More than 240 bird species each spring make their way to Ohio, also making the state one of the nation’s premier birding destinations.
An estimated 46 million Americans are bird watchers, according to a 2001 US Fish and Wildlife Service study.
It’s an estimated $85 billion hobby.
Ohio has a number of venues for catching such birds as the yellow-bellied warbler, including the 8,000-acre Magee Marsh State Wildlife Area. That was recently listed by “Birder’s World” magazine as the ninth best viewing spot in North America.
There are also thousands of acres along Lake Erie’s western shoreline to provide close-up views of warblers, tanagers, orioles and grosbeaks.
The state of Ohio also has regularly scheduled special events in conjunction with bird migrations.
Report by David Wilkening
