Three Days in Ohio Before The Biggest Week

6 May 2025

Today I’m driving to Northwest Ohio to get my annual warbler fix at Magee Marsh Boardwalk. I’ll be there three days before The Biggest Week in American Birding on 9-18 May 2025 to avoid the crowds.

There are quite a few birds I’ve missed so far in Pittsburgh that I hope to see in Ohio including prothonotary warbler and magnolia warbler pictured here. Last year my pre-Biggest-Week trip was too early for peak migration but this year my timing may be perfect. Peak migration is 7-25 May in northwestern Ohio.

To give you a taste of how close the birds are at Magee Marsh Boardwalk, here’s a 2016 video by Sarah Winnicki with super looks. Give yourself a warbler quiz by identifying them in the video.

Speaking of Biggest Week crowds: It will be interesting to find out if the crowds reach the predicted 80,000 – 90,000 without the usual influx of Canadians. By the end of March, Cleveland had already noticed a 30% drop in Canadian visits to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

For cities like Cleveland that rely on tourism dollars from diverse sources, including Canadian visitors arriving via Great Lakes cruise ships, the emerging trend presents a significant challenge. As Johnston noted, “we’re going to keep seeing the fallout of this” if political tensions continue to escalate.

— Cleveland.com: Our neighbors are angry: tourism takes political turn as Rock Hall sees 30% drop in Canadian Visitors