Visitors to one of North America’s largest annual gatherings of birders will see a host of new offerings when the local event opens this week.
“Whether you are a seasoned birder for decades or are just getting started, we have something for everyone,” said Kim Kaufman, Black Swamp Bird Observatory executive director.
The nine-day Biggest Week in American Birding festival is anchored at the Maumee Bay State Park Lodge but has activities spread out across multiple sites within a few miles. It begins Friday and continues through May 12.
Some of the new features, Ms. Kaufman said, begin with the simple act of enhanced accessibility.
People who use wheelchairs, for example, should find it a little easier to participate in tours and get out into the field to see birds along trails this year because of more accommodations.
The group has made a commitment for more inclusion, she said.
“Every year, our team makes an intentional effort to look at barriers to birding,” Ms. Kaufman said. “One area we knew we needed to do better is accessibility.”
Hence a new series of field trips designed for those with accessibility challenges.
They will include tours led for the first time by a blind guide, Ms. Kaufman said.
Jerry Berrier, a blind birder from Texas, is coming to the festival to encourage people of all abilities, including those with vision impairments, to attend.
“He does birding by ear,” Ms. Kaufman said, adding that his focus is on taking in the beauty of nature by listening to the sounds of warblers and others along trails. “He’s going to be here to lead these accessible field trips.”
This year’s keynote is Amy Tan, author of the bestselling book, The Joy Luck Club.
Her latest book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, was released Wednesday. Ms. Tan did the artwork and the writing.
Ornithologist David Allen Sibley describes it as “a collection of delightfully quirky, thoughtful, and personal observations of birds in sketches and words.”
“We're really thrilled she's going to be with us,” Ms. Kaufman said.
Another new feature will be the world premiere of a cinematic concert based on an ode to migratory birds. The show is based A Season On the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration, a book released in 2019 by Ms. Kaufman’s husband, noted author-illustrator Kenn Kaufman.
Organizers describe it as a 60-minute “musical and visual journey from the shores of Lake Erie across the Americas.” It features three internationally acclaimed musicians, Simone Slattery on violin, Majel Connery on vocals, and Anthony Albrecht on cello.
In a related matter, Mr. Kaufman’s latest book, The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness, will be released on May 7, four days after the festival begins.
His publisher, Simon & Schuster, said the book “examines the scientific discoveries of John James Audubon and his artistic and ornithologist peers to show how what they saw (and what they missed) reflects how we perceive and understand the natural world.”
It offers a critical examination of Audubon’s shortcomings and a deep look into birding during the early 1800s “as a handful of intrepid men raced to find the last few birds that were still unknown to science,” the publisher’s website states.
There also will be new field trip site guides and the start of a morning flight count during the festival.
One of the more hands-on improvements will be the release of a Biggest Week app, available free of charge for Apple and Android users. It will enable users to check schedules with their cell phones and communicate more easily with other participants.
There will be several free optics and photography workshops at the Optics Tent inside the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area a few miles east of the lodge. Experts will give tips on how to clean and use binoculars and how to select cameras for wildlife photography, Ms. Kaufman said.
The Magee Marsh boardwalk is one of North America’s busiest for birding this time of year.
Popular nonhiking features such as the birding tattoo contest will return, she said.
The Biggest Week in American Birding drew 70,000 visitors to the area last year and is expected to draw 80,000 people this year, Ms. Kaufman said.
The event has, over the years, drawn visitors from all 50 states and six continents — all but Antarctica.
“People who travel to our region this time of year for birding invariably find out about other things to see and do in the region,” Larry Fletcher, Shores & Islands Ohio president, said.
He said “there’s a strong chance they’ll come back during other seasons, therefore amplifying the economic impact that birding contributes.”
Visitors have at least a $40 million impact on the northwest Ohio economy, he said.
“Those who travel here for birding are generally people who are knowledgeable about, and have a commitment to, protecting birds and preserving our natural resources,” Mr. Fletcher added. “It’s beneficial to all of us who enjoy the region’s natural areas to welcome this audience and hopefully learn from their conservation-minded practices.”
Ms. Kaufman said improved onsite registration will allow people to sign up at any time during the festival.
“You can just show up at the lodge and do onsite registration,” she said.
This is the 13th Biggest Week in American Birding festival.
The first was done on a pilot basis in 2009.
“We really want people to fall in love with birds,” Ms. Kaufman said. “Spring migration and the Biggest Week is a great opportunity to do that.”
Mark Shieldcastle, Black Swamp Bird Observatory research director, said that the Biggest Week in American Birding festival helps educate people and steer Ohio environmental policy in general.
“From a research point of view, the biggest thing I see the festival doing is raising the value of birds and natural habitat in the local community and businesses,” Mr. Shieldcastle said. “It has demonstrated the financial value of birds and habitat, raising local knowledge and pride in the area and support for conservation.”
Of the 300 species of birds in northwest Ohio, most of the migrants are tiny warblers taking a break from their long journeys to northern forests from Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
Festival details can be found online at the Biggest Week website or in a 96-page printed festival guide that is available at most area libraries, restaurants, newsstands, visitors bureaus, and Metroparks Toledo buildings.
First Published April 27, 2024, 3:00 p.m.
