WildBird

An Evening on a Lake Erie Marsh

An Evening on a Lake Erie Marsh By Kyle Carlsen On a late afternoon of early August, I find myself in the car with my family, entering the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. Moments earlier I had caught a glimpse of an adult Little Blue Heron standing just outside the entrance of Magee. Only a handful of these herons are seen each year in Ohio, but the few that do show up are usually found in this area, on the large marshes of southwestern Lake Erie. The heat of the day is finally beginning to fade as the sun sets in the sky. Driving along the causeway, with extensive marshland on both sides of the road, we can sense that the marsh is alive with wildlife. Red-winged Blackbirds fly past in small flocks, and a Yellow Warbler sings out from a tree. A Swamp Sparrow lets out a loud “chink”, but is reluctant to reveal himself. Numerous Great Egrets dot the landscape, standing quietly at the edge of the water with long plumes extending down their backs. The birds’ snow-white plumage is a beautiful contrast against the green vegetation around them. Great Blue Herons are abundant as well, but less conspicuous than the egrets. A few Common Terns gracefully float over a Black-crowned Night Heron, who pops his head up from the vegetation for just a second. There are probably many other night herons lurking here in the marsh, but are just not showing themselves right now. At the end of the road, we come to the beach, where a number of vacationers are swimming in Erie’s waters. Ring-billed and Herring Gulls are occupying the parking lot here, with several others flying overhead. Turning back towards the marsh, we drive back down the causeway. Common Yellowthroats sing close by. A Pied-billed Grebe looks around before diving down into the water. Common Terns continue to fly back and forth over the road and then a much larger Caspian Tern appears, flapping his long wings as he surveys the area below him, looking for a meal. As we continue down the causeway, we continue to see Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets everywhere. One of the Great Blues, a particularly irritable bird, immediately squawked at us a few times and flew off when we stopped in front of him to get a quick picture. The other herons are much more cooperative and seem to tolerate our presence. As the sun continues to drop behind the horizon, the birds hurry around to finish their day’s activities, and we finally wrap up our self-guided tour of the marsh. Driving along the highway again a short time later, during the last few minutes of daylight, a large bird has come into view, flying alongside the road with slow, steady wing beats. As we come closer, it is evident that the bird is not another heron, but an adult Bald Eagle. The eagle continues to fly on majestic wings, remaining parallel with our vehicle for several more minutes. Then we go our separate ways – the eagle turns back to his home in the marsh, while we travel back to our home, many miles away.

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