. I exited at 91 and took Ohio 53 to Ohio 523 to Ohio 19 over to Ohio 2. It took me approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there. It would have been faster if large portions of the Ohio Turnpike hadn't been under construction and signed for 50 mph even though there was no work going on ...
Magee Marsh is supposed to be one of the preeminent sites in the United States to witness the spring migration of warblers. Unfortunately, this means hordes of people descend upon the park in the beginning and middle of May. The warbler migration will actually peak next week, but I am not fond of crowds, which is why I went yesterday.
Not surprisingly, being a more casual birder, I was out of my element. I felt a little bit like a marathoner who showed up for Boston wearing loafers. Nevertheless, everyone seemed nice and I pretty quickly struck up a fast friendship with another photographer, which made the day a much more pleasant experience. (I'm used to spending hours and hours out alone, so having someone to talk with is always a pleasure.)
I saw a number of warblers, although for me probably the best siting of the day was a Blanding's Turtle hauled out on a log. Magee Marsh is definitely worth the visit, and I'd like to go back again, but not while it's so crowded. Next weekend, I am going to head towards a place called Sheldon Marsh.
(Ironically, when I went down to the Rocky River Reservation today, I saw almost as many warblers as I did at Magees! They were all over the upper canopy near the steps at the Nature Center. And the only person I had to share them with was a nice young woman who was running the stairs.)
